The secret revealed
Part of the contraband cargo, crockery, clothing and personal belongings of the crew, working and measuring tools - all these items were presented at the exhibition “Smuggling. Three centuries under water”, held yesterday in St. Petersburg in the great hall of the Headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society. After three hundred years of silence, they lead their unhurried story about life on the ship and about their owners and contemporaries.
The Baltic Sea kept this secret for three centuries, and finally allowed underwater archaeologists to look into the past. Specialists of the Underwater Research Center of the Russian Geographical Society discovered a ship at the bottom of the Gulf of Finland back in 2002. It all started with a found brick. From the mark on it, it became clear: the found ship was built at a German factory in Lübeck at the end of the 17th century. It turned out that this was the “Archangel Raphael”, which was sensational in the time of Peter the Great.
- The ship left St. Petersburg in October, and in early December it was found chained and crushed in the ice of the Gulf of Finland. Soon after the discovery, there were suggestions that he was engaged in smuggling, - says Andrey Lukoshkov, director of research at the National Center for Underwater Research of the Russian Geographical Society.
Thank you criminals
As it turned out later, it was so. Having gone beyond the line of the customs border, the enterprising captain Jan Schmidt anchored. For 40 days, the ship's holds were filled with smuggled goods, which were brought on boats.
But Russian nature prevented the team from carrying out their plans. Ice rose in the bay, first capturing the ship, and then crushing its sides. Fleeing as best they could, the crew members threw not only the goods, but also personal belongings.
The department of smuggling and personally Peter the Great took up the investigation of this story. Only his unexpected death suspended the investigation. And only after almost three centuries the secret became clear. Today, leaving aside the assessment of the moral character of the smugglers of the 18th century, underwater archaeologists do not find words to thank them.
“Of course, such a find is a great success for us, and we should be grateful to these thieves,” Andrey Lukoshkov laughs.
rare luck
Thanks must be said to the Gulf of Finland. Its muddy slightly salty water prevented the sun's rays from reaching the ship and became an excellent preservative for it. In addition, there are almost no undercurrents in this part of the bay. All these factors made it possible to keep the ship and things almost intact. The exhibition presents personal belongings, dishes, a weapon box, shoes and clothes.
We found a mitten with two thumbs on both sides. Perhaps it was necessary to put it on in a hurry, or maybe for something else, - says research diver Igor Galayda.
But the main exhibit is an expensive European caftan from the early 18th century. Luckily, it has been preserved almost in its original state. During the crash, it was flooded with tar from a fallen barrel. This allowed him to lie under water for 300 years and not lose a single button.
Behind three seasons of expeditions and more than a hundred recovered artifacts. Many are still under restoration, and some have been transferred to the Hermitage for storage. But diving work on the Archangel Raphael has not yet been completed. In the near future, specialists from Germany will join them - for them, the find is of incredible interest. This is not surprising - none of the sunken German ships is in such good condition. And in general, if you imagine how many secrets the Baltic Sea has accumulated in the entire history of navigation and take into account that only a few become obvious, you can imagine the joy of researchers who discovered such an interesting find.
The Great Hall of the Headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society in St. Petersburg hosts the exhibition “Smuggling. Three centuries under water.
One of the secrets of the sea has become less. Specialists of the Center for Underwater Research of the Russian Geographical Society discovered at the bottom of the Gulf of Finland a German ship of the late 17th century, the Archangel Raphael, which sank in 1724 with a cargo of contraband on board. The fascinating story of this discovery will be presented to the visitors of the exhibition “Smuggling. Three centuries under water.
At the exposition you will see unique artifacts raised from the bottom of the sea and given a second life thanks to the skill of restorers.
Smuggled cargo, crockery, tools, personal belongings and even crew food - all these witnesses of the true life of the ship will tell about the tastes of their owners and their contemporaries, about navigation and the laws of maritime trade, full of secrets and intrigues.
Visitors to the exhibition will not only get acquainted with the way of life on the European ship of the time of Peter the Great, but will also be able to dive to the bottom of the sea with the help of audiovisual accompaniment of the exposition and plunge into the world of the fascinating profession of an underwater archaeologist. The original modern design of the exhibition space will help to keep in mind the image of the Archangel Raphael and the finds raised from the depths of the sea.
Free admission.
Working mode:
- from 11:00 to 18:30.
During the events of the Lecture Hall, the exhibition does not work.
The depths of the sea hide many secrets. One of them was recently unraveled by specialists from the Center for Underwater Research of the Russian Geographical Society. At the bottom of the Gulf of Finland, they managed to discover and explore a German merchant ship of the late 17th century, which sank in 1724 with a large cargo of contraband on board. Visitors to the exhibition “Smuggling. Three centuries under water.
The exposition presents unique finds raised from the bottom of the sea and given a second life thanks to the skill of restorers. Part of the contraband cargo, crockery, clothes and personal belongings of the crew, working and measuring tools - all these items, after three hundred years of silence, tell their unhurried story about life on the ship, about the tastes of their owners and contemporaries. Visitors will find many interesting facts about the laws of maritime trade, which did not always correspond to state laws.
Guests of the exhibition will not only get acquainted with the way of life on a European ship of the 18th century, but will also be able to dive to the bottom of the sea with the help of audiovisual accompaniment of the exposition and plunge into the world of the fascinating profession of an underwater archaeologist.
The exhibition features an original and modern design. Its composition is designed to create in the visitor's imagination the image of a found vessel and the dynamic movement of acquired artifacts from the depths of the sea to the surface.
"Contraband" travels to the best exhibition spaces in St. Petersburg and beyond. She began her journey at the Headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society on October 12, 2017. Artifacts were seen by more than 4 thousand Petersburgers and guests of the city.
In July 2018, an exhibition was opened at the Silver Storerooms of Oranienbaum. This is an updated, expanded collection of artifacts of the "Archangel Raphael". By the way, for the first time, along with household items and tools, a caftan and woolen trousers are exhibited, which are stored in the State Hermitage Museum after a most complex restoration. Over the 4 months of the exhibition, almost 10,000 people came to learn about the amazing story that Peter I himself was interested in. We will tell you where "Three centuries under water" will go next in the news on our social networks and on the website.
"Smuggling" is torn abroad too. We are negotiating with the International Maritime Museum in Hamburg. Colleagues really want to see how the cargo of German merchants with a 300-year lag, but still reaches the shores of Germany. We are planning for 2019-2020.
13.10.2017
"Smuggling. Three centuries under water" - an exhibition from the underwater excavations of the "Archangel Raphael"
On Thursday October 12 exhibition opened at the Headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society in St. Petersburg "Smuggling. Three centuries under water".
The exhibition was prepared by the team Center for Underwater Research of the Russian Geographical Society, whose underwater archaeologists found a sunken merchant ship in the Gulf of Finland " Archangel Raphael». Entrance to the exhibition is free! Archeology lovers, divers and those who want to see the treasures of sunken ships - welcome!
« Archangel Raphael» was a German merchant ship of the late 17th century, sunk in 1724 with a large cargo of contraband on board. The history of the wreck of the ship is also notable for the fact that Peter I himself initiated an investigation into the wreck of this smuggling ship.
Unique artifacts from smuggled cargo, crockery, clothes and personal belongings of the crew, working and measuring tools, barrels and wine have lain for three hundred years at a depth of fifteen meters, and have now been recovered and restored. Work on the site has been underway since 2014.
