More than 100 years under the parquet: a treasure of merchants was revealed in Nizhny Novgorod.

      On June 11, 2026, at 20:16, Culture and Recreation The exhibition project "Family Values" (6+) opened at the main building of the Nizhny Novgorod Museum-Reserve - the Rukavishnikov Estate. The basis of the exhibition consists of jewelry found during renovation and restoration work in the former mansion of the merchant dynasty Kuznetsovs on Malaya Pokrovskaya Street, where the military medical unit of the FSB of Russia for the Nizhny Novgorod region is now located. The event was attended by a correspondent from NIA "Nizhny Novgorod."

      The priceless find was made a year ago. In one of the rooms, which used to be a fireplace or ballroom, a re-planning was taking place. Upon opening the parquet, it turned out that a small box that had been stored in a revision hole for over a century contained a bar of toilet soap. Inside were 25 gold decorations with the highest class of precious stones. Among them were wedding rings with engravings, watch chains and bracelets, earrings and rings, a crescent brooch, and a shuttle with a keychain. Additionally, silver salt shakers wrapped in a copy of the newspaper "New Time" were discovered in the cache.

      More than a hundred years separate us from the revolution of 1917 and the events that followed. More than half a century has passed since the last revolutionary treasure was acquired by the museum. And such a remarkable find tells us that old mansions undoubtedly still hold many secrets, noted Tatiana Kuzmina, head of the history department of the Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum.

      The exhibition dedicated to the eventful life of the famous Nizhny Novgorod merchant dynasty Kuznetsovs is not limited to showcasing the found treasure. It presents the results of the painstaking work of researchers who, over the past year since the discovery of the cache, managed to conduct colossal work regarding the origin of the ancient family, their entrepreneurial and charitable activities, where millions of capital circulated, as well as their immediate surroundings.

      Oleg Berkovich, Deputy Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, in his welcoming speech, thanked the regional FSB, museum and archival organizations, and cultural figures for their fruitful work. According to him, the project was created in ultra-short timeframes despite the complex restoration processes.

      A book has been written, a documentary film has been made, and now we can tell this incredible story from 360 degrees and in the most diverse language, without omitting anything. The project is the result of the collaboration of a vast number of structures, each of which genuinely "cared" that all this ended up in the museum-reserve's collection, shared Oleg Berkovich.

      The exhibition provides an opportunity to familiarize oneself with archival documents and photographs of the Kuznetsov and Markov families. Some information had long awaited its moment in the museum's funds, but a significant part of it was discovered precisely during the preparation of the large-scale project.

      Such a treasure, consisting entirely of precious metals and stones, which sparked the writing of an entire book in a very short period of time, has never happened before in history. Not only in the 130 years of the museum-reserve's existence but also in other cultural institutions. I cannot recall that in such a short period of time, the discovery of such items led to: scientific work, an exhibition, a wonderful publication, a film, and a connection with the art fund, noted Yuri Filippov, General Director of the Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum.

      "Family Values" opens the history of the Kuznetsovs from several perspectives: as the development of a successful merchant family, as a personal drama against the backdrop of the revolution, and as the influence of figures on contemporary culture more than a century later.

      The FSB of the Nizhny Novgorod Region has fulfilled a responsible and honorable task of preserving historical national heritage. This is symbolic in the current difficult political conditions when domestic cultural heritage is a primary target of encroachments from our adversaries. Let us preserve it for future generations, called Roman Rusakov, the official representative of the FSB of Russia for the Nizhny Novgorod Region.

      An individual and equally significant part of "Family Values" is the exhibition of paintings by the outstanding impressionist painter Konstantin Kuznetsov - another representative of a talented dynasty. Even before the revolution, one of the three brothers preferred art to the family business and went to France, where he received an education. The Nizhny Novgorod native achieved success in his field and became a recognized artist: his paintings were exhibited in the largest Parisian Salons, and he was nicknamed "the last knight of Impressionism," "the Russian Claude Monet," and "Dostoevsky in painting." The eight paintings presented at the Rukavishnikov Estate were provided by the Konstantin Kuznetsov Foundation, founded by entrepreneur and patron Andrey Shcherbinin.

      The last time the Kuznetsov brothers met was in 1913. And now their reunion has occurred: in one place, the paintings of Konstantin, the family jewels of Fileter, and the archival documents of Peter. This is a unique case that showed how a chain of random events allowed us to restore a page in the history of our country, stated Andrey Shcherbinin.

      As told by Ekaterina Usova, Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the Konstantin Kuznetsov Foundation, the works brought back to the artist's homeland were kept by his descendants in France and passed down from generation to generation.

      At the end of his life, when he was in dire need, they moved to a very cramped apartment. Konstantin was forced to take all his paintings out of their frames, roll them up, and put them in the attic, where they lay for many years. There, our art historians found them; the paintings needed to be urgently saved. The foundation acquired and returned to Russia about 300 oil paintings and about 100 graphic works, shared Ekaterina Usova.

      A photo report from the opening of the "Family Values" exhibition can be viewed on the NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" website. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" has channels on Telegram and MAX. Subscribe to stay updated on major events, exclusive materials, and timely information. Copyright © 1999—2025 NIA "Nizhny Novgorod". When reprinting, a hyperlink to NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" is mandatory. This resource may contain materials 18+.