On 7th November 1763, Catherine II of Russia issued a decree that announced Suzun a place of brass works. It was meant for minting Siberian coins. The settlement Suzun appeared together with the mint in 1764 and was projected in St Petersburg. The Suzunsky Mint was functioning from 1764 to 1847 and produced 308 types of brass coins. First, it minted Siberian coins and since 1781 – State coins.
The brass ore was delivered from the Zmeinogorsk mine located 300km from the mint. There were no silver Siberian coins, because the mint was meant for the utilization of the brass left from the silver ore processing.
There was a large fire at the Suzunsky Mint in 1847 after which the manufacture was not reconstructed.
Later, a museum was established at the place of the mint. The museum funds contain more than 17,000 items including a collection of Suzun mint coins, archeological findings (metal remnants, blanks, coin prints), a collection of Suzun icons and ethnographical collections.
The expositions not only show the genuine items and tell their history, there are also special interactive zones where every visitor can try himself as a worker or a clerk of 18th-19th centuries.
Every room is a still picture of the past.
The nature room contains remnants of huge ancient animals, some of which are almost 100,000 years old.
The exposition “Traditions, trades and handicraft” includes an amazing amount of wooden things – from a loom to kitchen utensils. An original collection of irons begins with an iron filled with coal.
The “Suzun-Factory” exhibition is the basis of the museum. Every item tells the story of the brass production, starting with a rough scoop for pouring metal and finishing with graceful coins and seals. The museum is proud of its collection of Siberian coins.
Address: 15, Lenina str. Suzun settlement (Rus: Поселок Сузун, ул. Ленина, 15)
How to get to the Suzunsky Mint:
Suzun is located 150 kilometers south-west of Novosibirsk. Take a bus from the Novosibirsk bus station (4, Krasny Avenue). The buses depart about 5-7 times a day. The journey takes 3.5 hours. There are no direct trains on the route Novosibirsk-Suzun.
GPS:
Latitude: 53.7830907
Longitude: 82.3168390
Opening hours: daily except Friday, Saturday and the last Thursday of each month.
Mon-Thu: 8:00-17:00, Lunch break: 12:00-13:00
Sun: 9:00-17:00
Check out the full list of the most interesting tours in Russian cities.
