Small arms designer Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov, twice Hero of Socialist Labor, laureate of the Stalin and Lenin Prizes, Hero of the Russian Federation, Knight of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, was born and raised in the Kurya region of the Altai Territory, in the village of Kurya.

Developed by him in the late 1940s. The AK-47 assault rifle, thanks to its simplicity, reliability and efficiency, laid the foundation for a whole family of small arms. For 60 years, the Kalashnikov weapon has been in service with the Russian army. About a hundred countries of the world today use the Kalashnikov assault rifle and samples developed on the basis of its design, and in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, the AK is depicted in state symbols.

In his homeland, in the Altai Territory, openedgunsmith memorial museum... The museum funds are constantly replenished, some of the exhibits were once donated by the designer himself.

Photo:war-time.ru, Valery Stepanyuk