About the military Museum of Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of AK-47 (original) (raw)
Pic.1-15 The bell named in
honor of Mikhail Kalashnikov
As a gift for Kalashnikov's 85th birthday, upon the request of the Izhevsk eparchy, the bell-makers of the city of Voronezh cast a 200 kilogram bell (approx. 400 lbs) which will be mounted on the St. Mikhail Cathedral, with the name of the famous small arms designer embossed on the bell.Currently, this bell (along with 5 smaller ones) is mounted on a temporary belfry situated behind the billboard at the construction site, just in front of the Museum main entrance (see photos).
This bell was delivered to Izhevsk very late on the night of November 3, 2004. To be able to install it in time for the official opening of the Museum to be held on November 4th, people worked throughout the night.
This was all a complete surprise to the designer. When Mikhail Kalashnikov first saw the bell late the night of November 3rd - not yet mounted, just resting on the ground - he was overwhelmed with emotions, and was deeply touched.
"Father Victor", Kalashnikov addressed dean of the Maiden of Kazan Church who introduced the gift, "this unbelievable birthday gift you made...I just can't believe that I'm honored with such a monument to my achievements while I'm still alive. It's hard to imagine that this bell which displays my name will ring forever...it's...it's like having immortality".
It seemed that for Kalashnikov, that day the bell overshadowed the museum itself. In our humble opinion, the museum wasn't a novelty for him any more; he had grown accustomed to it during the 8 long years when the project was under construction, while the bell caused an incredible and immediate impact.
It adds nicely to the "temple theme" of the Museum, doesn't it?
Now that you've learned a few facts about the museum, let's go visit it - hopefully, the introduction wasn't too lengthy and you haven't gotten bored with the museum yet. There is still so much to see.