Exhibition Halls\Kazan University Museum of History - Kazan (Volga region) Federal University
Exhibition Halls

Among the prominent zoologists one pays attention to E.A.Eversman, a traveler and geographer, soil scientist and botanist. During his expeditions to such provinces as Kazan and Samara, Ufa, Orenburg and Astrakhan, steppes of Kyrgyzstan, the Urals and Altai Region, he collected exclusive zoo-geographic materials. "The Permission to Pass", a letter signed by Rector Lobachevsky with request to help the scientist during his journeys, is of special interest. There is also some money for travel expenses given to him and his famous three-volume work "The History of Orenburg Region".

The development of zoology was mainly stipulated by embryologist A.O.Kovalevsky, ornithologist and traveler M.N.Bogdanov, and a talented propagandist of Darwin's Theory N.P.Wagner. Except scientific works by the latter there are his famous book "Fairy Tales of Murlyka Cat" in the exhibition; many generations of readers became engrossed in it. One can see M.M.Usov, the founder of the School of Zoology and Morphology, and his disciple E.K.Meier.

Principles of Zoology School, formulated in the XIX century, were successfully developed by M.D.Ruzsky, A.A.Ostroumov, and N.A.Livanov, one of the prominent zoologists of the XX century. The portrait of N.A.Livanov, painted by his wife N.N.Livanova, N.N.Feshin's disciple, gave a lasting impression on visitors. There is a monograph by Nikolay Aleksandrovich "Evolution Ways of Living World", the result of professor's long-term work.

The exhibits of this section introduce microscope investigations, held in the 1920s by V.M.Aristovsky, and under the direction of M.I.Belyayeva in the 1960s. We see the portrait of the founder of Soil Science Department, future academician I.V.Tyurin, and the first works on genetics by V.N.Slepkov. Colleagues predicted wonderful future to Vasily Nikolayevich. But he had no time to do a lot. He left unfinished experiments, unwritten books and lectures not given. In august 1937 Slepkov was executed by shooting.

The exposition also tells us about a momentous event, the birth of the Nature Conservation Department, which was the first in the country, and later on the first Ecology Faculty, founded by V.A.Popov. One can be told about his activity and see the photos of the first department staff as well as some things from his desk and other exhibits.