Thanks to gunsmiths, Tula at the end of the 18^th century was one of the five largest industrial centers in Russia, and Tula weaponry, was recognized as a standard by one of the tsar's decrees.
Tula Arms Factory rightfully occupies a special place in the history of artistic culture. Today's audio story will introduce you to the history of this legendary enterprise, you will learn about its production organization and the prerequisites for the unprecedented success of the "Russian Sheffield" of the XIX century, in the words of Edward Clarke (Edward Clarke, 1769-1822) – an English clergyman, naturalist, mineralogist, and traveler.
Thanks to its rich deposits of iron ore and favorable location at the crossroads of trade routes, Tula had been a key centre of home metallurgy for more than five centuries. Of course, the world-famous Tula blades and rifles were objects of special national pride, hence no less important in the factory's output of products were "civilian" items. The town's craftsmen created a variety of everyday items, from magnificent buttons to luxurious furniture. The imperial residences in Gatchina and Pavlovsk were decorated with Tula steel lamps and chandeliers, and in Tsarskoye Selo there were steel dressing tables, armchairs and even cradles for young tsars. Prince Potemkin gave his niece a Tula steel four-poster bed for her wedding, and Princess Dashkova ordered a steel fireplace for one of her pupils.

The museum Collection exposition featured various Tula "civilian" items. Some of those items crafted by talented Tula artisans – steel sewing clamps (sewing accessories) and caskets - are presented at the thematic exhibition "The Order of Things".

In the video clip "Tula Art Steel" you can see in detail the items presented at this exhibition.