The creator of the Belozersky Museum is Rimma Aleksandrovna Novikova

Speaking about the history of the Belozersky Museum, it is impossible not to recall R.A. Novikov. After all, it is the name of Rimma Alexandrovna that is associated with the revival of the museum. A wonderful man, a great patriot of our city and region, an honorary citizen of the city of Belozersk, a teacher with a capital letter. (Photo 1)

Rimma Aleksandrovna Novikova (Gorbunova) was born on August 17, 1924 in the village of Sadovaya, Glushkovsky Village Council in the family of Alexander Fedotovich Gorbunov, a participant in the revolution and civil war, who tells children a lot about the events he witnessed. (Photos 2-4)

After graduating from secondary school No. 2 in 1941, Rimma Alexandrovna entered the Kazan University at the geological exploration Faculty. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, she was sent to defense work at the call of the military enlistment office. Upon returning to Belozersk, Rimma Alexandrovna studies at a pedagogical college, and also completes courses for radio operators at OSOAVIAKHIm. After graduating from the pedagogical school, in 1943-1944, she worked at the Shileng seven-year school in the Mezhdurechensk district, then for a year at the basic school at the Belozersk pedagogical school. In 1945, he worked at the school of working youth and at the same time works on history at the courses of the militia school. In July 1945, Rimma Alexandrovna entered the Leningrad Pedagogical Institute named after A.I. Herzen at the Faculty of History, continuing to conduct public work. (Photos 5-6)

 After graduation, he works as a history teacher at the Volotov School in the Novgorod region, and works as a propagandist. In 1950, R.A. Novikova returned to Belozersk.

All the rest of R.A. Novikova's life was connected with Belozersk. She worked as a history teacher, a school inspector, a school principal, a teacher in a dormitory, a teacher at a boarding school, a deputy director for extracurricular and extracurricular activities. At secondary school No. 2, she worked constantly from 1957 until her last days (Photos 7-10).

But the main hobby of R.A. Novikova still remained local history. According to Rimma Alexandrovna herself, she began to study the history of her region when she heard the phrase thrown by a visiting tourist: "The city is ancient, but there is no museum in the city." A historian by education, Rimma Alexandrovna has been fond of local lore all her life. At secondary school No. 2, she led a local history circle. Together with schoolchildren, she collected material about the Belozers – participants of the revolutionary events of 1905-1917, the Civil War, the first pioneers, Komsomol members, participants of the Great Patriotic War. The guys corresponded with them, organized meetings, recorded memories themselves, talking to the participants of those great events, and also applied to the archives (Vologda, Leningrad, Novgorod). For meetings with veterans, Rimma Alexandrovna drove the circle members not only to the villages of the Belozersky district, but also to Leningrad. During the holidays, R.A. Novikova went hiking with the guys not only in the Belozersky district, but also in the Babaevsky district (to the places of residence of the Veps). During the campaigns, documents and things were collected.  All these subjects were first placed in the classroom, then in the pioneer room. And so the people's museum appeared. Schoolchildren also took part in the archaeological expedition of L.A. Golubeva, held at the archaeological monument "Old Town". (Photos 11-15)  

As a result of this fruitful work, a collection of more than 4,000 items was created. In 1967, the People's Museum received a room in the building of the district library: the exhibitions "History of the region" and "Folk Craftsmen" are located here. The first excursions were conducted by the circle members, together with Rimma Alexandrovna they prepare exhibitions themselves. In 1977, the People's Museum became a state museum, housed in an old mansion (the Ananyin house). Interesting and rare are the objects of archeology, everyday life, ethnography, folk art, numismatics, faleristics. The collection of the National Museum became the basis for the collection of the State Museum. (Photos 16-41)

For her work, R.A. Novikova has received many awards, including more than 50 certificates of honor and letters of thanks. (Photos 42-56)

Even after retiring in 1979, Rimma Alexandrovna did not abandon her hobby: she leads a circle at school, heads the public council of the museum. In 1980-1981, she, together with museum workers, participated in the creation of the S.S. Orlov Museum, and in 1987 – the P.K. Georgievsky Museum. Even during the life of the poet S.S. Orlov, she wrote a lot about his work, she knew the whole Orlov family perfectly. Together with a group of local historians, she went along the combat path of the 33rd separate tank regiment, in which the poet fought.

The case of Rimma Alexandrovna Novikova is the preserved history of our region, her students who love their homeland, many of whom have devoted themselves to history and social sciences. The memory of Rimma Alexandrovna will live on in museum expositions, in the good deeds that Rimma Alexandrovna Novikova left to the city.