Guarding museum pieces

Within the framework of the session of the governmental commission on prevention of offences and crime control, the matter of safety of the state museum funds was considered today.

According to the Ministry of Culture and National Policy of Bashkortostan, for the recent years not a single fact of thievery of museum values was registered in the republic. However, in the territory of Russia such cases are not rare, therefore issues of preservation and protection of cultural heritage are under the permanent control of public authorities and law enforcement bodies.

It was marked that last year the National museum RB received from the republican budget more than three million roubles for maintenance of fire safety and support of material base of the main museum and its branches.

However, dispersion and remoteness of museums (64 % from them are located in the countryside) is one of problem factors which affects their safety. 25 museum buildings demand the major repairs; six buildings are in the emergency condition. In seven museums life cycle of the security-fire alarm system expired and 22 museums do not have any security system at all.

More than eight million roubles are needed to eliminate these deficiencies.

For reference. According to number of museums, Bashkortostan traditionally occupies one of the leading places in Russia. Now there are hundred museums in the region. It is stored over 460 thousand unique exhibits in their funds.

In 2009 more than 508 thousand people visited republican museums, that exceeds 125 visits per one thousand inhabitants.