The Museum of the Black Sea Fleet (the Museum, for short) was opened on 14th September (old style) 1869 in Yekaterininskaya Street (now Lenina Street) in a house of Eduard Totlebin, general and one of the leaders of Sevastopol defence in 1854 and 1855. To found the Museum the Special Committee under chairmanship of Eduard Totlebin was established in Petersburg in April of 1869. And a Sevastopol local comission was created. It included active city defenders, highly educational people with progressive views and a sacred goal.
Lieutenant General Peter Menkov, member of the Special Committee and an editor of Russki Invalid military magazine took charge of charitable contributions to build the Museum. Money was got from defenders, military men, and citizens. "Russki Invalid" Magazine managed to collect 12,983 roubles for a short period of time. At the same time exhibits were actively collected too.
Taking into account great educational significance of the Museum, on 1st December, 1869, Emperor Alexander II issued a decree on donating an estate to the Museum to support it financially. The estate of 1,936 dessiatinas or 2,115 hectares (5,227 acres) in area situated in the village of Emir, Taurida Governorate, the Berdyansk District and brought 2,500 roubles annually.
Correspondence of that time kept in the Museum reserves speaks for longing of Russian people for their contribution to crown defenders of Sevastopol with immortality. People from Petersburg, Moscow, Vladivostok and other Russian cities offered in the letters their relics of defence time and preceding events.
During five months of preparatory work, the Commission got a lot of materials including things of Vladimir Kornilov and Pavel Nakhimov, leaders of the city defence, paintings by famous Russian artists Ivan Aivazovsky, Franz Roubaud, and famous life drawings by Vasily Timm. Exhibits were placed chronologically. Visitors could see perfect plans and maps of battles, Russian and foreign lithographs, portraits of defenders, wonderful collections of guns and colds...
In 1874, school for 40 students was opened by the Museum and later transformed into trade school. Also home for invalids, straw platting school for girls, and Xenia parish school for 300 students were established. The Museum itself and all charities were under the charge and protection of Great Prince Alexander Mikhailovich.
In 1890, the Committee on the Museum arrangement applied to the Emperor to grant them a plot belonging to the Military Department in Yekaterininskaya Street (between the Artillery Tower and the St. Michael's Church).
The Emperor approved a project by academician Alexander Kochetov to build a new building. Construction of the Museum was started on 28th June, 1892 and finished on 5th October, 1895. 150,000 roubles in total was spent. This sum included 100,000 roubles contributed by naval and military ministries.
Austere classical style and decorations made of bronze and cast iron still greatly impress. The main facade is decorated with a famous "Sevastopol Emblem", a cross and 349 standing for a number of defence days. Naval fittings made of cast iron are fixed on each side. They represent bows and sterns of ancient ships, cannons draped with bronze banners. All bronze figures and decorations as well as stucco works inside the building were made under the project by Odessa sculptor Boris Edwards.
As soon as the Museum occupied the new building, an issue of exhibits collection had been raised again. Great Prince offered to the Black See Fleet Commander to involve young naval officers and assign them to collect exhibits for the Museum of Sevastopol Defence during a month. This was the time when the Museum got its unique exhibits.
The Museum tour began on the first floor where models, portraits, plaster busts, and things of Nicholas I were exhibited. Artillery was displayed on the ground floor.
A painting by Ivan Aivazovsky from the collection of Alexander II was donated to the Museum. Grand Princes also presented a sabre of Osman Pasha, commander of Turkish squadron, and a long glass of Pavel Nakhimov. Widow of Mikhail Lazarev, Russian fleet commander and Admiral, donated his awards to the Museum…
According to a catalogue of 1913, the Museum had more than 2,000 highly valuable relics that could be a proud of any other Russian museum (many exhibits appeared in 1905, the year of the 50th anniversary of the Sevastopol defence). After the Great October Socialistic Revolution, new sections displaying the events of 1905–1917 were opened.
Before the year of 1940, the Museum had been changed and replaced several times till it was named the Military and Historical Museum of the Black Sea Fleet. During heroic defence of Sevastopol in 1941 and 1942, the most valuable exhibits were evacuated to Baku and later to Ulianovsk.
The exposition that was left in the city and survived after bombardments was moved to the picture gallery in Frunze Street (now Nakhimov Avenue) for a while because the Museum building was almost destroyed. The Museum continued working and fostering the heroes of the second defence by example of the heroes of the first defence period…
The city defenders brought there bloodstained documents and party membership and Komsomol cards with bullet holes in them that were found in battle fields. After Sevastopol was liberated from fascist invaders, the exhibits were returned "home", the building was restored, and on 15th August, 1948, the Museum was opened to public again.
For 130 years of existence, the Museum of the Red Banner Black See Fleet has become a real treasury of war relics related to the glorious history of the Black See Fleet. Today, it numbers over 30,000 exhibits.
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