The Institute of Geosciences of the Southern Federal University houses an unusual museum – the “Brick Library”.

The creator of the museum and the collector of the unique exhibition is Boris Talpa , associate professor of the department of physical geography, ecology and nature conservation at the Institute of Earth Sciences of the Southern Federal University . Over the years, the scientist visited 42 countries and collected a collection of ancient bricks and sands from all over the world.

“Brick is one of the first innovative materials created by man, which completely transformed his way of life. Ancient buildings made of brick laid the foundations of architecture, culture and construction technology,” said Boris Talpa .

The idea of ​​creating a museum came to the scientist after he learned from his student about the existence of such an institution at the St. Petersburg Academy of Construction and Architecture. The development of the idea was supported by the director of the Institute of Geosciences of the Southern Federal University Andrey Kuznetsov . By the time the museum opened, about a hundred brick samples had already accumulated in the institute’s laboratory.

Boris Talpa collected most of the exhibition samples himself while traveling around the world. Students of the institute also play an important role in replenishing the collection. All brought bricks are prepared, brought to exhibition condition, and displayed on racks. Descriptions of copies and their production technology, information about manufacturers and raw materials are included in the catalog and published on the official website of the Brick Library. The museum’s collection is free to view. Many of its samples are actively used during classes and in scientific work of undergraduate and graduate students.

“Studying antique bricks allows us to take a fresh look at this material. Technological capabilities are growing, new engineering solutions are appearing, so now you won’t see low-quality bricks – also thanks to our scientific research,” shared Boris Talpa .

Today, the Brick Library collection includes more than 1,500 bricks and 1,100 sand samples from all over the world. A special place in the museum is occupied by rare bricks from the Karnak Temple, built in Egypt more than 4 thousand years ago; Moscow, Kazan, Tula, Astrakhan, Yaroslavl, Sviyazhsk Kremlins; China-towns; Pompey; Rome; Vienna; London. The scientist also collected sand from the coasts of 4 oceans and the expanses of all 6 continents.

“Humanity actively uses and processes various types of minerals, but it is sand and clay that are the most used and large-scale in modern production. Many people don’t even suspect, but sand is closely connected with our everyday life: houses, roads are built from it, glass and many other household items are made,” said Boris Talpa .

In the summer of 2021, Boris Talpa released a unique encyclopedia of ancient bricks and tiles from the collection of the Brick Library museum. In it, the scientist presented characteristics and descriptions of the exhibits. The work is supplemented by historical documents, cartographic materials and more than 2 thousand photographs, drawings and maps.