Museum
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Tourist Information Center Partnership Project

Jewels of the ‘Silver Necklace of Russia’

The Silver Necklace of Russia is a branded tourist route which includes cultural landmarks of ancient Russian cities located in the north-west part of the country. The veritable jewels of the project are unique Russian museums, each preserving astounding historic and cultural heirlooms.

Kaliningrad Regional Amber Museum
Address: 1 Ploschad Marshala Vasilevskogo, Kaliningrad, Kaliningrad Oblast
https://www.ambermuseum.ru
Tel.: +7(4012) 538-219
Kaliningrad is the former German city of Königsberg which was annexed by the USSR following the Second World War. The world’s largest amber deposit in Yantarny settlement is 25 km away from the city. In 1979, the amber capital of Russia founded a museum dedicated to the mineral. Today it is situated in the city center, in a fortress tower built in 1853.
The Amber Museum contains the nation’s largest collection of inclusions – plants and animal remains fossilized in resin millions of years ago. Among other valuable exhibits are the largest “sunstone” in the country, the renovated bottom panel of the Amber Room, decorations of ancient tribes, and works by European craftsmen.
more info: visitmuseums.ru
Malye Korely Arkhangelsk State Museum of Wooden Architecture and Folk Art
Address: Malye Karely village, Primorsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast
https://www.korely.ru
Tel.: +7(8182) 20-41-64
Arkhangelsk is the largest Russian city in the northern European part of the country, situated near the White Sea. It is an important center of Russia’s northern seaside culture. In order to preserve its traditions and artefacts, Malye Korely Arkhangelsk State Museum of Wooden Architecture and Folk Art was founded 25 km away from Arkhangelsk in 1964.
Visitors can view over 100 facilities, including peasant huts, churches, bath houses, mills, etc., in 4 sections: Kargopolsko-Onezhsky, Mezensky, Pinezhsky and Dvinskoy. The buildings are located according to the historic layout of a typical Russian northern village. The oldest structures are the bell-tower from Kuliga-Drakovanovo village, and the St. George and Ascension Churches.
more info: visitmuseums.ru
State Russian Museum
Address: 4 Inzhenernaya St., St. Petersburg
https://rusmuseum.ru/
Tel.: +7(812) 347-87-04
St. Petersburg, the northern capital of Russia, is situated on the bank of the Gulf of Finland. It is one of the world’s most beautiful metropolitan cities, whose historic part is protected by the international organization, UNESCO.
In 1895, Emperor Nicholas II issued a decree establishing the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III in the capital city. Its expositions were replenished by exhibits from the Alexander, Winter and Gatchina Palaces, the Academy of Arts and the Hermitage, while the museum itself is currently located in such architectural landmarks as the Stroganov, Mikhailovsky and Marble Palaces and St. Michael's Castle. The Museum complex consists of the following integral parts: The Summer Palace of Peter the Great with the Summer Garden, the Cabin of Peter the Great and the Mikhailovsky Garden. The museum’s collections consist of more than 400,000 exhibits including old Russian icons, collections of Russian painting, photography and more.
more info: visitmuseums.ru
Solovki State Historic, Architectural and Natural Museum Reserve
Address: Solovetsky village, Primorsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast
http://www.solovky.ru
Tel.: +7(81835-90) 241, +7(81835-90) 281
Solovetsky Archipelago is situated in the White Sea and consists of 6 large and more than 100 small islands. The Archipelago is a specially protected area. Its center, Solovetsky stavropegial friary, contained the Solovki special prison camp in Soviet times.
In the late 1960s, Solovki State Historic, Architectural and Natural Museum Reserve was founded at the friary. The museum comprises more than 1,000 cultural heritage items, including landmarks of architecture and history and various natural sights. Especially valuable are the Russian European North’s largest pagan sanctuary, a series of ancient tombs, and the unique system of lakes and channels connecting the islands.
more info: visitmuseums.ru
Novgorod State United Museum Reserve
Address: 11 Kremlin, Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod Oblast
https://novgorodmuseum.ru
Tel.: +7(8162) 77-37-38
Veliky Novgorod is where Russian sovereignty originated. Presently the city and its surroundings accommodate nearly 900,000 historic landmarks of culture and art. At the end of the 19th century, the first Novgorod Museum of Antiquity was established, becoming a predecessor of the contemporary Novgorod State United Museum Reserve. The premises of the museum contain a complex of architectural monuments from the 11th–17th centuries, including ancient churches and monasteries.
The Museum hosts 10 unique collections detailing archeological findings as well as the development of arts and crafts and the artisan and printing business. Visitors can examine frescoes of the 12th–15th centuries, jewelry items, old books, photography, and pieces of fine arts.
more info: visitmuseums.ru
Vologda State Museum Reserve of History, Architecture and Art
Address: 15 S. Orlova St., Vologda
https://www.vologdamuseum.ru
Tel.: +7(8172) 72-25-11
Vologda is an ancient Russian city which has been mentioned in chronicles since 1147. It is a regional center with a valuable historic heritage. The first museum in Vologda was opened in 1885 in the Cabin of Peter the Great. Subsequently, the cultural institution grew to include the eparchial museum of antiquities, the picture gallery, the museum of native studies and 40 architectural monuments including the Vologda Kremlin. Thus, the State Museum Reserve of History, Architecture and Art has emerged.
Visitors can choose from over 40 exhibitions and expositions: icons, wooden sculptures, bas-reliefs, embroidery, collections of Russian fabrics of the 16th–19th centuries, paintings, precious stones and metals. Biological, geological and entomologic collections are very popular. The Museum’s grounds cover more than 9,000 sq. m.
more info: visitmuseums.ru
Izborsk State Historic, Architectural, Natural and Landscape Museum Reserve
Address: 39 Pechorskaya St., Izborsk village, Pechorsky District, Pskov Oblast
http://www.museum-izborsk.ru
Tel.: +7(81148) 96-602
The small village of Izborsk is situated 30 km away from the old Russian city of Pskov. It is first mentioned in chronicles in 862. Today Izborsk is an important cultural and tourist center in Russia.
more info: visitmuseums.ru
The Izborsk Museum was founded in 1964 on the initiative of local residents. The Museum Reserve area is around 7.7 ha. The Museum complex includes 181 historic and architectural landmarks, 12 of which are of federal significance. An item of special focus is the Truvor fortified settlement founded by the Krivichs in the 7th century. The museum collections consist of archeological items of the 7th–17th centuries, Russian weaponry from various periods, books, household items, clothes and various tools. Visitors can also view paintings, graphic art and a numismatic collection.
Address: 6A Varyazhskaya St., Staraya Ladoga village, Staroladozhskoe settlement, Volkhovsky District, Leningrad Oblast
http://www.ladogamuseum.ru
Tel.: +7(81363) 49070
Staraya Ladoga is located 12 km away from the city of Volkhov and 120 km away from St. Petersburg. According to historians, this place was the starting point of the famous “from the Varangians to the Greeks” waterway. Moreover, Staraya Ladoga was favored by Russian painters of the 19th century for its landscapes. In 1971, Staraya Ladoga History, Architecture and Archaeology Museum Reserve was founded in the village.
The Museum Reserve area comprises 160 ha. The Museum collection includes more than 130,000 items. Permanent exhibitions showcase archaeological findings, collections of paintings, icons, rare books and photographic documents. Among valuable exhibits are fragments of 12th century frescoes from the Churches of Assumption and St. George.
more info: visitmuseums.ru
Peterhof State Museum Reserve
Address: 2 Razvodnaya St., Peterhof, St. Petersburg
https://peterhofmuseum.ru
Tel.: +7(921) 922-14-79
Russia’s second capital, St. Petersburg, is often nicknamed the Museum City owing to its abundant historic and architectural monuments. One of the most valuable landmarks is the Peterhof palace and park ensemble, situated on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. The eponymous museum reserve was founded back in 1918.
It consists of: Alexandria, Kolonistsky, Lugovoy and Alexandrinsky parks, and the Palace of Peter I in Strelna. The Museum Reserve grounds also comprise the Upper Garden, the Lower Garden and the English Park, more than 20 museums, palaces and pavilions, and 147 active fountains. The central niche in Peterhof is occupied by the Grand Palace built in the style of “Peter’s Baroque” for the Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. In 2007, Peterhof Museum Reserve was expanded to include the Oranienbaum palace and park ensemble.
more info: visitmuseums.ru
Kizhi State Historic, Architectural and Anthropological Museum Reserve
Address: 10a Ploschad Kirova, Petrozavodsk, Medvezhiegorsky District, Kizhi Island, Republic of Karelia
http://kizhi.karelia.ru
Tel.: +7(8142) 79-98-77
The unique island of Kizhi is situated in Lake Onega, 68 km from Petrozavodsk. The main sights of the island are its churches, which are masterpieces of Russian wooden architecture.
In 1955, in order to preserve the historic heritage, the Museum Reserve was founded. Initially it comprised the Kizhi Pogost churches and bell towers of the 18th–19th centuries and was later complemented by other wooden monuments of the Zaonezhye region, including chapels, utility buildings and houses. The buildings are divided into 3 sections: Russians of the Pudozhye, Russians of the Zaonezhye, and Pryazhin Karelians. Exhibits are also located in the villages of Vasilievo and Yamka, and in the north of the island. Today the territory comprises 87 architectural landmarks, 26 archaeological landmarks, and about 10 historic settlements with historic household items, icons, tools and more.
more info: visitmuseums.ru