The Historical and Memorial Museum of the Demidovs

The Historical and Memorial Museum of the Demidovs is dedicated to the legendary Russian family of industrialists and patrons of the arts, who created a metallurgical and mining empire in the Urals. The items in the exhibition tell many stories, such as the story of how the ironworks and arms industries were established in Tula, the story of the first water-powered plant built in 1695 by Nikita Demidov, the Founder of the Dynasty and an associate of Emperor Peter the Great. The Demidov family tomb in the Nicholas-Zaretsky Church is an integral part of the museum. This is the only surviving crypt of the Demidovs in Russia. The surviving historical objects and places are a kind of chronicle that remind modern generations of the versatility and scale of this illustrious dynasty’s activities.