Russian steelmaker Severstal has invested 150 million roubles (£1.4 million) on a Metallurgy Museum in Cherepovets, Russia.

The museum was officially opened to the public this week to coincide with the 60th anniversary of Severstal’s Cherepovets steel mill.

Alexey Mordashov, chairman of Severstal, officially opened the museum using a pair of pliers to cut a steel ribbon. He was joined by Oleg Kuvshinnikov, governor of the Vologda region of Russia, and Yuri Kuzin, mayor of Cherepovets.

“This museum will play an important role in educating young people more about the steel industry,” Mr Mordashov said. “Today, metallurgy is a high-tech industry, and Severstal and Cherepovets are among the industry leaders.”

The museum is the first of its kind in Russia and it is hoped that it will attract young talent into the metals industry as well as preserve its 4000-year heritage.

Described as a ‘next generation’ interactive facility, the museum aims to attract all ages with a mix of traditional and hi-tech displays including interactive screens, electronic boards, audio-visual installations created from rare photo and video archives, documents and artifacts.

The history of metallurgy is traced from its origins of iron craftwork to the advanced engineering and IT solutions used by modern steelmakers like Severstal. The company’s Cherepovets mill is one of the largest in Russia.