Abstract
Using archival documents, this article recreates the founding period (1719–1722) in the history of laboratories at the Berg Collegium and the Collegium of Manufactories in St. Petersburg. The author finds that the Berg Collegium was established half a year earlier than previously thought, reveals its location at the former home of Count Apraksin and the names of those who managed the construction works. The essay also traces the planning and development of the laboratories’ facilities, and the tasks of the laboratories in assaying, technological development, training, and preparation of experts for copper-smelting works. It discusses the roles and activities of Ya. V. Bruce, foreign experts, in particular, W. Stift, the assessor Heinrich Schlatter and his son, Johann Wilhelm, who later became a prominent chemist and president of the Berg Collegium.
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