Museums in Moscow

contents: historical museums • literature museums • science museums • exhibition halls

New: Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics (recommended!)




All museums don't work on holidays. Average ticket price for the museums listed here is 15 to 25 roubles (0.5 - 0,8$) for Russians and around 100-140 roubles (5$) for foreigners. A good way to save money is to pretend native when you buy the ticket (just don't speak English), or to ask some Russian person nicely to buy you a ticket.
There are many museums in Moscow, so here we list the museums we find the most interesting.
You can find additional information about museums (in russian) on the net http://www.museum.ru (Museums of Russia).


moscow / historical museums

THE KREMLIN (Кремль-Kreml) is a former palace of kings. Originally the walls around the Kremlin (fortress) were first elevated in the 10th century and were made of wood. In the 13th century brick walls were added. The modern Kremlin, as it is now, was built in the 16th century and it was the second powerful castle in Europe after the one in Milan. Also, in the 16th century most of the decoration works were made, and the four famous cathedrals inside the Kremlin were built in this period.
Nowadays it is where the president of Russia works. There are many nice cathedrals, some museums, and historical monuments inside. The most interesting museums are the Museum of the Ancient Weapons (Оружейная Палата-Oruzheinay Palata) with a huge collection of mid-centuries weapons and the Museum of Jewelry Collection (Алмазный Фонд-Almasniy Fond) with a splendid collection of various gems.
Also, there's a parliament hall built in the 20th century. It was supposed to be a high building, but the architects decided not to spoil the view of the Kremlin, so they built this parliament hall deep underground (like 8 or 10 stores).
Another fact is that there's a secret metro line that leads from the Kremlin to the outside of Moscow, to evacuate the president in case there are problems.
If you are not interested in history and architecture you can just look at the cathedrals and the castles of the Kremlin from the outside.
Address: Kremlin. tel. 203-0349 (excursions). Area: Kremlin, metro Alexandrovski Sad (light blue), Ohotny Ryad (red), Biblioteka imeni Lenina (red). Open: mon-wed, fri-sun: 10:00-17:00. Tickets: foreign students 100 rubbles ($3.5), foreigners 200 rubbles ($7).

LENIN'S MAUSOLEUM (Мавзолей-Mavzoley). A cult place in the middle of the Red Square, near the Kremlin. Inside there is the tiny man, the guru of the communists, lying in a glass coffin - they say that in case of a nuclear attack, the coffin will go underground and slide on the rails somewhere far far away.
When you are outside after all, it's nice to feel yourself alive.
Advice from Ben Parke (September 2004): The [...] tip I have is that in Moscow, to enter Red square and Lenins Mausoleum outside both queuing/ticket areas, there are lots of guides that tell you that because of security after recent terrorist incidents, that it is only allowed to enter the Kremlin on Lenins mausoleum with a tour guide. I was not convinced and found out that in the case of the Kremlin, it is only necessary to get an audio guide and lenins mausoleum is free and can be visited alone. I saw a lot of people get scammed by these guides and pay 800 roubles when the cost I paid was much much less. Maybe you can pass this warning on to avoid tourists getting tricked.
Address: Красная площадь (Krasnaya Ploshad - Red Square), Area: Kremlin, metro Ohotniy Ryad (red), Ploshad Revolutsii (blue). Open: tue.-thu., sat. 10.00-13.00

MUSEUM OF HISTORY (Исторический Музей-Istoricheski museum). Everything you need to know about the history of Russia: objects, documents, paintings, photos. They have a rich collection of prehistorical objects, for example there are carved stone tools, hunting spears, female statuettes, huge earth pots from 3000 years before our era... and a long wooden boat, mammoth corns, human squeletons and ornaments. As you go round the museum you see also Iron, and Bronze Age objects : warrior armour suits, ornated implements, obects of cult.
Upstairs they have at the moment a more contemporary exhibition called 'Our Happy Childhood' showing toys, books, paintings and black and white films about childhood in the soviet times under Lenin and Stalin. Teaches much. until 2 April 2002.
Also, there's a souvenir shop inside and a traditional restaurant serving Russian food.
Address: Krasnaya Ploshad (Red Square) #1/2, tel. 292-4019 Area: Kremlin, metro Ploshad Revolutsii (blue), Teatralnaya (green). Open: wed-mon 11.00-19.00 except 1st monday of month.

THE MODERN HISTORY OF RUSSIA MUSEUM (Музей современной истории России). The former museum of Revolution. Located in the palace this museum is very nice outside, but a bit crappy inside. The permanent collection dedicated to the 20th century in Russia. There are interesting temporary ehibitions from time to time.
Address: Tverskaya ul., 21, tel.: 299-6724. Area: metro Pushkinskaya (viloet). Open: tu.-sat 10.00-18.00, sun 10.00-16.30


moscow / literature museums

EX LIBRIS. The museum of the ex libris is not very popular, but if you are interested in books and ex libris - which are special collectioneers' stamps on books - it is a good place to find out more.
Address: Пушечная (Pushechnaya) #7/5, tel. 928-2998. Area: Kuznetski Most, metro Kuznetski most (violet) or Lubyanka (red). Open: mon-fri 10.00-17.30. Free entrance.

moscow / science museums

MEMORIAL MUSEUM OF COSMONAUTICS (MMK -- Mемориальный музей Космонавтики - Memorialni Musei Kocmonavtiki) The museum is very stylish, with colour lamps and a cosmic structure welcoming you. You can see real cosmonaut's equipments, like Yuri Gagarin's orange training suit and the spheric vessel, in which he re-entered on Earth after his 108 minutes orbit trip around the Earth in the first sattelite in 1961.There are several 'first' spacecrafts which were used to explore the Moon: the UFO like spacecraft Luna 3, which orbited the moon and made the first photos of the 'invisible' side of the Moon in 1959. The round red Luna 16, which was the first spacecraft to make a Return trip Earth-Moon-Earth and carried back Moon soil samples in 1970. And You can see video documents of trainings of cosmonauts and recordings on board. There's a great cinema hall all decorated with metallic walls moulded like cells, where one can lay back and enjoy a slide show, rhythmed by cosmic-ambient music. It almost brings tears, because of the hint of nostalgia of the great Soviet Union former Conqueror of Space number one.You can be photographed (with your own camera) wearing a real cosmical scaphandre for 30 Rbles (1$). They sell cosmaunaut's space-food, such as a tube with sweet juice inside, or very compressed bread, cereal bars.
Address: Prospekt Mira, 111, located in the pedestal of the impressive sculpture-monument to the Conquerors of Space Phone: 283-7914 Area: north centrum, metro bdnk "ВДНК" (orange line). Open: tue-sun: 10.00-18.00, closed last fri. Price: entrance 25 Rbles.

POLITECHNICAL MUSEUMS (Политехнический музей - Politekhnicheski muzei). The museum exhibiting all the achievements of Russian science. Lomonosov's laboratory, the laboratory where for the first time in history the artificial rubber was made, the special periodic table of Mendeleev, the first radio in the world made by Popov, the set where the first hologram was made, collection of old Russian cars and much more.
Address: Novaya square (Novaya ploschad') #3/4, 1st entrance. Area: Kitai Gorod, metro Lubyanka (red). Open: tue-sun: 10.00-18.00, except last Thursday of the month.

LOMAKOVSKI'S MUSEUM OF OLD CARS & MOTORBIKES (Ломаковский музей старинных автомобилей и мотоциклов) is the only such museum in Russia and it's located in an ordinary garage. Masterpieces of the collection are nazi elite's cars and the BMW which they don't have in BMW museum in Germany.
Address: Хлебозаводский проезд (Hlebozavodskiy proezd) #7/2, tel. 113-2053, Area: south-east Moscow, metro Kashirskaya (green). Open: sut-sun 15.00-18.00. Internet: http://rosweb.ru/lomakovka