The Role of Coal-Mining Museum in Kuzbass Coal Industry Development

A museum cluster is a phenomenon that did not acquire conceptual understanding until the late 1990s. Since then, numerous approaches to defining a museum cluster have been put to the test. It has been unanimously stated that a museum cluster is an environment-creating and culture-forming entity, which catches the spirit of the time/place and embodies the locus genii. The museum, thus, renews and strengthens itself in the urban, scientific and cultural thought. These apply well to Krasnaya Gorka, a museum cluster in Kemerovskaya oblast. Combining all 'cluster' characteristics, Krasnaya Gorka features very specific, historically and culturally valuable trends eventually transforming the urban environment and forming local traditions. The study is aimed at comprehensive research of a museum cluster contribution to the local culture, environment, science, economy and, most importantly, people. The study showed that: (1) the Krasnaya Gorka museum is justifiably the heart of a cluster; (2) the archival materials in city museums are valuable as integral historic documents in their own right, but more significant when regarded along with other papers and artefacts in the domain of the museums, forming the cluster; c) the Krasnaya Gorka museum is a culture-forming entity due to its aggregating people and organizing activities.