The Historical Museum of 123 ARZ (Aircraft Repair Plant)

AO “123 ARZ” (Aircraft Repair Plant) is a classified facility. All tours provided by the enterprise are conducted within the framework of military-patriotic education of youth, are free, and are organized under direct request addressed to the managing director of AO “123 ARZ” without the intermediary of travel agencies.

In 1966, a room of military and labor glory was opened at 123 ARZ at the plant’s Cultural Center. Nikolay Mikhailovich Pivovarov, Lieutenant Colonel, the political commander of military unit 13801 (our plant was called this, at the time) equipped it. In 2000, based on the exposition of this room in the territory of the enterprise, a museum was created with the direct participation of the enterprise’s veteran, participant of the Great Patriotic War, Ilya Alekseevich Prokhanov. On the basis of the museum, work is being carried out to promote the combat and labor traditions of the plant staff. Enlightening work is being actively carried out, which includes conducting a compulsory tour with coverage of the history of the enterprise for new workers, in order to develop corporate thinking, and conducting observation and thematic tours for guests of the enterprise to create a positive image of the plant. The museum contributes to maintaining intergenerational continuity, and functions as a link between the past and the present. Museum staff work in the central archives of the Russian Federation (Central Archive of the Defense Ministry and Russian State Military Archive), the archives of 123 ARZ, and the city and regional archives, to accumulate historical material related to the formation and establishment of the enterprise and the history of the city.

The museum operates in the following areas:

– Conducting ongoing work to replenish the museum fund with new exhibits and materials, and updating existing exhibitions;

– Systematization and archiving of text, photo, film, and video materials covering the activities of the enterprise;

– Maintaining in due order the archival materials and exhibits available in the museum, as well as ensuring their safety;

– Acquaintance with the history of the plant for new workers;

– Assisting in the selection of the necessary literature on the history of the enterprise to young plant workers, who study part-time at aviation universities;

– Various consultations on the history of the plant, city, and region.

The main components of the museum’s exposition:

– History;

– Present day;

– Social stability;

– Thematic exhibitions;

– Layouts of the plant and power plant.

The museum’s materials on the history of the plant are widely used to cover the activities of 123 ARZ in the media. Newspapers “Novgorod Vedomosti”, “Novgorod Veteran”, “Staraya Russa”, and the magazine “RussaGrad” published materials about the enterprise and the museum. The museum took part in contests of historical and patriotic museums of the Novgorod region dedicated to the Great Victory Day. In 2005, it was awarded the Diploma of the 3rd degree, and in 2010, was awarded with the Diploma of the 1st degree for active patriotic activities. A well-deserved award of the “123 ARZ” museum is the Certificate of Merit of the Regional Council of Veterans (Pensioners) of the War and Labor of the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies. The museum is visited by prominent figures of the state, the armed forces, students of numerous universities, veterans of the Great Patriotic War and Labor, scholars and cultural workers, foreign experts, and residents from many areas of the Novgorod region. Frequent guests of the museum are school students of Staraya Russa, Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod region, and the North-West region. Senior pupils of the city’s kindergartens also come on tours. The museum hosts meetings of veterans of the Second World War and Labor, participants in Afghan events, and internationalist warriors. The museum conveys practical experience in creating and designing expositions for other enterprises of the city.