ABOUT THE MUSEUM

HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM

Mikhail Mikhailovich Borshchev began to collect samovars in the early 2000s. By 2008, the collection featured more than 300 items. Exhibits were purchased in antique stores from private collectors; Some of the items were donated by collector’s friends. In 2009, the collection was placed in a small exhibition hall in hotel GRUMANT Resort & SPA, where, for the first time, the collection was presented to the public.

In 2014, when one hall was already not enough for the growing collection, it was decided to move it to Tula, where a large room was allocated for the collection in the Arsenal stadium. During that time, the collection was viewed by a large number of citizens of Tula and tourists from different parts of Russia and abroad. The collection was very popular among connoisseurs of arts and crafts, and soon the exhibition hall at the Arsenal stadium began to successfully compete in the number of visitors with other city museums.

In March 2018, the Collection finally found a real home: a new museum building with all the necessary infrastructure and modern equipment.

The opening ceremony of the Museum of Samovars and Bouillottes in hotel GRUMANT Resort & SPA was attended by representatives of the Tula region administration and figures of Russian culture and art: People’s Artist of Russia, ballet dancer and actress of theater and cinema Ilze Liepa, director of the museum-estate of Leo Tolstoy “Yasnaya Polyana”, member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Ekaterina Tolstaya, The main curator of the State Memorial Historical, Art and Natural Museum-Reserve V.D. Polenova, Honored Worker of Culture of the RSFSR Natalya Nikolaevna Gramolina and many others.

In April 2018, the collection was recognized as the largest private collection of samovars and bouillottes (Russian Book of Records).

Today, the collection features around 600 unique exhibits, illustrating the development of samovar industry in Russia.