When Peter the Great decided to establish the first Russian public museum of rarities and oddities, he already possessed certain objects which were to serve as a starting point for the museum's collections. Among them were articles from different spheres of the sciences- anatomy, anthropology, ethnography, archeology, mineralogy, botany, mathematics, etc. This first unique collection, which is on display now in the hall of Peter's Kunstkammer, gives the observer a good idea both of the personal interests of Peter the Great and of the level of scientific knowledge in his day. This collection can be called the cradle of Russian science, its primary source. It was no accident that later many research institutes and a number of museums took there origin from the initial Kunstkammer.
The building of the Kunstkammer is also the birthplace of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It was here that the first Russian academicians organized their meetings. The museum also housed the first academic library and research laboratories. The Hall of Peter's Kunstkammer was initially used as an anatomical theater and was specially designed for this purpose.
The contents of these `Kunstkammers' vary according to their owners' tastes, but basically they have the same aim: to be comprehensive and encyclopaedic, to be a microcosm of the whole world gathered under one roof. Furthermore they were created for the glory of prince and country, while at the same time having an educational purpose. This latter aim was specifically mentioned by Peter the Great on the opening of his Kunstkammer in S. Petersburg in 1714. "I want people to look and learn", he declared. This museum may have inspired the Victorians and in particular Charles Darwin to collect natrual history?. This museum contains crude taxidermy and some excellent examples of "pickled" specimens.