Cherishing memory of the edge …

Kobrin → Outstanding persons → Alexey Mikhaylovich Martynov

In 2006 to the museum Kobrin military historically of A. V. Suvorov 60 years are executed. Alexey Mikhaylovich Martynov stood at the origins it.

When A. M. Martynov in 1945 accompanied the correspondent of the Pravda newspaper, he also did not assume" that the essence of a case in point can have a direct bearing on it" and the picture taken by the journalist against one of old houses down the street of Suvorov will become fatal.

There is such known saying: who shoots at the past from the gun, in reply receives a shot from a gun. And here Alexey Mikhaylovich Martynov shot. Only its "bullets" are cast from own irrepressible inquisitiveness, desire to know all about the native land: from gray-haired legends to events of the contemporary history.

SUVOROV LODGE
In Kobrin's center incidentally in military shocks the shabby wooden structure noted on city map of 1797 - the "Suvorov's house" received by the commander among other grounds of the Kobrin Key in 1795 escaped.
In the middle of the 19th century the lieutenant colonel of engineering troops Romuald Traugutt was the owner of the house. Then under a shelter of the historical house took place "povyatova seymik" - the analog of the Russian district zemstvo which gave way to private apartments. In the years of fascist occupation in it there was elementary school, only during that time. And on the eve of flight Hitlerites turned the house into a stable. Soon guerrillas among whom was much from Suvorov's group, having learned about the violation which comprehended a historical relic spontaneously went to a community work day - and cleaned the house. Further over an ownerless tumble-down house without partitions, windows and doors there was a real danger to become the public bathroom. But that such shame did not happen, door and window openings were reliably entangled by a barbed wire.

THERE IS NO ESCAPING FATE...
In such unattractive look the building staid till 1946. Until a certain well-wisher did not pay attention of the first post-war manager Brest oblono Ivanova that at general indifference the historical monument disappears. Ivanova, the former guerrilla, and in 1944 participating in an above-mentioned community work day treated with due consideration to the received news: reported about it in the Pravda newspaper. Intervention of edition was followed by the decision of the Central Committee of a bedding set on need of restoration of the historical house with the subsequent opening in it of the museum of A. V. Suvorov.

On August 4, 1946 solemnly proclaimed, but in fact the nonexistent museum Alexey Mikhaylovich Martynov who before was engaged in the organization of post service and city library was appointed the director. For those times it was unusual appointment. It is known that the party, especially on posts in the field of ideology, put communists, in rare instances - perspective Komsomol members. But Martynov was not either that, or another, and life proved that the power was not mistaken in "the non-party Bolshevik". Realizing full incompetence in the imposed business, Alexey Mikhaylovich in the first years repeatedly tried to leave. But there is no escaping fate...

With active assistance of the chief architect of area P. V. Leonov project documentation on restoration was developed. Direct recovery work was assigned to a low-power remstroykontora of a local gorkommunkhoz. There were not enough builders and supply left much to be desired: there was the first post-war year.

DIFFICULTIES AND MISTAKES
Martynov had to master a role of the supplier, getting dresses on stroydefitsit. But Alexey Mikhaylovich paid the most important attention to collecting exhibits, perfectly understanding that without them the museum cannot be created. He so succeeded in this case that by the end of 1947 in funds 663 subjects of museum value were registered. And several imperial coins inherited by it from the father yes something from the household things suitable for future exposition became the first exhibits.

During that time, deliberating possible sources of exhibits necessary for the museum, Alexey Mikhaylovich decided to address the population of the Brest region with a leaflet in which he provided the detailed list of what the museum needed. Fortunately directors, the manuscript was vised by the second secretary of a district committee of party Makushenko. A leaflet 1000 copies gratuitously printed in printing houses of the local newspaper. And right there scandal burst. When learned about Martynov's invention in department of promotion of the Brest regional committee of party, there were horrified. Distribution of a harmless leaflet was strictly forbidden, and all circulation is burned. However, one copy after all remained and is in funds of the museum. Having got acquainted with the text, the reader fairly is perplexed: what seditious was seen by the authorities in an appeal to help formation of the new museum on the Brest region?

In the summer of 1947 the chief architect of area managed to provide to Martynov monthly business trip to Moscow and Leningrad for collecting in the central libraries of materials on stories of Brest and Kobrin. Thanks to this trip Alexey Mikhaylovich managed to start useful acquaintances to suvorovoveda, the staff of the Art museum which soon became the main supplier to our museum of original exhibits on war of history.

BEGINNING OF MUSEUM BUSINESS
Meanwhile restoration of a lodge continued, and by the end of 1947 the main works were complete. At the beginning of 1948 the new profile of the museum finally was determined by the ministry by the order: Kobrin military and historical of A. V. Suvorov.

The staff of the museum in 1946-47 consisted of one director. Martynov began to get paid only since January, 1947. The research associate Nikolay Martynovich Vasilevsky, the person far from historical science but invaluable in all other relations was taken on as. His practical sharpness in combination with clever fingers helped to make out repeatedly changing expositions.

Responsible examination - creation of the first exposition was coming the museum. The higher instance founded the following sections of an exposition: "Our great ancestors", "A. V. Suvorov", "Patriotic war of 1812".

Further plans of the authorities did not stretch. And it is a pity. An opportunity without delay to get many valuable exhibits on the Great Patriotic War was missed.

For a start Kobrin art dealers had portraits of "great ancestors" of work of the Brest artists yes a set of different photos and lithographs on military and historical subject. Martynov understood that all this is primitive wretchedness and an amateur work, however it was necessary to begin with something.

CEREMONIAL OPENING
The Areopagus of regional heads made the decision to date opening of the museum for May 1. By then it was succeeded to fill emptiness of the second or fifth of halls somehow. The same operation in the first hall was slowed down due to the lack of Suvorov's portrait. In the morning the first secretary of a district committee I.D. Tsarenkov summoned the director of the museum prior to meeting to remind of opening of an exposition after demonstration. No objections with reference to the compelled unpreparedness worked. The fact that literally the day before from the Moscow historical museum the exhibition devoted to the 30 anniversary of October revolution was received saved situation. It was also placed in the empty first hall.

There was no time to get a traditional tape for cutting. Even the flag on the museum was not. Alexey Mikhaylovich made up the mind to a risky step: under the responsibility sent one of assistants to remove a flag on the neighboring house. A panel of the stolen flag wrapped up a marble memorial board which was nailed at an entrance in the face of the audience.

Meanwhile along the street at the museum ranks of the military personnel were built and the huge crowd of citizens gathered. The local management approved the examined exposition. Until the end of the first year of work the museum was visited by over 18 thousand people.

COLLECTOR OF VALUES
After opening A.M. Martynov had to become some kind of "shuttle" which for many years became constant visitor in the museums of Moscow and Leningrad behind receiving exhibits which the limited quantity was at one time allocated.

Here is how A. M. Martynov described procedure of receiving exhibits in the Art museum: "No more, according to extremely laconic list began with preliminary zaglazny selection of 30-40 objects. After obtaining permission to transfer from artillery Academy it was necessary to search for the necessary objects in huge boxes in which they returned from evacuation. They were heated up in casemates of Petrokrepost. For example, for detection of one subject from hundreds which are in a box, often under three-four others it was necessary to remove the top boxes, to open necessary, fettered, to take a required exhibit, then to bring everything into initial situation. It was not allowed to involve loaders from outside: the entrance was strictly according to admissions, and therefore art dealers were forced to offer each other a hand of the brotherly help. Often selection, paperwork and shipment dragged on for a month. By the existing rules rail transportation of any kinds of arms had to be followed by the special escort. And time was it what to be late in hotel was not opportunities, it was necessary to look for a shelter at acquaintances or to rely on casual housing …"

Soon the department of the museums of the Ministry of Culture decided to use an advantageous military and historical profile of our museum, popularity of Suvorov and Martynov's communication in the capital museums, having turned the young Kobrin museum into some kind of "donor" of scarce exhibits for museums of local lore of the republic. Thus, two tens Belarusian museums filled up the funds due to semi-legal business trips of Alexey Mikhaylovich.

NEW REPAIR
In the spring of 1949, during the next trip of Martynov to Leningrad, Vasilevsky found in cracks of floor boards a suspicious fungus against which he began to fight by means of kerosene and turpentine. Since July 22 the museum was closed on additional emergency repair.

When upon return Alexey Mikhaylovich addressed the knowing people, it became clear that the fungus was especially harmful for wood, capable to destroy any wooden structure. The special commission made the decision: to urgently break and burn floorboards (and their 200 sq.m), having in passing removed from under a floor the earth at a depth to a half a meter.

In the following, the 1950th, the 150th anniversary from the date of Suvorov's death was coming year. Gravity of a situation was estimated also by Martynov: "There were also such supervigilant companions who were inclined to see in an event a certain evil intention, and even open diversion. And with it it was not necessary to joke. Actually everything was incomparable more simply. For repair the wood a lot of rolling in the wood after the German preparations was used. It already in the wood was infected with a fungus. Business with the fact that on old custom damp boards were laid on the damp earth, without produshin in the base was aggravated. Did not remember antiseptics - time was it".

The local administration absorbed by harvesting showed the complete indifference to museum problems. A.M. Martynov had to resort to the help of the press. Soon his letter with the editorial stand was published in "Dawn" that infuriated the local head Tsarenkov. Within the next two years this "Thunderer" of regional scale made many efforts for punishment of the director of the museum. If it did not manage it, then only thanks to resistance of the regional and republican instances which took Alexey Mikhaylovich under protection.


SECOND OPENING OF THE MUSEUM
Only late fall 1949 the second repair painfully came to the end. Martynov without shudder could not remember those, without exaggeration, dreadful and heroic weeks.

To long-awaited Suvorov anniversary all difficulties remained behind. Besides was not only the improved exposition of five halls is completely restored, but it is even cast in Leningrad and the bronze copy of a bust of the commander Suvorov of work of the sculptor Kyuferle is in due time brought to Kobrin. On May 18, 1950 the official opening ceremony, this time with the participation of the regional management repeated. So in continuous works there passed three years of formation of the museum from a long chain of thirty two years which Martynova had to be led on it "the captain's bridge".

KEEPER OF HISTORY
Local history activity of the first director of the museum allowed to fill in "white" pages of history of the city. He did a great job on establishment of date of the first written mention of Kobrin, to the smallest details knew history of each small street, each ancient house and gradually became the keeper of history of the city where was born, grew up and took place as the personality.

According to numerous publications A.M. Martynova in republican and local press organs contemporaries study the past, learn to love and respect the small homeland. Alexey Mikhaylovich visited a number of the countries, more than in hundred fifty cities of the world, used the got data and exhibits for replenishment of the museum. When kernels for guns of far Suvorov times were found in Izmail, the director of the museum brought them in suitcases. It delivered the invaluable weapon 18 of a century from Leningrad, carried it in a holdall in the general car of the train, having put under the head instead of a pillow. Accumulation of valuable original exhibits gave the chance to the Kobrin museum regularly to improve an exposition and to open the new department devoted to the Second World War.

NEW PAGES OF THE MUSEUM CHRONICLE
There passed only several years as on the way of development of the museum there was the next barrier - the limited area of an exposition. The adjacent house considerably surpassing Suvorov in the area was in the early fifties freed from school. Transfer to its museum allowed to cope with the arisen difficulties temporarily. By the end of the 70th years the number of exhibits exceeded a 5-thousand mark: the richest collections cold and firearms, numismatics, regimentals and equipment of the Russian army and armies of those countries which in various times resisted to Russia were collected. Growth of attendance reached the apogee - to 140 thousand people a year at 34 thousand excursions. And this with the fact that the staff of the museum did not exceed 10 people. In this regard many incomparably more prestigious establishments in the large cities could envy the modest regional museum. Behind all the figure of his founder and the first director A.M. Martynov stood achievements of the museum really grandiose for those times.

On May 1, 1978 at the age of 73 years Martynov retired. Picked up museum relay and adequately Nina Mefodiyevna Plisko who gave to favourite work too 32 years as well as her predecessor carried by.

HONOURABLE KOBRINCHANIN
Alexey Mikhaylovich, despite age, did not reduce rates of activity on the chosen way. He constantly had the finger on the pulse of life of the museum, on controversial issues of history to it addressed, as to a peculiar information bureau. There was no question which would take it unawares. Martynov could communicate with people of any intellectual level, struck interlocutors with the erudition though had no diploma about the higher education.

The high intelligence, ability to objectively estimate possibilities of each person, tactfulness, subtle humour attracted people to A.M. Martynov. The inherent natural modesty did not allow it to ask for itself and for itself. But if it was necessary to ask or resolve an issue for the benefit of common cause, equal to it was not. So, for example, in 1989 when the new building of the museum was already built, on pages of the regional newspaper heated debate around S. Sokolovsky's article was developed. The author suggested to use a monumental structure in the downtown at all not to destination, and to organize here cafe or other pleasure institution. Alexey Mikhaylovich immediately told the loaded word in protection of museum interests. And historically with deep arguments Alexey Mikhaylovich appeared with not smaller passion in print against "irreconcilable suvorovoved", zealously protecting the invincible commander and his importance in world history.

For active local history work A.M. Martynov is awarded by a medal of N. K. Krupskaya, a set of diplomas, nominal gifts, in 1997 to him the rank "The honourable citizen of Kobrin" is given. On August 20, 2004 to the 100 anniversary since the birth of Alexey Mikhaylovich Martynov on the house where he lived down the street Red Army, 39, the memorial board was solemnly open. And the Keeper of History exhibition devoted to anniversary of the first director was exhibited at the museum of A.V. Suvorov. But the best award for merits and a labor of love - kind memory of it in a fit of temper kobrinchan, grateful for the basis and development of the Kobrin military and historical museum which by right is considered today the hallmark of our hometown.

Elena Rys, manager. scientific and exposition department
Kobrin military and historical
museum of A.V. Suvorov.

Lynx, E. Leley memory of the edge … / Elena Rys//Kobrin-inform. – 2006. – September 28. – Page 3.



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