In the premises of the future SyrKultProsvet Museum at the Uglich Cheese and Dairy Plant, they begin to organize the internal space
SyrKultProsvet will soon open in Uglich
< p style="text-align: justify">Work on the Museum “SyrKultProsvet”, which will appear at the Uglich Cheese and Dairy Plant (USMZ), is entering a new stage. In February, the organization of the Museum's premises and work on the exposition will begin. The museum space is expected to receive its first visitors at the end of April 2023.
The idea to create the Museum “CheeseKultProsvet” originated from the leadership of the agricultural holding “AgriVolga”, which includes the Uglich Cheese and Dairy Plant (USMZ), several years ago. Today USMZ – one of the leaders of Russian cheese-making, using modern equipment, they produce cheeses according to famous domestic recipes, preserving the traditions of cheese-making, which originated in Yaroslavl in the 19th century. The mission of the future Museum «SyrKultProsvet» – to preserve these traditions, unique historical documents, artifacts, to conduct educational work.
«The idea of creating a Museum dedicated to the history of Soviet cheesemaking at the Uglich dairy plant, – our contribution to the preservation of the traditions of domestic cheese making. We have great respect for our Russian history, and cheesemaking, which was once born in Russia and developed by Nikolai Vereshchagin, is one of the most interesting and important pages in it,” notes Sergey Bachin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Agranta company, which includes the AgriVolga holding.
Design Bureau «B & K» (the company develops modern museum expositions at the intersection of interesting architectural and design solutions). Now the project of the Museum «SyrKultProsvet» approved. Ahead – a large area of work on organizing and filling semantic zones, working with exhibits.
In fact, the exposition will meet the visitors of the museum already in the lobby at the entrance to the territory of the plant. There will be a shop where you can buy cheese, and a cafe-restaurant. There will also be exhibits of the old cheese and butter production line – this equipment has already become objects of modern sculpture today. Such retro contemporary art objects will set the guests of the Museum in the right mood.
Then visitors enter a long passage between two buildings: they will see a gallery of various information stands. “In a popular science style, we will tell the guests of the Museum about cheese. A cheese map of Europe will be presented, iconic, best world cheeses will be presented, visitors will learn the etymology of the word “cheese” in different languages of the world, starting with Latin, and so on. A little further, in the area designed as a kitchen, you can get acquainted with various recipes for making cheeses and dishes based on cheese – in video and text materials,” says Eric Belousov, founder and creative director of Design Bureau “B & K».
In the next room, combined with a tasting room, it will be possible to learn in general about how cheesemaking originated and developed in Russia. Old engravings, photographs and other documents will be presented here. Tourists will learn about how cheesemaking was developed by the founder of Russian cheesemaking Nikolai Vereshchagin, then the story will reach 1935, when a factory was founded in Uglich. Finally, the exposition will bring visitors to the current state of the plant and cheesemaking in general in the country. Today USMZ – this is a modern, well-equipped enterprise that continues the traditions of Russian cheese makers, founded back in the 19th century. From here you can see the production itself through panoramic windows, with each stage of the cheese production chain explained.
«At the end of the tour, guests will be offered a cheese tasting. We will also organize a fun voting: for example, it will be possible to fill flasks with yellow balls, choosing which cheese you liked the most. Well, at the exit of the building, these cheeses can be purchased,” says Erik Belousov.
Visitors will also see in the exhibition a restored line of old production equipment used to make cheese (cheese bath, cheese scales, etc.), videos showing past cheesemaking techniques.
Finally, the Museum will also have a small cinema with 30 seats. A film about the history and work of USMZ will be shown here, and various meetings and lectures will be held in the cinema. Various themed entertainment zones will also be located here. For example, in the cheese and milk laboratories, visitors will be able to assemble their own packaging of milk or cheese. There will also be a zone where the cheese will be presented as the hero of various cartoons and movies. The Museum will also have an archivist's room. “We found various interesting documents and orders at the plant, including, for example, how the enterprise worked during the Great Patriotic War, and these curious historical artifacts will also become museum exhibits. Thus, the Museum will become a real interactive platform,” the Design Bureau “B & K».
As for the cafe-restaurant that will appear here, it will also support the cheese theme. Restaurant «Syr-bor» will become a kind of continuation of the museum exhibition and excursions. “The main task is to make a bright concept and a tasty, memorable menu, as well as to reflect in the work of the restaurant – in the interior, in the dishes – the essence of the entire space of the plant and the Museum «SyrKultProsvet». The restaurant will become a point of attraction for residents and guests of Uglich, including tourists traveling on boats, since there is no such catering establishment in the city,” said the brand chef of the Syr-Bor restaurant. Grigory Mosin.
Cheese Bor restaurant menu will be varied. As Grigory Mosin noted, recipes from different cuisines of the world will be used, but the dishes will be adapted to the perception of the Russian guest. And cheese dishes, of course, will become restaurant chips. In the restaurant, you can taste not only traditional cheeses produced at the USMZ, but also organic cheeses of the Ugleche Pole brand; company "AgriVolga". “We will constantly update and expand the menu. The restaurant team will also grow, – says Grigory Mosin. – I like the concept that we are doing. I think we will come to the moment when we start replicating this project, in the future there will be new establishments of the Syr-Bor network. But now we are focusing on organizing a restaurant in the USMZ building.
Opening of the CheeseKultProsvet Museum and cafe-restaurant “Syr-bor” expected end of April 2023.