Museum complex

Manufacturing complex for salt production

Vologda province
Second half of the XIX century
Wood, metal; chiselling, carving, forging
From: materials of the historical expedition of the Historical Museum to the Solvychegodsk district of the Vologda Oblast, 1930s.
Open storage

In Old Russia, salt was mined by boiling down “brines” – sea water or natural mineral water from underground salt sources. Salt industry began to spread from the XII century along the shores of the White Sea, the Onega river and the Northern Dvina river, and then the Mezen river and the Pechora river. Starting from the XIV century saltworks in Staraya Russa are known. In the XV century appeared salts of Pereyaslavl, Rostov, Kostroma, Totemsk and Vychegodsk. The development of salt-mines on the Volga river and in the Kama region had begun since the XVI century.
The highest rise of the industry occurred in the XVII century, but the traditional way of salt production was preserved in the northern provinces of Russia until the end of the XIX century. The following items on the exposition of the SHM belong to this period: drilling tools, a “salt shell” – details of a well for raising brines and equipment of a “saltwork” – a hut where underground waters were evaporated.
The technology of salt production was time-consuming and expensive. It had two stages: the extraction of brine, its preparation and evaporation in “saltworks”. In the XVI century the drilling of wells for “brines” and the salt-making process already appear as an established area of economic and difficult technical activity. Through brine pipes underground water saturated with salt was lifted from depth of 10 - 200 meters and then through special gutters the water with salt reached the “saltwork” and was evaporated.
In the complexly organized process of salt production, the professions of pipe masters, water pourer and evaporators began to stand out very early. Craftsman of various professions made pipes and gutters, drilled wells, installed wells, harvested wood for stoves, repaired zreny (huge frying pans for brine evaporation), controlled the production process.

More information...

Salt or table salt is an important economic product, necessary both in daily cooking and in its preparation for future use. In addition, salt was used in some industries, in particular, in fur production. In Russia, local salt has been mined since the XII century.
Until the XVII century in Russia, salt was mined in two traditional ways: from salty sea and lake water, as well as from salt brines of underground wells. The first way included evaporating water and then crushing crystals, and the resulting product was ready for use. The second way demanded use of rather complex engineering and technical devices, which helped to lift the natural brine from the underground to the surface. Further purification and evaporation required other tools and equipment. The optimum technology had developed by the XVI century: underground water, saturated with salt, was pumped out with the help of pipes and special pumps, and sent along the gutters to a salt pan, in which salt was evaporated. The level of salt extraction technology across Europe was approximately the same, but the brine-lifting facilities and wells in Russia had a very high quality for that time.
In creating equipment for salt production were used usual local materials as wood and iron, which were processed with traditional methods. The appearance of equipment, appliances and tools indicates the great attention of their creators to the functionality of these items. Often shapes of these objects (shovels, troughs, beaters etc.) were similar to tools used in traditional household for other purposes.
Saltworks in conditions of the Russian climate were especially valuable industrial objects, since they did not depend on the weather: the evaporation of salt crystals occurred in them under the influence of heat from wood fire. In a popular riddle, the process of producing salt is recorded in the following way: “It is born in water and it grows on fire, but seeing its mother it dies”.
Salt producing by the XVII century became one of the main backbones of the national economy in Russia. As well as in other countries, the state had a monopoly on the extraction and processing of salt, transferring its authority in this area to tax-farmers, but reserving the right to receive income from taxes, excise taxes and other forms of fiscal activity. Because of the exorbitantly high tax on salt in 1646, popular indignations occurred, which is known as the Salt Riot.
The highest rise of the industry occurred in the XVII century, but the traditional way of salt production was preserved in the northern provinces of Russia until the end of the XIX century. The specifics of production required the replacement of separate components of the salt complex as they wear out.
The exhibits presented in the museum exposition belong to the second half of the XIX century and represent only a part of the equipment of saltworks. They were brought in the 1930s by the historical expedition of the State Historical Museum from the Solvychegodsky district of the Vologda region.
Solvychegodsk is a city on the bank of the Vychegda River, the right tributary of the Northern Dvina, an important waterway of the Russian North. Salt in the local Salt Lake was mined for the needs of ancient Novgorod. Not only reserves of iron and salt, fur lands, but also a convenient location (navigable river, the way to the international port of Arkhangelsk and Siberia, its connection with Central Russia) contributed to the development of this place – the center of the “empire” of the famous Stroganovs, who became rich and famous due to the founding in XVI century in Usolye (the former name of Solvychegodsk) large salt saltworks. In the XIX century salt production there was leased to various private individuals who usually continued to work in compliance with traditional technologies.

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