Excursion to Przhevalsky Museum.

“More than once, sitting in a buttoned uniform in the salon of some nobleman, I remembered with regret my free life in the desert with my fellow officers and Cossacks. There, brick tea and mutton were drunk and eaten with greater appetite than the local overseas wines and French dishes; there was freedom, here gilded bondage; here everything is according to form, everything is by measure; there is no simplicity, no freedom, no air. Stone prisons called houses; a disfigured life - a civilized life, moral abomination - called worldly tact; venality, heartlessness, carelessness, debauchery – in a word, all the vile instincts of man, though embellished in one way or another, figure and serve as the main driving force in all strata of society from the lowest to the highest. I can only say one thing, that in a society like ours it is very bad for a man with a soul and a heart to live. No, apparently, a free bird will never get used to a cramped cage; and I will never become related to the artificial conditions of a civilized, or rather, disfigured, life."

Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky. "Travels in Central Asia."

Excursions to museums in Kyrgyzstan.

Museum of N.M. Przhevalsky is located at an altitude of 1631 meters above sea level, is located 12 kilometers (by road) northwest of city of Karakol, 853 meters from a small bay of Przhevalsky Gulf of Lake Issyk-Kul, 745 meters from right bank of Karakol River, on eastern outskirts of village of Pristan Przhevalsk under city administration of city of Karakol in Issyk-Kul region. 
The idea of ​​​​creating a museum of N. M. Przhevalsky near his grave was proposed in 1944 by the president of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Professor V. L. Komarov. However, due to military actions and post-war reconstruction, this project could not be realized at that time.
Only in 1957, according to the decree of the Council of Ministers of the Kirghiz SSR, the museum was founded and on April 29 of the same year, it opened its doors to visitors. Its first director was Georgy Stepanovich Bityukov. On April 29, 1957, a decision was made to build a museum of N. M. Przhevalsky.
In the depths of the garden, not far from the grave and the monument, a building of the memorial museum of N. M. Przhevalsky was built according to the design of the architect A. M. Shprunt. he facades are decorated with sculptural elements by O. M. Manuilova - a golden eagle is located on the pediment, and running argali are depicted on the sides of the portico.
In 1980, a U-shaped building was added to the museum building, with large windows overlooking the courtyard. Thanks to this extension, the exhibition area increased to 400 square meters. At the entrance to the museum, guests are greeted by a large globe and a ceramic map of N. M. Przhevalsky's travel routes, created by Leningrad artists.
The exhibition is presented in 10 sections, which can be viewed by moving in a circle. The foundation of the museum collection was laid by the Issyk-Kul State Museum named after N. M. Przhevalsky under the Ministry of Culture of the Kirghiz SSR, which in 1957 donated a collection of his works, including 8 books published from 1883 to 1947, as well as 30 photographs and photocopies.
In 1958, the artists Gladkov, Kharlamov and Vasiliev painted 14 pictures for the museum, the Kirghiz Zoo Plant provided 10 stuffed animals and birds, and 10 rare books were purchased in one of the second-hand bookstores in Leningrad. The museum collection was also replenished with archival materials from the Geographical Society of the USSR.
In 1960, the collection numbered 386 storage units, and by 2020 - about 2000 exhibits. These include personal belongings and original photographs of the traveler, as well as works of his students and associates published in the 19th century: V. I. Roborovsky, P. K. Kozlov, G. N. Potanin, G. E. Grumm-Grzhimailo.
During the first three years of its existence, the museum collection already numbered 386 items. The basis of the collection was laid by the Przhevalsk Museum of Local History, which in 1957 donated 8 editions of N. M. Przhevalsky works (published between 1883 and 1947), as well as 30 photographs and photocopies.
Materials also came from the archive of the Geographical Society of the USSR. One of the most valuable exhibits of the museum is a 12-gauge smoke rifle, known as "N. M. Przhevalsky's Gun". The metal elements of the weapon are decorated with ornamental engraving and images of the heads of various animals: a wild boar, a dog, a fallow deer and a fox.
On the tail section of the trigger guard, under the neck of the stock, are engraved the initials of the master "V. L." (presumably Vasily Lezhen), the serial number of the gun "836" and the initials of the owner "N. M. P." Under the butt on a silver plate is the inscription:
- "Przhevalsky's Expeditions".
Another silver shield, cut into the comb of the butt near the butt plate, contains the initials "N. M. P.", the date "1883" and the number "836". On the sighting bar is engraved the inscription: "V. Lezhen in St. Petersburg". The museum collection was replenished with personal belongings of N. M. Przhevalsky, donated by his relative Mikhail Vladimirovich Przhevalsky.
Among them are a leather wallet, a malachite stone, a Chinese knife, a metal ruler, a business card, a notebook with a pencil, a parcel box with the initials "N. P." and a wax seal. In addition, he donated original photographs of the traveler, his brothers and friends.
Before becoming part of the museum collection, these items were kept in the Przhevalsky family and passed down from generation to generation. The wife of P.K. Kozlov, N.M. Przhevalsky's companion, E.V. Kozlova donated to the museum original photographs of N.M. Przhevalsky and P.K. Kozlov, as well as a Chinese smoking device and a metal ashtray of Mongolian manufacture.
In 2014, in honor of the 175th anniversary of N.M. Przhevalsky's birth, his great-grandnephew Nikolai Przhevalsky Jr. donated to the museum's collection a pocket thermometer and a measuring yardstick, which the traveler used for scientific purposes during his expeditions.
Today, the museum displays the traveler's personal belongings, documents, manuscripts and photographs. The exhibition includes his camping gear, books and other memorabilia. Visitors can not only carefully examine numerous artifacts, but also listen to fascinating excursions.
A huge map of N.M. Przhevalsky's routes, occupying an entire wall of one of the halls, makes a special impression.
Geographic coordinates of Przhevalsky Museum: N42°34'22 E78°19'15

Authority:
Guide to Karakol.
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D1%83%D0%B

Photos by:
Alexander Petrov.
https://foto.kg/