Embassy of the United States

The Udmurt Republic, a picturesque area in the center of Russia, has a lot to offer in terms of tourism.  Its well-developed net of ethnic, art and history museums promote its unique cultural heritage to Russian and international audiences.
    
U.S. Consulate General Yekaterinburg organized a seminar on Museum Management with the National Museum of the Udmurt Republic in Izhevsk May 24-25. The President of the Fund for Arts and Culture in Central and Eastern Europe, Dr. Sally Yerkovich, and the Deputy Director of the International Folk Art Museum, Jacqueline Duke, came to the Republic to conduct the workshop.

Consul General John Stepanchuk opened the seminar, underlining the importance of museums and their educational outreach.  Over sixty museum specialists from Izhevsk and Udmurt regional institutions gathered in the National Museum to learn about American practices in fundraising, preserving and collecting artifacts, attracting audiences, promoting cultural and historic tourism and other issues.
 
Before the workshop, Dr. Yerkovich and Ms. Duke were introduced to a small but impressive part of the rich historical and cultural heritage of Udmurtia, having visited the Debyosskiy and Igrinskiy districts of the republic.  Both districts are situated along the historical Siberian Road and possess numerous sites of tourist and scientific interest.  The open-air museum in Sundur village offered its guests authentic Udmurt ethnic culture involving national costumes, songs, traditional food and a display of folk crafts.  The U.S. guests were also taken to Baigurez’ mountain, a sacred place for many generations possessing gorgeous views.  The 18th century transit prison museum in Debyossy village, part of the Siberian Road historic route was another exciting site, displaying an emotional exposition of the artifacts and authentic signs left by prisoners on its walls.

Continuing to make good use of its image as a military industrial center, including the world-known brand of Kalashnikov, Udmurt’s cultural institutions are also moving the focus towards the republic’s ethnic and historical heritage, including Tchaikovskiy’s motherland site, the Siberian Road and traditional Finno-Ugric culture to name only a few.