V. I. Vernadsky and national museums of natural science

Abstract

The article examines the part of the work of the outstanding naturalist Vladimir Vernadsky, which is the least covered in the literature, i.e. scientific and organizational activities in Russian natural science museums. The collected materials make it possible to present the great scientist as a versatile and outstanding person in the field of museums, who actually revived the mineralogical collections. Due to V. Vernadsky input, the mineralogical offices (museums) of St. Petersburg and Moscow Universities as well as Mineralogical Department of the Mineralogical-Geological Museum of the Academy of Sciences turned into research centers, and then into the largest mineralogical museums. The authors consider Vernadsky’s relationship with a number of local museums, his scientist’s assistance in their work as a scientific advisor, donor and protector. A remarkable period in scientist’s biography relates to the time when he established the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, including his plan for creating National Mineralogical Museum. Another project of Vernadsky, which received partial implementation, is the establishment of Museum for the History of Knowledge under the Commission for the History of Knowledge of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.