Historical Museum in Moscow

State Historical Museum

The Historical Museum on Moscow’s Red Square is the largest national museum in Russia – it houses historical monuments from ancient times to the present day.

General information

In 1872, Moscow hosted the Polytechnic Exhibition, dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Peter the Great. Much space was taken up by exhibits reminiscent of the recent Crimean War. The organizers of the exhibition appealed to Alexander II with a request to open a permanent museum for them. A competition of projects was announced with the only condition: to fulfill the building in the ancient national spirit. The Moscow City Duma allocated a plot on Red Square between the Kremlin wall and the Voskresensky Gate for the construction.

The Historical Museum settled opposite St. Basil’s Cathedral, which eventually predetermined its appearance. The building was made of dark red brick, the walls were not plastered or painted. Stylistically it was connected with St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin walls and towers. V. M. Vasnetsov, I. K. Aivazovsky and other famous artists participated in the decoration of the halls. The layout was subordinated to the chronicle of the main stages of Russian history. The interior decoration of each hall corresponded to the epoch represented in it. The original decoration of the rooms in the Vladimir and Byzantine halls, as well as in the hall dedicated to Kievan Rus.

Immediately after its opening, the museum was given the name of His Imperial Highness the Sovereign Heir Caesarevich, and already in 1883 it became known as the Imperial Russian Historical Museum named after Alexander III. In 1921 the current name – the State Historical Museum – was adopted. In 1994, the Historical Museum, classified as an object of especially valuable cultural heritage, became the leading scientific and methodological center for historical and local history museums in Russia.

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Since 2006, the State Historical Museum has had a permanent exhibition, which is presented for viewing to museum visitors in 39 halls.

Visiting the halls located on the second floor of the museum, you can get acquainted with the history of primitive society, with Old Russian history, the period of fragmentation of the Russian state.

The exhibits presented here will also tell about the decisive battles with invaders from different countries, about the period of Russia’s unification, its traditions and culture, the period of the exploration of Siberia.

The exposition in the halls of the third floor of the museum is dedicated to the reign of Peter the Great, politics, culture and economy of imperial Russia.

During the last reconstruction of the museum here, the interiors and the original appearance of the structure were restored. However, the museum is equipped with everything necessary to meet the requirements of modernity: screens, monitors, and chairs for the disabled.

Visitors

• Address: Krasnaya Ploshchad, 1 /2
• Nearest metro: Ploshchad Revolyutsii, Okhotny Ryad, Teatralnaya
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• Phone: +7 (495)692-40-19,+7(495)692-37-31 (tour desk)
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• Website: www.shm.ru
• Opening hours: Mon, Wed, Fri, Fri-Fri 10.00-18.00, box office until 17.30, Ch 11.00-21.00, box office until 20.00 (Closed on Tuesdays)
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• Tickets: 300 rubles, pensioners, schoolchildren and day students – 100 rubles, veterans and members of large families – 40 rubles.
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• Free of charge: Heroes of the USSR and the Russian Federation, veterans of World War II, children under 7 years old, soldiers and sergeants of conscript service, the disabled, orphans, employees of museums of Russia; the last Sunday of the month – members of large families, minors and day students.