BARNAUL, November 15 (RIA Novosti) – A museum dedicated to the inventor of the world’s most popular firearm, the AK-47, officially opened on Friday in his home town in southern Siberia.
But the inventor, Mikhail Kalashnikov, who turned 94 years old last week, said he was unable to attend the opening ceremony due to poor health.
Kalashnikov has donated numerous personal items to the museum, including an honorary professor’s robe from Harvard University and a letter from late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who traveled to Russia in 2009 to personally congratulate Kalashnikov on his 90th birthday.
A high-ranking official at newly formed state arms maker Kalashnikov Concern said in a statement that the inventor “sends his best regards to all residents of the Altai Territory and thanks them for still remembering him.”
The museum is located in the town of Kurya, in a century-old wooden school house where Kalashnikov used to study.
The building will feature three separate exhibitions devoted to Kalashnikov’s early life, the creation of the AK-47, and the inventor’s immense contribution to Russia’s defense capabilities.
