Russian State Historical Museum. Emperors

AND Historical Museum. It is these four buildings that surround main street Russia. And the museum can be considered the main entrance to Red Square. It is no coincidence that it is from this side that foot troops and heavy equipment come out during the annual May 9 Parade.

The Historical Museum is rightfully considered to have the richest collection of exhibits not only in Russia. Just think about it - 4 thousand square meters, more than 20 thousand permanent exhibits and 5 million items in the museum collections. It is not surprising that the Historical Museum, even for those who visit it regularly, each time opens from a new, previously unknown side.

And by the way, it’s not just the interior spaces and exhibition halls that look attractive. The building itself is a work architectural art. It is no coincidence that it is included in the list of World Heritage Sites. cultural heritage UNESCO.

History of the museum's creation

The idea of ​​founding the Historical Museum was born in 1872. And the initiator of its construction was Emperor Alexander II himself. The first exhibits were military trophies accumulated after Crimean War. The sovereign, thus, wanted to perpetuate the memory of the glorious past. it was decided to build it near Red Square. Before this, the Zemstvo Prikaz was located here - in a modern manner it can be called the Ministry of Regional Development).

A competition was announced among architects. The main condition is that the building had to be maintained in general style, which by that time had already developed around Red Square. The winners were V. Sherwood and A. Semenov, although the former subsequently refused to complete the project. And at the final stage, the construction of the museum was led by Alexander Popov. The construction of the building lasted almost 6 years - from 1875 to 1881. It took another two years to decorate the interior and fill the exhibition with exhibits. And thus, the date when the Moscow Historical Museum first opened its doors to visitors was May 27, 1883.

After the Revolution, there was a serious danger of looting the exhibits of the Historical Museum. But among the Bolsheviks there were connoisseurs high art and antiques. The exhibits were taken under the protection of the People's Commissariat, and even plans arose for further expansion of the collection. Thus, in the period 1922-1934, objects that were previously in St. Basil's Cathedral, and a number of churches and small storage facilities were added to the exhibition.

True, the communist era did not pass without a trace. Firstly, some of the images were painted over or destroyed as propaganda. decorative finishing, since it symbolized the royal system. For example, the Bolsheviks dismantled beautiful sculptures of lions, unicorns and, of course, double headed eagles, which decorated the façade of the building.

The modern history of the Museum is connected primarily with large-scale reconstruction, because of which visitors could not see the collection for 11 years (1986-1997). But as a reward for your patience, you can now see the building as it was originally intended. Thus, the spiers of the towers are again crowned with gilded sculptures of lions and eagles. Of course, these are not the same ones that “disappeared” in Soviet time, but their exact copies.

And inside the Historical Museum now looks like a real royal palace. Suffice it to mention that the main entrance is a huge “Family tree of Russian sovereigns”, on which portraits of 68 tsars, emperors and grand dukes are presented in gilded frames. As for the rest of the collection, for better perception it is divided into 39 rooms, and each tells about a specific era of the country’s development. And among the most valuable exhibits It is worth highlighting - an 8-meter boat made with stone axes back in the prehistoric era, knightly armor from the time of Alexander Nevsky, the icon of “Our Lady of Kazan”, the globe of Peter the Great and his ceremonial doublet.

In 2017 State historical Museum celebrates the 145th anniversary of its founding. On February 9, 1872, Emperor Alexander II decided to create a museum in Moscow national history Russia. To this memorable date was prepared for the Historical Museum official video, which was filmed creative Group Media 1 company from St. Petersburg.

The museum's funds grew rapidly due to gifts from monasteries and libraries, various institutes, universities and publishing houses. Members of famous noble families They also acted as patrons of the arts, donating their most valuable collections to the Historical Museum. The museum is rightfully proud of the Golitsyn library, numbering more than 9,000 volumes on the history of Russia, and the Chertkov collection, which contains more than 300 ancient manuscripts, in particular, the famous correspondence of Ivan the Terrible with Andrei Kurbsky. In addition, the Chertkov family donated one of the best collections of Russian coins in the country to the museum. Other representatives of the nobility also made valuable contributions: the Bobrinskys, Obolenskys, Kropotkins, Uvarovs, Masalskys donated their collections of things related to Russian history to the museum.

It is impossible not to mention the precious deposits of the merchants. The Bakhrushins, Burylins, Sapozhnikovs, and Postnikovs donated more than 300,000 various exhibits to the State Historical Museum. Among them were Russian icons, ancient manuscripts, fabrics and furniture, as well as decorative items. applied arts.

One of the most valuable contributions was the collection of the famous merchant, collector and philanthropist Pyotr Ivanovich Shchukin. He was the founder of the private museum of Russian Antiquities. Over time, the collection grew so large that it became cramped even in a building specially built for it. In 1905, Shchukin donated it to the Historical Museum. Until the end of his life, he was the custodian of his own museum, which was called the “Department of the Imperial Russian Historical Museum named after the Emperor.” Alexandra III- Museum of P.I. Shchukin."

Alexander Andreevich Catoire de Bioncourt, leader of the nobility Nizhny Novgorod, donated his collection of hunting weapons and pistols, merchant Vakhrameev - books and manuscripts, representative famous family Dashkovs - works of art. In short, people from all walks of life Russian society considered it their duty to replenish the museum’s collection.

Anna Grigorievna Dostoevskaya, the writer's widow, being an honorary member of the Historical Museum since 1906, donated the archives of her late husband, books and photographs, letters, as well as some things. The writer’s room was recreated in the museum, called the “Museum of Memory of F.M. Dostoevsky."

After the revolution, the funds were replenished from disbanded museums, such as the Rumyantsev Museum, the Military History Museum, “Old Moscow,” as well as from the State Museum Fund, which accumulated items from private collections. A collection of manuscripts from the Moscow Diocesan Library and a collection of church utensils and fabrics from the Olovyashnikovs’ store were transferred for storage.

The exhibition dedicated to ancient times, from the Stone Age to the Russian Middle Ages. Soviet archaeologists and paleontologists who carried out excavations in the country donated the material they found to the museum.

After the Central Lenin Museum was liquidated in 1993, its exhibition also took place in the Historical Museum.

The State Historical Museum conducts important scientific and research activities. Its exposition and funds are an invaluable source for artists, historians, restorers, scientists, cultural experts, costume and furniture researchers.

Museum building

The museum's large and representative exposition required a special building. For its construction, Moscow city ​​council donated a plot of land on Red Square to the city.

The foundation of the building took place in 1875.

As a result of the competition, the project of the architect V.O. won. Sherwood and engineer A.A. Semenov. The red brick building fits perfectly into the ensemble of Red Square, stylistically echoing the ensemble of the Moscow Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral.

It must be said that even at the design stage the main idea of ​​the exhibition was developed - this is the merit of historians and museum managers Uvarov and Zabelin. Each hall was designed taking into account the exhibits that will be located in it. In interior decoration, painting and creation decorative elements Great Russian artists took part - Aivazovsky and Vasnetsov, Serov and Korovin.

In 1936, it was decided to destroy the halls dedicated to pre-revolutionary period. The paintings were painted over, the stucco was chipped off, and the gilding was removed. For more than 15 years, starting in 1986, the museum underwent a comprehensive restoration, and now its interiors have been recreated in their original form.

State Historical Museum. This publication is intended primarily for Moscow guides and translators. We do not aim to talk in detail about all the exhibits of the museum. Sightseeing tour does not require this. We will try to identify the most important milestones national history before late XIX century, give brief description the most significant and striking exhibits of the collection and help guides-translators independently prepare for a tour of the main building of the museum.

Collection of the State Historical Museum (GIM)
The front porch of the museum
Tree of Russian sovereigns

History of the creation of the State Historical Museum (GIM)

The year the museum was founded is 1872. This year the 200th anniversary of the birth of Peter I was celebrated. numerous exhibitions, dedicated to the historical event, and the intelligentsia of Moscow turned to Emperor Alexander II with a letter of request to create a museum. The emperor’s resolution of May 19, 1872 sounded “therefore,” and it laid the foundation for the museum.

In 1873, the Moscow City Duma allocated a plot of land on the site where several buildings stood, including the former Aptekarsky Prikaz. Previously, Moscow University was located on this site. One of the memorial plaques on the museum recalls the old university building.

A competition was announced for best project museum. The design of the architect Vladimir Sherwood won.

On the weather vane decorating the State Historical Museum building, the date is visible - 1875 - this is the date of completion of the building’s construction.

The museum opened in 1883, the celebrations coincided with the coronation of Alexander III.

Formally, the first visitors to the museum were the imperial couple - Alexander III and his wife Maria Feodorovna.

During Soviet times, the interior of the Front Entrance underwent changes. There are no paintings left here. Herbal ornaments and the portraits of the sovereigns were painted over, plastered and whitewashed. At the end of the last century, for 11 years, from 1986 to 1997, the museum was closed for restoration. Restorers returned the interiors to their original appearance.

Collection of the State Historical Museum (GIM)

The museum and its collections store several million objects (by the end of the twentieth century - about 5 million) and 14.5 million documents. The museum ranks second in the world in terms of the number of exhibits. Only in British Museum more “storage units”. The collection of paintings of the State Historical Museum is 3 times larger than the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery. The museum fund of the State Historical Museum makes up 1/15 of all museum funds of the Russian Federation.
The exhibits of the State Historical Museum also allow us to trace the history of neighboring states, because the museum was created during the times of the Russian Empire, when its territory was much larger than the current Russian Federation.
The museum displays about 22 thousand objects on 4 thousand square meters. To get around the museum's exhibition, you need to take more than 4 thousand steps, which is about 3 km. This is the scale of the museum in numbers. If you spend about a minute examining each exhibit, then in total you will need about 360 hours of time, and this is only 0.5% of museum collections. 🙂

The front entrance of the museum.

Previously, the main entrance to the museum was from Red Square.

Now this door is not used, but since inside Its buildings are decorated with a magnificent wooden portal.

Previously, when the door was opened, one could see from the museum lobby.

Since the main entrance to the museum was on the other side, main staircase two lions with heraldic shields are installed.

On one shield is the monogram of Emperor Alexander II,

on the other - Alexander III.

The shape of the vestibule follows the three-nave temple - two rows of columns separate the central nave from the side ones.

The building is decorated in Russian style, all details of the interior decoration are copied from famous ancient Russian monuments.
The walls are decorated with floral and herbal patterns, reminiscent of the decoration style royal palace or boyar chambers of the 17th century.


Under the ceiling on the walls are the coats of arms of the Russian territories that were part of Russian Empire at the time of the reign of Alexander III (In 1914 - 78 provinces, 21 regions and 2 independent districts). Each province had its own coat of arms, which are placed here. Here are pictures of just a few.

Tree of Russian sovereigns. (State Historical Museum)

The most spectacular design element of the front entrance hall is on the vault - this is the tree of Russian sovereigns.

The tree is not entirely chronological; it is adapted to the size of the Front Entrance. The vault depicts the great princes, kings and emperors, that is, the rulers of two dynasties, the Rurikovichs and the Romanovs.

Rurikovich. Grand Dukes. (State Historical Museum)

In total, the tree includes 68 portraits. The most important sovereigns form the trunk of the tree; they are depicted on the central axis. The tree begins with Vladimir the Red Sun in a red robe and Princess Olga, she is depicted in a blue cloak.

Then they are easy to remember; the grandson follows the grandfather. Those sovereigns were placed during whose reign they fell key events history of the Russian state. GIM methodologists advise looking at the tree in the illustration so as not to raise your head and check the numbers and inscriptions on the diagram. For me miniature copy the tree of the Russian sovereigns (located next to the tent of the old entrance to the museum) seemed of little interest.

I would prefer to show images from the balcony of the Main Entrance, this is the best vantage point.
Let us briefly outline the actions of the rulers depicted on the tree.

Duchess Olga became the first Christian ruler in Rus', which was still pagan at that time. During the reign of her grandson, Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir Rus' adopted Christianity. Both of them are canonized.
The brothers stand a little further down, Princes Boris and Gleb- passion-bearers and martyrs, innocently killed in the 11th century. They were canonized before Olga and Vladimir, they became the first Russian saints.


Above Olga and Vladimir - Prince Yaroslav the Wise in a red cloak and a light green long robe, holding a model of a temple in his hand.

He ruled in the 11th century and is considered the enlightener of Rus'. He built many temples, libraries and schools arose under him, in which even girls from noble families were taught. He went down in history as the creator of the first Russian collection of laws called “Russian Truth”. It is believed that during the time of Yaroslav the Wise, a long and hard way formation of Russian statehood. During the years of his reign, the state flourished; Rus' was recognized by the rulers of the neighboring lands. His first wife was the Norwegian Princess Anna, the second was the Swedish Princess Ingegerda (baptized Irina). The prince married his daughters to the Norwegian (Elizabeth), Hungarian (Anastasia) and French (Anna) kings. Anne, Queen of France, is considered the most famous of his daughters. She was the wife of the French king Henry I and for some time served as regent for her son, the heir to the throne. The sons of Yaroslav the Wise were also married to foreign princesses.

He lived in the 12th century. This was the time of the collapse of Rus' into appanage principalities. One of them was the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality. Vsevolod Yuryevich was the first independent ruler of this principality. Most likely, he did not lay claim to the Kiev throne; he was engaged in the arrangement of his state, on the territory of which a small fortress appeared - Moscow, which would later become the capital of the new state.

Next - Prince Alexander Yaroslavich, nicknamed Nevsky.

XIII century – scary time for Rus'. This is the time of protecting Russian lands from foreign conquerors. From the northwest we were attacked by the Swedes and the Teutonic Order (dog knights). From the southeast came the “destruction of the Russian Land” - the Mongol-Tatar invasion. Alexander Yaroslavich was canonized for defending the interests of the Orthodox faith in the Horde and achieving discoveries in the cities of the Golden Horde Orthodox churches for Russian prisoners.

Next figure - Prince Ivan Danilovich Kalita, the first of the princes who began to rebuild his small Moscow principality and make it an independent strong state.

It was under Ivan Danilovich that Moscow transformed from an appanage principality into a strong center that was able to fight for power with Vladimir, Suzdal, Tver and other large city-principalities.

Next figure - Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy, XIV century.

Main historical event period of his reign - the battle on the Kulikovo field, when for the first time in history Russian army defeated the Mongol-Tatars. Important historical meaning The Battle of Kulikovo is that the victory over the Tatar army made a psychological turning point in the minds of people, which allowed them to continue the fight against the Horde.

Next figure - Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich IV the Terrible.

Tsars. (State Historical Museum)

In 1547, for the first time in the history of Russian lands, he took the title of Tsar. By this time, a new state already existed on the map of Europe - Muscovy. This kingdom was formed at the end of the 15th century, under Prince Ivan III, the first sovereign of All Rus', but it was Ivan IV who was crowned king for the first time and officially awarded himself the royal title.
On the same line with Ivan Vasilyevich IV is a portrait of his grandfather, Ivan Vasilyevich III. We will find his image second to the left of the Terrible Tsar.

To the right of Tsar Ivan the Terrible is a portrait of his first wife, Anastasia Romanovna Zakharyina Yuryeva.

Romanovs. (State Historical Museum)

Popularly elected to the Russian throne in 1613. His election to the throne ended the most difficult period of Russian history - the Time of Troubles.

Emperors. (State Historical Museum)

Under him, Russia makes a new turn - Europeanization begins, the transformation of Russia not just into a large state, but into an authoritative European empire.

In the second half of the 19th century, under Alexander II, the most important reforms were carried out, the main of which was the abolition of serfdom. Other reforms of Alexander Nikolaevich are judicial, military, and education reform. This period was called the “great reforms”. Although the fate of the emperor himself was sad - he died at the hands of populist terrorists.
To the left of Emperor Alexander Nikolaevich is a portrait of Catherine II, and to the right of Maria Alekseevna is an image of Paul I.






The tree is ending portraits of Emperor Alexander III and his wife Maria Feodorovna.

The era of Alexander III was a time of a very powerful economic breakthrough in Russia. But at the same time, all liberal reforms were curtailed and the political opposition was suppressed.

Historical Museum in Moscow (Moscow, Russia) - exhibitions, opening hours, address, phone numbers, official website.

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Operating mode:

Main building of the museum, Museum Patriotic War 1812 and Exhibition complex: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday - from 10:00 - 18:00, Friday, Saturday - from 10:00 - 21:00. Closed on Tuesday.

New showroom: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday - from 10:00 - 19:00, Friday, Saturday - from 10:00 - 21:00. Closed on Tuesday.

Cost: 400 RUB, students and pensioners 150 RUB, family ticket (for two adults and two children under 18 years old) 600 RUB. Children under 16 years of age have the right to visit the museum for free.

Branches of the Historical Museum

• Intercession Cathedral (is integral part St. Basil's Cathedral) - The central church of the Cathedral is not available for inspection due to restoration work. Cost: 500 RUB, students, pensioners - 150 RUB
• Chambers of the Romanov Boyars; Address: st. Varvarka, 10; Opening hours: Every day - from 10:00 - 18:00, on Wednesday from 11:00 - 19:00, closed on Tuesday. Cost: 400 RUB, students, pensioners - 150 RUB, children under 16 years old - free
• Exhibition complex; address: Revolution Square, 2/3; prices vary depending on the exhibition
• Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812; address: pl. Revolutions, 2/3; cost of visit: 350 RUB, reduced price 150 RUB

Prices on the page are for October 2018.

State Historical Museum July 30th, 2013

You probably noticed yesterday that I was not at the blog console. Several posts came out automatically. And I needed to go to Moscow. So, I had a couple of hours left there, so I ran into the State Historical Museum. I haven't been for a long time. Interior decoration of course not the Hermitage, the exhibition is of course large and small. You need to read it carefully and carefully. And I mostly trained and experimented in shooting in dimly lit rooms.

I'll show those who have never been there at least general atmosphere museum. Who is interested in details about each showcase? . Along the way, I’ll introduce you a little to the history of the museum.

Come with me and take a walk around the museum.

STATE HISTORICAL MUSEUM– the largest national historical museum of Russia, the collections of which most fully reflect its centuries-old history and culture from ancient times to the present day. Its collections, which have been formed for almost a century and a half, number about 5 million museum objects and 14 million sheets of documentary materials, this is 1/12 of the State Museum Fund of the Russian Federation.

The decision to create the Historical Museum was made by Russian Emperor Alexander II in February 1872. In January 1873, the “General Foundations of the Museum” were approved, which formulated the main goal - “to serve as a visual history”, for which “all monuments will be collected significant events history of the Russian state." The first museum charter, compiled by Count A.S. Uvarov, was approved in August 1874.

In May 1881, the museum was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance, acquired the status of a government institution and received a new titular name - the Imperial Russian Historical Museum. He was appointed honorary chairman Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, A.S. became a friend of the chairman (de facto director). Uvarov, since 1885 – I.E. Zabelin. Since December 1882, by decision of Alexander III, the museum was transferred to the Ministry of Public Education. The museum opened to visitors in early June 1883, immediately after the coronation of Emperor Alexander III. The last honorary chairman of the museum was Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich.

Since then, the museum has been renamed more than once: from May 1895 the museum began to be called the Imperial Russian Historical Museum named after Emperor Alexander III in Moscow, from November 1917 - the State Russian Historical Museum, from 1925 - the State Historical Museum.

The museum building is a unique historical, architectural and museum monument. In April 1874, the Moscow City Duma donated a plot of land on Red Square for the construction of the future museum. The foundation stone for the building took place in August 1875 with the participation of Emperor Alexander II and Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich. Based on the results of the competition for the design of the museum building, preference was given to the project of the architect V.O. Sherwood and engineer A.A. Semenov. Construction of the museum continued during 1875–1881. Moscow architects and artists I.E. took part in the decoration of the halls. Bondarenko, A.P. Popov, I.K. Aivazovsky, V.M. Vasnetsov, and later V.A. Serov, S.A. Korovin, I.E. Repin. The interiors of the museum correspond to certain historical eras, repeat the paintings of famous churches and princely palaces and are independent works art.

Acquaintance with the exhibition begins in the majestic Front Entrance - one of the most beautiful rooms of the museum, on the vaults of which there is an image made by F.G. Toropov “Family tree of the Russian sovereigns” with portraits of the great Russian princes and emperors. The walls of the halls dedicated Ancient Rus', are decorated with friezes and paintings painted by famous Russian artists. The history of several thousand years is resurrected in the museum in all its grandeur and tragedy: life primitive people, education Old Russian state And Tatar-Mongol invasion, the harsh and merciless era of Ivan the Terrible, the country’s turn to progress under Peter I, the enlightened absolutism of Catherine II and the victory over Napoleon, the abolition of serfdom and Savor nobility. In 1936–1937, in connection with the opening of a new museum exhibition for the 20th anniversary of the October Revolution, many paintings and interior details were whitewashed or destroyed.

In 1986–1997 The museum was closed for restoration and major repairs, and after completion of the work it opened the first 11 exhibition halls (exactly the same as in 1883) and the exhibition “Relics of the History of the Russian State”.

In terms of completeness and diversity, the museum's multimillion-dollar collection has no equal in the country: exhibits were donated to the museum by state and public institutions, monasteries, archives, libraries, academies, institutes, universities, and publishing houses. In 1887, the Moscow City Duma transferred the Golitsyn and Chertkov libraries to the museum; large donations came from the Golitsyn, Masalsky, Bobrinsky, Kropotkin, Obolensky, Shcherbatov, and Uvarov families. Special attention patrons from merchant families - the Bakhrushins, Burylins, Grachevs, Postnikovs, Sapozhnikovs - gave their money to the museum. Over 300 thousand items, including works of icon painting, Russian painting of the 18th–19th centuries, facial embroidery, ancient manuscripts, all types of applied art, and in addition a huge archive of valuable documents were donated to the museum by P.I. Shchukin. The collection of hunting weapons and pistols was donated by the leader of the Nizhny Novgorod nobility A.A. Catuar de Bioncourt, manuscripts and books - Yaroslavl merchant I.A. Vakhrameev, works of art– P.Ya. Dashkov.

The 1920s–1930s became the time when collections from the State Museum Fund and disbanded museums were transferred to the historical museum (Old Moscow, Rumyatsev Museum, Military History Museum and etc.). In 1993, due to the liquidation Central Museum IN AND. Lenin's collections were transferred to the Historical Museum. The richest collections are kept in the collection departments: archaeology, numismatics, wood, weapons, metal, precious metals, glass and ceramics, manuscripts and early printed books, written sources, fabrics and costumes, cartography, visual materials, in the book fund.

With collections that provide not only valuable material for research, but also inspiration for scientific creativity, a galaxy of famous Russian and Soviet historians, museologists and cultural experts grew up in the museum, written major works on the history of Russia, numerous descriptions of individual collections have been published, hundreds of scientific conferences, readings, symposiums. Expositions and exhibitions of the Historical Museum attract hundreds of thousands of visitors; they have long become a phenomenon of museum and cultural life country, an incentive for the creativity of colleagues, for the most complete and profound presentation of our common historical and cultural heritage to visitors.