Moscow State University, Zoological Museum: symbol, exhibition, excursion, reviews. Zoological Museum of Moscow State University

(MSU) will be very interesting. It is located in the very center of Moscow and is great for a family visit.

The Zoological Museum of Moscow State University has the second largest collection of exhibits in Russia and is one of the ten largest museums of this profile in Europe. It is also a working laboratory for Russian biologists: its scientific collections currently include more than 8 million units. Among its exhibits there are those that are more than 100 years old. Let us note that all its exhibits, with few exceptions, are representatives of modern fauna. Fossil remains of ancient and extinct animals are included in the collection of another,.

A visit to the museum makes the strongest impression on children. They enter into an unknown world with pleasure and are completely immersed in the atmosphere of new discoveries. For this purpose, the museum has created all the conditions: grouping of exhibits, explanatory signs with them, the work of passionate guides and a lot of different events. But for adults, a trip to this museum becomes a memory of their school childhood. Moreover, the prices are low, with the ability to take photographs without restrictions.

Located in an old building of impressive monumental sophistication, the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University has changed very little over the past decades. In its halls one can feel the spirit of Soviet times, noticeable both in the organization and maintenance of exhibitions, and in the condition of the exhibits. The hall monitors, tour guides, and employees work “not out of fear, but out of conscience.” Such old-fashionedness gives the museum a special charm.

The Zoological Museum of Moscow State University was founded in 1791 at the Imperial Moscow University. At that time it was called the Cabinet of Natural History. During the war with France in 1812, it was almost completely burned out and was carefully restored. Initially, the Cabinet was planned as a large-scale teaching aid for students of the Faculty of Biology, which until 1955 was located in the same building. Almost from the moment of opening, the museum was accessible to the general public.

Tue*: 10.00 - 18.00 (ticket office until 17.00)
Wed: 10.00 - 18.00 (ticket office until 17.00)
Thu: 13.00 - 21.00 (ticket office until 20.00)
Fri: 10.00 - 18.00 (ticket office until 17.00)
Sat: 10.00 - 18.00 (ticket office until 17.00)
Sun: 10.00 - 18.00 (ticket office until 17.00)

* - Except the last Tuesday of the month

Monday, Last Tuesday of the month

From 100 rub. up to 300 rub. depending on the category of the visitor and the visiting program.
Photo and video shooting is included in the ticket price.

Standard.

The museum hosts interactive classes, popular science lectures, children's parties, festivals and birthdays. There is a group of young naturalists.

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Featured Reviews

Visitor ratings:

May 2017
I came in by accident... And I didn’t regret it! I discovered a completely new museum with the history and understanding of the world of flora for Russians, since the birth of interest officially in Russia! Informative - Visual! Gorgeous room! But the overhaul is in keeping with the spirit of the times... A virtual immersion into the world of our researchers and their discoveries would not hurt!

April 2017
I went to this museum solely for emotions. The amazing atmosphere of a real museum from the doorstep. A building of wonderful architecture, an extensive exhibition. I am glad that the museum has not been touched by any technical upgrade; I am convinced that its charm and uniqueness lies precisely in the authenticity in which it has been preserved.

Zoological Museum The Zoological Museum was founded on the basis of the collections of the Zoological Cabinet of the Kunstkamera in 1832 and until the end of the 19th century was located in a building adjacent to the academic center. Then he moved to a new building provided to him on the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island in 1901, where he remains to this day. In 1896, it was transferred to the southern warehouse of the Exchange (built in the years under the direction of the architect I.F. Luchini), where the “exhibition hall” was located - the first room in Russia specially equipped for exhibitions. The museum is still located here today. In 1930, the museum was transformed into the Zoological Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences, which still exists today on the basis of the museum’s huge zoological collections. The museum itself is the exhibition department of the institute and at the same time it is one of the largest zoological museums in the world (animals, stuffed animals and skeletons of many rare and extinct animals, blue corals, etc.). Exhibition area sq.m., where exhibits are displayed. The collections of animals of the Palaearctic, especially Central Asia, and the mammoth fauna (including the mammoths themselves) are unique. Skeletons and fragments of bodies preserved in permafrost are on display. The exhibitions include many dioramas representing animals in natural conditions.

In particular, here you can see the skeleton of Steller's cow. The size of the animal is amazing: 10 meters in length and about 2 meters in volume. The animal was first discovered in 1740 by the expedition of Vitus Bering off the coast of the Commander Islands. An amazing marine mammal was sketched and described by a member of the expedition, scientist Georg Steller, after whom the sea cow was named. Thirty years after the discovery of Steller's cow, it was completely destroyed and disappeared as a species. Mammoths are also on display. These extinct animals were very similar to modern elephants with some exceptions: they lived in a cold climate and were covered with hair. In addition, mammoth tusks were more massive and heavier than those of elephants, and had a more complex shape and structure. Mammoths lived during the Ice Age and not just somewhere in Africa, but in Europe, including in Russia. In August 1900, the first mammoth corpse was discovered near the Berezovka River. And in 1977, the corpse of a baby mammoth was found near the Kirgilyakh stream, which was given the name Dima. It was found that the baby mammoth had eaten well before his death. In his stomach, scientists found grass and tree branches - the remains of his last meal. Dima was successfully transported to the Zoological Museum of St. Petersburg, where he is now kept. In particular, here you can see the skeleton of Steller's cow. The size of the animal is amazing: 10 meters in length and about 2 meters in volume. The animal was first discovered in 1740 by the expedition of Vitus Bering off the coast of the Commander Islands. An amazing marine mammal was sketched and described by a member of the expedition, scientist Georg Steller, after whom the sea cow was named. Thirty years after the discovery of Steller's cow, it was completely destroyed and disappeared as a species. Mammoths are also on display. These extinct animals were very similar to modern elephants with some exceptions: they lived in a cold climate and were covered with hair. In addition, mammoth tusks were more massive and heavier than those of elephants, and had a more complex shape and structure. Mammoths lived during the Ice Age and not just somewhere in Africa, but in Europe, including in Russia. In August 1900, the first mammoth corpse was discovered near the Berezovka River. And in 1977, the corpse of a baby mammoth was found near the Kirgilyakh stream, which was given the name Dima. It was found that the baby mammoth had eaten well before his death. In his stomach, scientists found grass and tree branches - the remains of his last meal. Dima was successfully transported to the Zoological Museum of St. Petersburg, where he is now kept.

History of the Zoological Museum The Zoological Museum of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences is one of the oldest museums in Russia. The history of the museum is connected with the Kunstkamera - the first museum in Russia, created by Peter I in 1714. The Zoological Museum of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences is one of the oldest museums in Russia. The history of the museum is connected with the Kunstkamera - the first museum in Russia, created by Peter I in 1714. In 1832, on the basis of the zoological collections of the Kunstkamera, the independent Zoological Museum of the Imperial Academy of Sciences arose. This year is considered the year of its foundation. Later, in 1930, the Museum was transformed into the Zoological Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences, now the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The Zoological Museum of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences is one of the largest zoological museums in the world and in our country. Currently, the museum exhibition occupies most of the second floor of the vast building of the Zoological Institute, as well as the choir room in the first hall. About 30 thousand specimens of animals from all regions of the globe are exhibited here, and the total exhibition area is 6 thousand square meters. m. The museum is the exhibition department of the Institute. The Zoological Museum of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences is one of the largest zoological museums in the world and in our country. Currently, the museum exhibition occupies most of the second floor of the vast building of the Zoological Institute, as well as the choir room in the first hall. About 30 thousand specimens of animals from all regions of the globe are exhibited here, and the total exhibition area is 6 thousand square meters. m. The museum is the exhibition department of the Institute.

The modern Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and its museum are one of the world's largest repositories of animals. The institute's scientific funds total about 50 million units. storage The division of the Museum’s collections, and then the Institute’s, into exhibition and stock collections was made more than a hundred years ago and continues to this day. The modern Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and its museum are one of the world's largest repositories of animals. The institute's scientific funds total about 50 million units. storage The division of the Museum’s collections, and then the Institute’s, into exhibition and stock collections was made more than a hundred years ago and continues to this day.

At first, the Museum occupied premises in the Museum wing of the academy. The rapid growth of the Museum's collections required new spacious premises. It was granted in 1893. The Museum, and subsequently the Institute, is still located in this building near the Palace Bridge.

The history of the building has many interesting pages that preceded the appearance of the Museum here. Remodeling it for the needs of the Museum, moving collections and creating a new exhibition required a lot of money and effort. Only 7 years later, on February 6/19, 1901, in the presence of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, numerous members of the reigning family and government officials, the Museum was reopened to visitors.

New collections were constantly arriving at the Museum. Replenishment came from three main sources - expeditions of Russian scientists, gifts from individuals from all over Russia and from abroad, and through purchases and exchanges. When placing the exhibition in the new building, much attention was paid to the creation of so-called biological groups - showcases where animals were shown in their natural environment. This museum innovation significantly increased the educational value of the exhibitions.

From the very first days of the Museum's existence to the present, a significant part of the incoming materials was made in the form of stuffed animals for the purpose of exhibiting them in the Museum. Wonderful masters of their craft worked on this, creating the St. Petersburg school of taxidermy, the leading one in Russia. Currently, the museum has its own taxidermy workshop.

The Zoological Museum is the largest center of zoological and environmental education in the North-West region of Russia. The excursions conducted by the Museum's staff of guides cover all modern problems of zoology and are designed for visitors of almost any age and background, from kindergarten children to students of specialized biological and medical institutes. About 500 thousand people visit the museum annually.

Museum exhibition Currently, the museum exhibition occupies most of the second floor of the vast building of the Zoological Institute, as well as the choirs in the first hall. The number of exhibits on display exceeds, and the total exhibition area is sq. m. Currently, the museum exhibition occupies most of the second floor of the vast building of the Zoological Institute, as well as the choir in the first hall. The number of exhibits on display exceeds, and the total exhibition area is sq. m. The main principle of building the exhibition is the demonstration of animals in accordance with a modern scientifically based system. It is complemented by displaying animals in a natural setting. The main principle of building the exhibition is to demonstrate animals in accordance with a modern scientifically based system. It is complemented by displaying animals in a natural setting. Biological groups and dioramas in the birds and mammals section demonstrate the inhabitants of the main biogeographic zones of Eurasia, and the invertebrates section reflects the diversity of natural zones of the World Ocean from tropical to subpolar regions. Biological groups and dioramas in the birds and mammals section demonstrate the inhabitants of the main biogeographic zones of Eurasia, and the invertebrates section reflects the diversity of natural zones of the World Ocean from tropical to subpolar regions. One of the museum's exhibitions is dedicated to the recent geological past of the Earth and demonstrates fossil animals - mammoths and mammoth fauna. One of the museum's exhibitions is dedicated to the recent geological past of the Earth and demonstrates fossil animals - mammoths and mammoth fauna.

The systematic collection of invertebrates contains many rare exhibits. One of these wonders is the longest giant “Sea Pen”, 2.6 m long, obtained by the drifting station “North Pole-6”. The museum has a collection of tridacna, among which there is the shell of the unique Rosewater tridacna (Fig.), described by the staff of our institute in 1991 and known only from one single place - the Sail de Malha Bank in the western Indian Ocean.

Insects This most numerous class of the animal world is represented by more than exhibits located in the choirs of the first hall of the Museum and representing all orders of insects. The collections of tropical butterflies, beetles and grasshoppers attract special attention from visitors with their bright colors and large sizes.

Fishes The collection of fishes and fishes is located in the first half of the second hall on the left side and in its center. There are 720 species of fish from the globe represented here. The collection of fish-like creatures and fishes is located in the first half of the second hall on the left side and in its center. There are 720 species of fish from the globe represented here. The collections of sharks, rays, sturgeon and salmon are especially well represented.

Amphibians and Reptiles Exhibits representing more than 500 species of these classes of vertebrates occupy the central part of the left side and middle of the second hall. Exhibits representing more than 500 species of these classes of vertebrates occupy the central part of the left side and middle of the second hall. Class Amphibians (amphibians) Representatives of this class are four-legged animals from the anamnia group, body temperature is variable, skin is bare, with a large number of glands. There are internal nostrils of the choanae. The middle ear has one auditory ossicle. The cervical and sacral spine are formed by one vertebra. Amphibians have a three-chambered heart with two circulation circles. Fertilization occurs in water, and the larvae also develop in water. The class accommodates about species. Orders of amphibians: Tailless (frog) Tailed (newt, salamander) Legless (caecilian) The habitat of amphibians is located on the border between water and land. Their skin is bare and moist with glands that secrete mucus. Mucus has bactericidal properties, and also contains irritating substances, which, due to their properties, repel amphibian predators. Constantly moisturizing the skin is necessary for breathing, since amphibians suffocate the entire surface. For example, the ratio of the lengths of capillaries of the skin and lungs in a newt is 4:1, and in a toad it is 1:3.

Reptiles Reptiles are terrestrial animals with variable body temperatures. Reptiles have a well-defined neck, dry skin with keratinized epidermis, and no glands. The thoracic spine contains ribs that form the rib cage. The cortex appears in the cerebral hemispheres. The heart is 3-chambered with an incomplete septum in the ventricle. The excretory organs are the pelvic kidneys. Fertilization is internal. The class contains about species. Subclasses of reptiles: Lizards (beak-headed) Scaly turtles Crocodiles General skeleton (crocodile) Komodo dragon

Birds The exhibition dedicated to birds is located in the last third of the second hall, and its entire right side and central part is occupied by biogroups showing the life of birds in a wide variety of conditions - in the European, Siberian and Far Eastern taiga, in the semi-desert and on the sea coast, in the tundra, in the mountains and on lakes. The exhibition dedicated to birds is located in the last third of the second hall, and its entire right side and central part is occupied by biogroups showing the life of birds in a wide variety of conditions - in the European, Siberian and Far Eastern taiga, in the semi-desert and on the sea coast, in the tundra, in mountains and lakes.

The systematic collection (left side of the hall) represents all existing orders of birds. Of particular interest here are the collections of birds of prey, waders, hummingbirds, parrots, woodpeckers, pigeons and passerines. Bird class Birds are warm-blooded animals adapted for flight. The forelimbs are modified into wings, the body is covered with feathers. The cerebellum and cerebral hemispheres are well developed, there is a cortex. The heart is 4-chambered, with a right aortic arch. The lungs are connected to the air sac system. Birds reproduce by laying eggs. The class contains about species. Superorders of birds: Keel-breasted Ratite Penguins The body shape of birds is streamlined, adapted for flight. Almost all systems are adapted for flight. The size of birds varies slightly. The largest flying birds are the condor (wingspan reaches 2.5 m), the smallest are hummingbirds (body length 5 cm). In our fauna, the smallest bird is the wren. Body coverings and their modifications: feathers are a modification of the epidermis. The feather is a horny hollow rod that has a fan (horny beards). This feather system ensures air impermeability of the bird's body cover, which allows it to rely on air. Feathers change regularly, and molting occurs between feeding periods.

Mammals Collections of mammals occupy part I and the entire III halls of the museum. In Hall I, skeletons and stuffed animals of cetaceans and pinnipeds are exhibited; the exhibition in Hall III presents the remaining orders of this class. There are also more than 90 biological groups showing animals in their natural habitat.

The exhibition of mammoth fauna, collections of Przhevalsky, Langsdorff, Voznesensky, as well as superbly executed biological groups of Amur tigers, saigas, giraffes and lions enjoy constant attention. Mammals are warm-blooded animals covered with hair. Mammals have a well-defined head with an external ear, neck, torso, and tail. The skin has sebaceous and sweat glands, the muscles are well differentiated. There is a diaphragm - a flat muscular partition between the lungs and other internal organs. The teeth are differentiated into incisors, canines and molars. The lungs have an alveolar structure. The heart is 4 chambered with a left aortic arch. Mammals give birth to live young, and females feed their offspring with their milk. Mammals are higher vertebrates. Signs of a complex organization: High development of the central nervous system and sensory organs, due to which they are distinguished by complex behavior. The heart is divided into left and right parts, which allows the arterial system to carry pure arterial blood. Females have a hollow organ called the uterus, which allows them to carry a baby for a long time and give birth to it alive. The presence of mammary glands allows them to feed their young after birth. Mammals are the pinnacle of the evolution of animal development, they are ubiquitous, the organ system works perfectly as a whole. The class contains about species. Subclasses: Oviparous (cloacal, monotreme) Marsupial Placental The size of mammals varies significantly. The smallest animal is the tiny shrew, body approximately 2 cm, weight 2.5 g. The largest mammal is the blue whale, whose body reaches 33 m and weighs 150 tons. Mammalian skin consists of epidermis and dermis, as well as subcutaneous fat.

Rare and endangered animals All sections of the exhibition feature so-called “Red Book” species, that is, those animals whose existence is currently under threat. All sections of the exhibition present the so-called “Red Book” species, that is, those animals whose existence is currently under threat. Some of them are included in the Red Book of the World, some - in national or regional Red Books.

Here are rare species of fish (Amu Darya and Syrdarya shovelnose), and the giant Japanese salamander, and the famous hatteria, the last surviving representative of the once vast order of beak-headed reptiles, the Japanese ibis and the Californian condor, Amur tigers, okapi and many others.

Extinct animals Exhibits representing extinct animals are unique because they will never be obtained again. Undoubtedly, the first place among them is occupied by the world-famous collection of our Museum, which includes the remains of mammoths and other animals of the mammoth fauna, preserved in the permafrost of the Eurasian North. Here you can see the world’s only stuffed adult mammoth (Berezovsky mammoth), mummies of two mammoths, heads of woolly rhinoceroses, limbs and skulls of ancient bison, horses, the skeleton of a cave bear...

There are different museums in Moscow. The Zoological attracts a large number of visitors every day. It will appeal to adults and children of all ages. It should be visited by everyone and tourists who come to admire the capital of Russia.

For nature lovers

The Zoological Museum in Moscow will not leave indifferent those visitors who love nature. Initially, upon opening (1791), this institution was given the name “Cabinet of Natural History”. Then it belonged to the Moscow Imperial University.

Ordinary citizens got the opportunity to visit the museum and get acquainted with its exhibitions in 1866, i.e. 75 years after its creation. In 1902, a complex of buildings was erected (designed by architect K.M. Bykovsky), of which the museum became a part. The buildings of the institutes (Botanical and Zoological), which were also built in this quarter after many years, were converted into buildings for the Faculty of Psychology of Moscow State University.

Exterior of the building

It is easy to notice that the design of the monumental building of the Zoological Museum contains classical motifs; the authors used three-dimensional images (bas-reliefs) on the walls as decorations. The Zoological Museum in Moscow attracted all tourists with its appearance. Photos of the establishment were used to design guidebooks and advertise the capital’s attractions.

After Soviet power was established in the country, the museum again changed its status; it was annexed to Moscow State University as one of the departments of the Faculty of Biology.

Finally, when radical transformations (perestroika) took place in the USSR, which ultimately led to its collapse, the museum also received the status of an independent institution - a research institute.

Exhibitions

Almost all representatives of the fauna are reflected in the museum’s exhibitions. At one time there were skeletons of fossil animals here, but one day a reasonable decision was made that it would be better to give them to the Paleontological Museum. Only the remains of a mammoth were left. The scientific and auxiliary fund of the museum has created excellent conditions for zoologists to work with stuffed animals and maintain these exhibits in good condition. Thanks to the efforts of the museum staff, the stuffed animals are almost indistinguishable from living wild animals in the natural environment. Among such a class of attractions as museums in Moscow, the Zoological Museum has a special status. Children and their parents love him.

A strict scientifically based system can be traced in the arrangement of exhibits, i.e. all of them are arranged and distributed in accordance with the classes and orders that exist in the animal world. The Lower, Upper and Bone halls of the museum contain the following zoological collections:

• The class of invertebrates and arachnids, which, in particular, are represented by interesting collections of mollusks and controversial spiders, totals 1.5 million specimens.
• The amazing butterflies are of interest. In total - about 4 million copies.
• Class amphibians and reptiles.
• A class of fish, the collection of which contains slightly fewer specimens than the similar one in the Academy of Sciences.
• Class of bird, the collection is in second place in the country in terms of number.
• Class mammals.

Mostly the exhibits - over 7 thousand - are concentrated in the display windows of the halls. There are a small number of specimens in the museum's reserves that are used exclusively for rental purposes, for example, they participate as characters in the filming of films or are shown at traveling exhibitions. The Zoological Museum in Moscow regularly replenishes its collections. That's why it's never boring there.

Educational excursions

Museum visitors have the opportunity to choose how best to familiarize themselves with the exhibits. Some of them slowly walk around and look at everything around, others decide that it is better to use the service of a guide. In the latter case, much more interesting information can be obtained. For some time now, visitors have been given the opportunity to capture what they see in photographs, although the lighting of the premises is not very conducive to this. The Darwin Museum has no less fascinating excursions, which are conducted in an interactive form; in addition, you can admire animal mummies. Museums in Moscow are developing rapidly.

The Zoological University offers many thematic excursions, most of which are designed for students. The information is not only interesting in itself. It can complement the educational material, including the courses “Birds of the forest, taiga”, “Fauna of Australia”, “Beasts of the Moscow region”. Primary school students listen with genuine interest to the guides’ stories on the topic “Animals in Kipling’s fairy tales.” Most children watched the cartoon "Mowgli" and read a book about this character.

The museum has a “Biolectorium”. The educational material will broaden the horizons of school students who study biology in depth. All school institutions try to encourage their students to visit museums in Moscow. Zoological is loved by biology and anatomy teachers.

Going to museums is not only an interesting time spent. It’s better to see stuffed animals with your own eyes once (the only pity is that you can’t pet them), to hear fascinating stories from the lips of a guide, than, for example, to look at pictures on monitors or TV screens many times.

Address of the Zoological Museum

According to statistics, over 200 thousand visitors manage to visit the museum every year. It is located at st. Bolshaya Nikitskaya, 6 (next to the Lermontov House-Museum and the Tsvetaeva House-Museum). To do this, you need to take the metro to the Lenin Library or Okhotny Ryad station. Then turn in the direction of Mokhovaya Street and walk just a block until Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street appears.

Be sure to visit this exhibition when you are in Moscow. Address (Museum "Zoological") - st. d.6. Ticket price: 50-250 rubles.

Do you know that in Moscow there is a house on which “our everything” - Pushkin, Gogol and Tolstoy - are depicted in an ambiguous and... um... frivolous environment? This house is known to many who walk the Arbat lanes, but few people peer at the crumbling bas-reliefs. I didn’t look closely until I learned interesting details.
House 4/5 on Plotnikov Lane was built for the homeowner G.E. Broido according to the design of the architect N.I. Zherikhov, in 1907. The author of the sculptures is presumably L. S. Sinaev-Bernstein.
According to one version, the sculptor was commissioned to display the frieze “Parnassus” for the Museum of Fine Arts on Volkhonka. It originally depicted a procession of 50 figures, including writers, artists and scientists from different countries. They were heading towards Apollo, who was distributing wreaths of glory. Among them were Russian writers, depicted in ancient clothes, in the arms of muses (for example, in the top photo, apparently, Pushkin and Gogol looking at him condemningly). However, the sculptural composition was rejected by the customer, who considered it too frivolous, and somehow some of the figures ended up on an apartment building in Plotnikov Lane.
According to another version, before the revolution the building was a brothel, and writers were frequent guests of the establishment.
A reliable fact is that today the bas-reliefs are in terrible condition, they are gradually being destroyed, and some of the figures are so sad to look at that I did not post photos.
So let's see while there's still something to be had. And at the same time - another unusual building opposite the “house with bas-reliefs” and several atmospheric autumn photos from Gagarinsky Lane.

Oh, these Arbat lanes... On the way to the house in Plotnikovo

General view from Plotnikov Lane

General view of the figures from Maly Mogiltsevsky Lane

An ordinary house above Leo Tolstoy (by the way, it is believed that this is his first lifetime sculptural image) is an ordinary balcony.

Leo Tolstoy hugs Pushkin

The figures are repeated, here is another Gogol

Who is there to the right of Tolstoy??

A copy of the composition from the top photo - but on another wall of the building

And on the other side of Plotnikov Lane there is such a charming mansion (this is the side facing Glazovsky Lane). I thought it was a well-restored Art Nouveau, but it turned out that the date of construction was the second decade of the 21st century. This is a five-apartment PlotnikoFF club house, the construction of which was recently completed. Well, I think the stylization is not bad...

And just a few autumn photos from Gagarinsky Lane. I managed to photograph the last good days...

By Decree of the President of the RSFSR dated December 18, 1991 N 294, the museum was declared a particularly valuable object of cultural heritage of the country

Television program (Russia, 2007).
Director Evgeny Khmelev.
Artistic director Lev Nikolaev.

Olesya Semenova
“The façade of the Polytechnic Museum is beautiful...”
(in abbreviation, in full - according to the title-link)
"Our Heritage" No. 99 2011

A museum building is not just the “outer shell of an institution,” it is its face, which reflects individual characteristics and distinguishes it from many other similar institutions; it begins the visitor’s contact with the museum; it in itself is the most important exhibit, especially in a museum like the Polytechnic.

The central facade of the Polytechnic Museum with the southern and northern wings. Drawing by I.A. Monighetti.
Archives of the Polytechnic Museum

The Polytechnic building is one of the notable buildings in the very center of Moscow, is an architectural monument, and is mentioned in many architectural dictionaries, reference books, monographs, including in connection with the names of the architects who took part in its design or construction.

Even before the opening of the Polytechnic Exhibition, the IOLEAiE Committee (Imperial Society of Lovers of Natural History, Anthropology and Ethnography) considered some options for locating the future museum: on the site of the former Mining Administration building on Vozdvizhenka, on the university courtyard opposite the Manege, on Theater Square.

The resolution of the issue accelerated when it was submitted for discussion to the Moscow Duma. According to the Duma commission, “the area intended for such an institution as a museum must meet two conditions: firstly, it should not be remote from the city center for the convenience of visiting it by the public, and secondly, it should be extensive enough for possibilities for expanding the museum in the future...". Lubyanka Square, “having a significant extent and close to the central parts of the city,” was proposed as such an area.

On February 8, 1872, a decision was made to gratuitously cede the territory on Lubyanka Square necessary for the construction of the building. It was also decided to allocate from the state treasury from 400 to 500 thousand rubles for the future museum.

Initially, the idea of ​​a monumental, multi-story building that could constantly grow and expand, and in its architecture and style would serve as a decoration of the capital, a monument to the century, seemed attractive. Then, based on the proposal of the President of IOLEAiE, Professor A.P. Bogdanov, it was decided to divide the museum fund into two parts, and for the natural history part, to arrange pavilions in the first Alexander Garden. The museum organization committee managed to obtain the territory in the Alexander Gardens at its disposal; designs for buildings were drawn up for the zoological, agricultural and other “natural” departments of the museum, but a lack of funds did not allow these plans to be implemented. In 1897, the museum returned the territory in the Alexander Garden to the Palace Department.

On June 10, 1874, the Moscow City Duma transferred to the Committee 2504 square fathoms of land along the stone wall of Kitay-Gorod, between Lubyanka Square and the Ilyinsky Gate. Thus, the question regarding the location for the future museum building was resolved.

Due to problems, primarily with financing, construction took place in three stages. The volumetric-spatial structure of the building was formed over thirty years.

The central building of the museum. Photograph from the late 19th century.
Archives of the Polytechnic Museum

In 1877, the central building was built, ten years later the construction of the southern wing began, and thirty-three years after the start of construction, work on the construction of the right wing was completed.

South facade of the museum. View from Ilyinskaya Square. Lithograph of the early twentieth century.
Archives of the Polytechnic Museum

As a result, while the general compositional solution of the building was preserved, adopted in the original project of I.A. Monighetti, during the construction process stylistic changes arose in the execution of its component parts. The right side of the building, built in the same seemingly “Russian style” traditions, acquires new features - the compositional elements of the facade are “stretched”, decorative elements are reduced, and the floor levels are shifted. The left part is a striking example of the Art Nouveau style in its national version. The asymmetrical composition of the side facades emphasizes the dominant importance of the central building, and the three-part northern facade with a protruding attic reveals the dominant position of the Polytechnic in relation to the surrounding buildings and adequately closes Lubyanka Square from the south.

On September 9 (September 22, new style), 1904, a short message flashed in the newspaper that “... the foundation stone of the left wing of the Polytechnic Museum building, erected by engineer G.I. Makaev, took place...” with a large audience. In addition to the Bolshoi premises, on the third floor there were two more isolated classrooms for 200 people, the so-called “Small Audiences,” as well as chemical and physical laboratories. On the top floor there was a meteorological station. A physiological greenhouse was placed in a glass lantern on the roof. All this is “for the organization of educational lectures.” Construction lasted until 1908. According to G.E. Medvedeva, other buildings in which “a genuine laboratory with a fully assembled furnishing complex” would be preserved<имеется в виду лаборатория при химической аудитории XIX века, где готовились демонстрационные реактивы и приборы>, - are not known to us"

A two-story auditorium, equipped with a ventilation system, covered with a flat ceiling without a single intermediate support, with a light lantern in the center, was built according to the design and under the supervision of engineer A.A. Semenov, and the creation was immediately praised. Although the basic engineering and architectural plan conceived by the author of the project has remained the same to this day, since 1948 the interiors of the Great Auditorium have been constantly changing. Previously, instead of the current chairs, there were birch benches; on the stage, behind the lecturer's podium, there was a glass chamber (fume hood) for chemical experiments, and above it a table depicting Mendeleev's Periodic Table of Elements. In the center of the ceiling there was a glazed space measuring 8 x 4 meters, through which daylight fell. The total area of ​​the Auditorium was 122.8 square fathoms, it had 842 numbered and 60 unnumbered seats. The cost of complete equipment was 50,000 rubles. The first lecture was given on October 11, 1907 by the People's University Society.

Listeners immediately appreciated the impeccable acoustics, the calculations of which were carried out by A.A. Semenov. Professor D.N. Anuchin noted in a report for 1910 that “the new Great Auditorium of the Polytechnic Museum is the best auditorium in Moscow.” The Committee of the Polytechnic Museum decided in honor of the authors of the project to place a memorial plaque in the auditorium with the inscription: “The auditorium was built in 1907-1908 according to the design and under the supervision of engineer Anatoly Aleksandrovich Semenov, with the close cooperation of the architect I.P. Mashkov, Z.I. Ivanov and communications engineer N.A. Alekseev.” For his work on the construction of the Great Auditorium of the Polytechnic Museum, he was awarded the rank of Actual State Councilor. Semenov also headed the specially created Commission of the Polytechnic Museum, which monitored the construction of the left wing.

Alas, neither this memorial plaque nor the memory of Actual State Councilor Semenov has been preserved. Meanwhile, the contribution of this military engineer to the creation of the Polytechnic Museum and, as we will see later, the museum business in Moscow in general is enormous.

The names of architects are usually indicated in guidebooks and specialized literature, but the engineers who created architectural monuments along with them are not always remembered. Alexey Semenov(1841-1917) was born in the Vyatka province, first studied at the Konstantinovsky Military School, then completed a first-class course at the Nikolaev Engineering Academy, and later worked in the engineering department of the Moscow Military District. During the first seven years, he received three awards: the Order of St. Stanislaus, 3rd and 2nd degrees, and the Order of St. Anne, 3rd class. In the summer of 1871, he retired and took part in organizing the Sevastopol department of the Polytechnic Exhibition. Memories of the Crimean War of 1853-1856 were then fresh, and the idea arose “to present as complete a picture as possible of the glorious defense of Sevastopol, both in combat and in military-sanitary terms, and thereby spread among the people a correct understanding of that memorable era.” The pavilion of the Sevastopol department was not inferior to the Marine one and was located in the Kremlin on the square in front of the Nikolaevsky Palace. Back in December 1871, the main organizer of the department, N.I. Chepelevsky, put forward the idea of ​​​​creating a permanent repository for the materials collected for the Sevastopol department - the Russian National Museum: “This temple, erected for the glory of the centuries-old life of the Russian people,” he wrote in a report presented to the Tsarevich, “I must collect together from all over the Russian land the treasured shrines of the people, monuments and documents of the entire Russian state, depict in images and paintings the names of great ascetics and figures and the most remarkable events.” And already on February 9, 1872, the emperor ordered the construction of one in Moscow, which became the Historical Museum. Architect V.O. Sherwood, according to whose design the building was erected, took A.A. Semenov as a co-author “on the technical side.” Sherwood believed that “the moment of clear national consciousness is coming, and our entire future depends on this moment. The people need a clearly embodied image of their own feelings, they need an ideal to strive for.” The building of the Historical Museum had to meet this historical need. “We need to build in Russia the Russian way!”

A.A. Semenov actively participated in this construction. His later works: the temple in the name of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk in Sokolnichiya Grove (1875, reconstruction; the original unpreserved design of P.P. Zykov); Petrovsko-Alexandrovsky boarding house-shelter for the nobility (since 1945 - N.N. Burdenko Research Institute of Neurosurgery); a residential building (ibid.) for doctors and teachers with an infirmary; the main building (ibid.) with a temple in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (all these buildings are from the early 1900s) and many others.

In addition to the block of premises belonging to the Great Auditorium (entrance, lobby, stairs, “locker rooms”), the entire remaining area of ​​the wing was occupied by retail premises. Along the transverse axis connecting Bolshoy Lubyansky and Kitaisky passages, a two-story passage was built, that is, display cases and windows of the first and mezzanine floors overlooked it. There was free access from the passage to both passages. However, according to the terms of development of the entire building complex, the basement, first and mezzanine floors were rented out for retail space.

Northern façade of the Polytechnic Museum

The street facades of the Polytechnic Museum have retained their original decor and have survived to this day only with minor changes due to the liquidation of retail premises.

Detail of the central façade

Soviet-era lanterns that fit into the appearance of the northern façade

Initial studies of the color scheme of the facades showed that they were not monochrome as they are today, and the wall surfaces were a combination of white and ocher colors. Experts believe that a more complex coloring, characteristic of both the Art Nouveau and eclectic eras, is also possible. On the façade of the northern wing, in three archivolts, monumental painting, damaged by time, but strengthened and preserved, is visible. Researchers attribute its preliminary design to the architect Prince G.I. Makaev, who, simultaneously with the design, founded a foundation with whose funds the wing was built.

Fresco triptych in the archivolts of the northern façade

The triptych was made using the fresco technique, which, generally speaking, is characteristic of the Art Nouveau era, but was not adopted in Moscow: here majolica was more often used in facades. So the fresco on the facade of the northern wing of the Polytechnic is a rare monument.

Watercolor sketches of these frescoes without the author's signature are kept in the department of written sources of the Polytechnic Museum. They symbolize the poetics of human labor in the images of a peasant plowing a field and two workers in a forge, as well as knowledge, which is personified by a book in the hands of a child in a family group against the backdrop of the rays of the rising sun. With a certain probability, it can be argued that the artist Ilya Pavlovich Mashkov, brother of the architect Ivan Pavlovich Mashkov, who participated in the design of the Great Auditorium, took part in the creation of the frescoes.

The main staircase occupies an important place in the interior decoration of the museum. Initially, it “was supposed to consist of four marches leading only to the 1st floor<аж>, and from 2 floor<ажа>there are two special stairs to the top one, but due to unforeseen circumstances this staircase was replaced by a more luxurious one, but not very comfortable for walking.” Today, only a sketch of the lamps of the main staircase with Shokhin’s autograph and a section of the staircase, signed by him, have been preserved, but not a single signed drawing could be found. The main staircase is decorated with decorative elements symbolizing ancient Russian forms.

Gypsum balusters of the main staircase

The architectural and decorative design of the central building has been preserved in the lobbies; in the exhibition halls, the walls and ceilings are decorated with profiled rods, geometric stucco ornaments, and stucco lampshades.

Interiors of the museum halls

There is a system of various vaults; semi-circular at the top, two- and four-leaf doors with original ornamentation in the panels and brass handles; stairs with cast iron balusters of complex shape; figured stair railings; cast iron steps and railings of spiral staircases; flooring (tiles, parquet, metal plates, metlakh tiles); tiled stoves; furniture; mirrors The interiors of the Polytechnic Museum suffered the most damage in areas not used for museum purposes. “When clearing the walls under 20-25 layers of paint, the original finish was discovered - gypsum plaster, which has a specific impregnation, making it look like artificial marble. Very finely graded colors were applied on top of it. Such a painting system remains to be studied. As for the stairs themselves, the first clearing of the handrails showed the presence of artificial marble here.”

Not only the unique collections that visitors see, but also almost all the elements that form the interior spaces of the museum - walls, floors, stairs, lampshades, lamps - are original exhibits. And even if, as a result of the upcoming reconstruction of the museum, for reasons of natural disrepair they cannot be preserved in their places, their samples can be included in the stock of the now, alas, non-existent, but former in the early twentieth century, Architectural Department of the museum.

Architectural department of the museum. Photography from the late 20th century.
Archives of the Polytechnic Museum

In addition to the well-known ones, the Polytechnic Museum has many internal staircases that are inaccessible to visitors, and all of them are different from each other. For example, near the stairs in the basement, even the simplest flights are monumental: painted casting, dolomite steps, columns with cubic capitals - these are stylistic Russian-Byzantine elements running through many rooms of the museum.

Railings and balusters of painted cast iron of the museum staircase

Unique plaster floor lamps for the main staircase

Until very recently, the floor lamps of the main staircase were painted with white paint, which is familiar to modern visitors. Today they appear in colorful attire appropriate to the style, just as restorers believe they were intended to be. Research has shown that the floor lamps are made of plaster, which is unprecedented for objects of decorative and applied art of the late 19th century.

The interiors retain original glass shades; ceramic and parquet floors, split oak. There are also rare elements from the Soviet period, quite successfully integrated into the historical interiors.

For a long time, due attention was not paid to the building of the Polytechnic Museum. It was only in the late 1990s that it was included in the list of newly identified cultural heritage sites. “The Polytechnic is a contemporary of the Historical Museum. But if the latter’s building is generally recognized as a unique architectural monument of federal significance, then, as for the Polytechnic, only its Great Auditorium has federal monument status.”

Large auditorium of the Polytechnic Museum

The Polytechnic Museum is one of the first public buildings in Russia, the interior and exterior decoration of which was made in the Russian style. He opened a whole series of buildings of this kind in the center of Moscow. “The Architect’s Companion to Moscow” for 1895 reported: “One can hope that the revival of Russian architecture, begun by Moscow, will continue and gradually progress; the first of the public buildings built in the Russian style are the Polytechnic and Historical museums, later the Korsha and Paradise theaters, the City Duma, the Upper and Middle city shopping arcades.”

I would like to quote the completely fair words of I.P. Mashkov regarding the architecture of the capital of the last decades of the 19th century: “During the period under review, Moscow significantly changed its physiognomy, due to the many new buildings that appeared, both public and private. In this relatively short time, some parts of the city became completely unrecognizable; By the way, several grandiose buildings have appeared, which, in terms of their significance and size, are among the outstanding buildings in Europe.”

One of them - the building of the Polytechnic Museum on Lubyanka Square - and these days visibly testifies to the talent and high professionalism of domestic architects who, at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries, managed to decorate the ancient city with a beautiful architectural monument that requires from us, people of the 21st century, care and attention.

PS:
In the next six years, the museum building is planned to be significantly rebuilt. It will be taken on by Japanese architect Junio ​​Ishigami, who won the design competition in October last year.
More details - Cultured place
"Arguments of the week", 05.04.2012