Pleshakova L. Formation and development of museum affairs in the city of Lugansk (XIX – early XXI centuries)

The dissertation is the first generalized study of the museum movement history in the Lugansk city. The research carried out on the analysis of the historical conditions of the Luhansk museum network formation, of the identification of factors influencing the acquisition of museum collections, and of the typical trends in the development of the museum movement in Lugansk. The study of the historical conditions for the formation of the Luhansk museum network involves analyzing the historical origins of the city, which formed around the foundry , built on the beginnings of the XIX century. The population analysis of the Lugansk factory village shows its multinational composition. The population formed artificially, through the resettlement of representatives of different nationalities for the construction of the plant and further work on it. Representatives of different cultures, traditions and religions have formed a specific community. This reflected in a general culture that contains elements of different cultures in a combination that distinguishes it from others by the range of specific features. The study presents the characteristics of this culture based on the analysis of folk crafts and external indicators such as clothing, jewelry, household items, and architecture. Analysis of statistical data allowed characterizing not only the ethnic composition of the population, but also its social composition. The population of Luhansk formed in answer of the needs of the foundry. Representatives of the working professions from the industrial regions of Russia arrived in the village simultaneously with the Ukrainian peasants who came to the village in search of work. The first Luhansk museum created as a scientific base for minerals in the Donbas region. However, the expeditions for geological explorations often came across on historical archaeological finds, which were also explored by local educated people. Such discoveries exhibited for a general overview in cultural and educational purposes. There is little information about the Mineralogical Museum. That’s why, this topic needs additional research. The formation of the Luhansk museums network began in the 20's of the XX century. The first museum collections formed not on local materials; therefore, they did not have underlined national or regional features. The lack of a common national culture and traditions formed a steady interest in the memorial collections of famous Lugansk people who glorified the city through their activities. Therefore, the appearance of memorial museums in the 2nd part of the XX century was quite logical. The study also focuses on the loss of museum collections in Luhansk during its occupation in 1942-1943. Valuable and rare museum collections in the present research analyzed in more detail to emphasize the danger of their loss in the present state of occupation.