STATE HISTORICAL MUSEUM

Description

Essentials about the State Historical Museum in brief

Anyone interested in Russian history should not miss a visit to the State Historical Museum. With a collection of around 4.5 million exhibits from a wide range of topics and all periods of Russian history, it is the largest and best-known museum for national history in Russia. The museum is worth seeing even from the outside. Built in 1883 in the style of Russian historicism, the building of dark red brick and several pointed towers represents the imposing northwestern end of Red Square.

The history of the State Historical Museum

The beginnings of the museum date back to 1872, when an organizing committee was set up in Moscow on the initiative of Count Alexei Uvarov and some other noblemen to establish the first national history museum of the Russian Tsarist Empire. Initially, the museum exposition consisted of the history-related exhibits of the Polytechnic Exhibition held in Moscow in 1872. Under the name of the Imperial Russian Historical Museum, it opened its doors to the public on the day of the coronation of Tsar Alexander III, May 27, 1883. At that time the exposition consisted mainly of archaeological findings up to the 12th century.

In the years following the October Revolution in 1917, the museum received its current official name, and several formerly independent museum complexes were also incorporated into the Historical Museum. Over the decades, the museum’s holdings have been greatly expanded, including the acquisition of items from the dissolution of several smaller museums.

The departments of the State Historical Museum

Today the State Historical Museum contains 16 specialized departments. Archaeology fans can see various finds on the Russian territory from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages in the Archaeological Department. Those who are more interested in precious stones can see products of Russian jeweler’s art from the 11th to the 20th century in the Precious Metals Department. Coin collectors will get their money’s worth in the Numismatics Department. It includes about 1.7 million historical coins, banknotes, medals and orders. Art fans should head straight for the Fine Arts Department. Here, visitors can expect to see around 500,000 paintings, watercolors, engravings, sculptures and photographs. In addition, the museum has departments of wood products and furniture, Old Russian painting, cartography, books, metal crafts, weapons, written documents, manuscripts, glass and ceramics, fabrics, and a scientific archive.

Other buildings of the State Historical Museum

Several times a year, the museum also hosts special exhibitions, which often go beyond the thematic areas of Russian history. Incidentally, in addition to the exhibitions in the main building, the History Museum also includes St. Basil’s Cathedral, located at the southeastern end of Red Square, Moscow’s Novodevichy Convent, and Lenin’s Mausoleum, located in the immediate vicinity of the main building.