13.10.2017

"Smuggling. Three centuries under water" - exhibition from the underwater excavations of "Archangel Raphael"

Thursday October 12 at the Russian Headquarters Geographical Society an exhibition opened in St. Petersburg "Smuggling. Three centuries under water".

The exhibition was prepared by the team Center for Underwater Research of the Russian Geographical Society, whose underwater archaeologists found a sunken merchant ship in the Gulf of Finland " Archangel Raphael». Entrance to the exhibition is free! Archeology lovers, divers and those who want to see the treasures of sunken ships are welcome!

« Archangel Raphael"was a late German merchant ship 17th century, which sank in 1724 with a large cargo of contraband on board. The history of the shipwreck is also notable for the fact that Peter I himself initiated an investigation into the wreck of this smuggling ship.

Unique artifacts from smuggled cargo, dishes, clothing and personal belongings of the crew, working and measuring instruments, barrels and wine lay for three hundred years at a depth of fifteen meters, and have now been raised and restored. Work at the site has been ongoing since 2014.

A secret revealed

Part of the smuggled cargo, dishes, clothing and personal belongings of the crew, working and measuring instruments - all these items were displayed at the exhibition “Smuggling. Three centuries under water”, which took place yesterday in St. Petersburg in the large hall of the Headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society. After three hundred years of silence, they tell their leisurely story about life on the ship and about their owners and contemporaries.

The Baltic Sea kept this secret for three centuries, and finally allowed underwater archaeologists to look into the past. Specialists from the Underwater Research Center of the Russian Geographical Society discovered the ship at the bottom of the Gulf of Finland back in 2002. It all started with a found brick. From the mark on it, it became clear: the found ship was built at a German factory in Lübeck at the end of the 17th century. It turned out that this was the sensational “Archangel Raphael” in the times of Peter the Great.

“The ship left St. Petersburg in October, and in early December it was found chained and crushed in the ice of the Gulf of Finland. Soon after the discovery, there were suggestions that he was involved in smuggling, says the director of scientific work national center underwater research of the Russian Geographical Society Andrey Lukoshkov.

Thanks to the criminals

As it later turned out, this was so. Going over the line customs border, the enterprising captain Jan Schmidt anchored. For 40 days, the ship's holds were filled with contraband goods, which were brought in by boat.

But Russian nature prevented the team from realizing their plans. Ice formed in the bay, first captivating the ship and then crushing its sides. Fleeing as best they could, the crew members abandoned not only their goods, but also their personal belongings.

The smuggling department and Peter the Great personally took up the investigation of this story. Only him unexpected death suspended the investigation. And only after almost three centuries the secret became clear. Today, leaving aside the assessment of the moral character of smugglers of the 18th century, underwater archaeologists cannot find words to thank them.

“Of course, such a find is a great success for us, and we should be grateful to these thieves,” Andrei Lukoshkov laughs.

Rare luck

Thanks must also be given to the Gulf of Finland. Its muddy, slightly salted water prevented sunlight from reaching the ship and became an excellent preservative for it. In addition, there are almost no undercurrents in this part of the bay. All these factors made it possible to preserve the ship and things in almost untouched form. The exhibition includes personal items, dishes, a gun box, shoes and clothing.

– We found a mitten with two thumbs on both sides. Perhaps this was necessary to put it on in a hurry, or maybe for something else,” says diver-researcher Igor Galayda.

But the main exhibit is an expensive European caftan from the early 18th century. By luck, it was preserved in almost original condition. During the crash, it was filled with tar from a fallen barrel. This allowed him to lie under water for 300 years without losing a single button.

Three seasons of expeditions and more than a hundred raised artifacts are behind us. Many are still under restoration, and some have been transferred to the Hermitage for storage. But diving work on the Archangel Raphael is not yet completed. In the near future, specialists from Germany will join them - for them the find is of incredible interest. This is not surprising - none of the sunken German ships is in such good condition. And in general, if you imagine how many secrets the Baltic Sea has accumulated over the entire history of navigation and take into account that only a few become obvious, you can imagine the joy of researchers who discovered such an interesting find.

The depths of the sea hide many secrets. One of them was recently solved by specialists from the Center for Underwater Research of the Russian Geographical Society. At the bottom of the Gulf of Finland, they managed to discover and explore a German merchant ship from the late 17th century, which sank in 1724 with a large cargo of contraband on board. Visitors to the exhibition “Smuggling. Three centuries under water."

The exhibition presents unique finds raised from the bottom of the sea and given a second life thanks to the skill of restorers. Part of the smuggled cargo, dishes, clothing and personal belongings of the crew, working and measuring instruments - all these objects, after three hundred years of silence, tell their unhurried story about life on the ship, about the tastes of their owners and contemporaries. Many visitors await interesting facts and about the laws of maritime trade, which did not always correspond to state laws.

Guests of the exhibition will not only get acquainted with the way of life on a European ship of the 18th century, but will also be able, with the help of audiovisual accompaniment of the exhibition, to dive to the bottom of the sea and plunge into the world of the fascinating profession of an underwater archaeologist.

The exhibition features original and modern design. Its composition is intended to create in the visitor’s imagination the image of a found vessel and the dynamic movement of the found artifacts from the depths of the sea to the surface.

"Contraband" travels through the best exhibition spaces in St. Petersburg and beyond. She began her journey at the Headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society on October 12, 2017. The artifacts were seen by more than 4 thousand St. Petersburg residents and city guests.

In July 2018, the opening of an exhibition took place in the Silver Vaults of Oranienbaum. This is an updated, expanded collection of "Archangel Raphael" artifacts. By the way, for the first time, along with household items and tools, a caftan and woolen trousers, which are stored in State Hermitage after a complex restoration. During the 4 months of the exhibition, almost 10,000 people came to learn about amazing story, which Peter I himself was interested in. We’ll tell you where “Three Centuries Under Water” will go next in the news on our social networks and on the website.

“Smuggling” is rushing abroad too. We are negotiating with the International maritime museum in the city of Hamburg. Colleagues really want to see how the cargo of German merchants, with a 300-year lag, will still reach the shores of Germany. We are planning for 2019-2020.

IN Great hall The headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society in St. Petersburg hosts the exhibition “Smuggling. Three centuries under water."

One of the maritime secrets has become less. Specialists from the Center for Underwater Research of the Russian Geographical Society discovered at the bottom of the Gulf of Finland a German ship from the late 17th century, the Archangel Raphael, which sank in 1724 with a cargo of contraband on board. The fascinating story of this discovery will appear before visitors to the exhibition “Smuggling. Three centuries under water."

At the exhibition you will be able to see unique artifacts raised from the bottom of the sea and given a second life thanks to the skill of restorers.

Contraband cargo, dishes, tools, personal belongings and even crew food - all these witnesses to the true life of the ship will tell about the tastes of their owners and their contemporaries, about navigation and the laws of maritime trade, full of secrets and intrigues.

Visitors to the exhibition will not only get acquainted with the way of life on a European ship from the time of Peter the Great, but will also be able, with the help of audiovisual accompaniment of the exhibition, to dive to the bottom of the sea and plunge into the world of the fascinating profession of an underwater archaeologist. The original modern design of the exhibition space will help preserve in memory the image of “Archangel Raphael” and the finds raised from the depths of the sea.

Free admission.

Operating mode:

• from 11:00 to 18:30.

The exhibition is closed during Lecture Hall events.