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As part of a joint research project with the Vladimir Potanin Foundation, specialists from the Agency for strategic development "CENTER" examined the preservation practices of the Old Demidov Plant in Nizhny Tagil. The case demonstrates how an industrial complex can be preserved not as a collection of individual exhibits, but as an integrated system encompassing machinery, buildings, hydraulic infrastructure and production processes.

The Demidov iron-smelting and ironworks plant began operations in 1725 and remained active until 1987. Following the closure of its blast furnace department, the site was designated a cultural heritage property. In 1989, Russia's first museum-factory dedicated to the history of ferrous metallurgy technology was established here. Since 2009, the site has been developed as an eco-industrial technology park.

At the heart of the initiative is the preservation and interpretation of engineering knowledge. Lost technologies are reconstructed using archival records, on-site measurements and engineering calculations. This work produces digital models and 3D documentation that capture the structure and operating principles of historic industrial processes.

"An industrial site represents one of the new forms of museums. But it is about dynamism and functionality. Engineering is not a skeleton; it is something alive. We need to develop functions, show how things work and demonstrate them. <…> Industrial heritage is a philosophy that guides those making decisions," said Margarita Kuzovkova, Deputy Director for Industrial Heritage at the Nizhny Tagil Museum-Reserve "Mining and Metallurgical Urals".

Reverse engineering also serves as an educational tool. Industrial lectures, laboratories dedicated to industrial aesthetics and green technologies, practical engineering workshops and masterclasses help transfer professional knowledge through direct engagement with an authentic industrial environment.

Artistic interventions, concerts, performances and interactive quests broaden the museum-factory's audience. However, these activities complement rather than replace the site's engineering significance. The primary focus of preservation remains the technological relationship between machinery, industrial architecture and production processes.

The researchers identified several strengths of the initiative, including the integrity of the surviving industrial complex, regional government support, an established methodological framework and partnerships with industrial enterprises. Key challenges include the high cost of environmental remediation of the hydraulic system and the absence of a unified regulatory framework for the preservation and management of comparable industrial heritage sites.

"The Old Demidov Plant preserves not an isolated artefact, but an entire production chain and the engineering knowledge behind it. Reverse engineering makes it possible to reconstruct lost technologies and document them in a form accessible for research and education. This approach can therefore be applied to industrial heritage across different sectors," said Andrei Vashchuk, Lead Project Analyst at the Agency for strategic development "CENTER".

The case was examined as part of the research project Analysis of Practices for the Capitalization and Representation of Industrial Heritage, implemented by Agency "CENTER" at the initiative of the Vladimir Potanin Foundation. The findings will contribute to a typology of Russian approaches to industrial heritage preservation and adaptive reuse.

Photo: Алексей Иванов  Фотобанк Лори