Museum of Mouse
Mouse Museum is the only museum in the world dedicated to mice. It has become one of the symbols of the small town of Myshkin. The museum is housed in a one-story log wooden house, on the ledge of Nikolskaya Gora. Not far from the museum building is the “Mouse Palace” or “Myshkin Chambers”. The exhibited collections occupy four halls, and here one can see many figures of mice made of different materials.
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In the small town, which is only a hundred kilometers from Yaroslavl, more than ten museums have already been opened. Seven of them are united in the non-profit institution “Myshkinsky Folk Museum”. The Mouse Museum has become a real brand of the town and is the most popular among tourists. On weekends, buses with sightseers always stop near it.
History of the Mouse Museum
Myshkinsky folk museum appeared, thanks to local local historians, in 1966. For a long time it worked at the expense of enthusiasts, without receiving any support from the state.
The idea to organize a mouse museum in the city arose in the early 1990s. Information about the new collection was published in the newspapers, and gifts from different parts of the country and abroad began to arrive in Myshkin. Among the first and most famous donors were academician Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev and poet Bulat Okudzhava.
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There are several versions of the origin of the name of the ancient town of Myshkin. According to one legend, Prince Fyodor Mikhailovich Mstislavsky lay down on the Volga bank to rest. Some time later he was awakened by a fleeing mouse. At first the prince was angry, but then he noticed a snake crawling up and realized that the mouse helped him to avoid trouble. The settlement was named Myshkin, and in 1777 it received the status of a town. Nowadays the image of a mouse adorns the coat of arms of Myshkin.
.Exposition
Today in each of the four halls there are 100-120 figurines of mice. They are made of wood, stone, wax, porcelain, amber, glass, thread, fabric and metal – a real mouse kingdom. The museum keeps many soft toys, including original mice of author’s work. The main character is depicted on the walls and paintings. There are figurines of characters of favorite Disney cartoons – funny mouse Jerry and Mickey Mouse, as well as several samples of computer mouse.
.Visitor Information
For visitors, the Mouse Museum’s doors are open any day except Monday, from 10.00 to 17.00. There is a souvenir kiosk, where tourists can buy figurines and images of mice, as well as souvenirs with the symbols of the city. At the museum there is a mini-zoo where, in addition to mice, guinea pigs, quail and Chilean squirrels are kept.
.How to get there
The Mouse Museum is located in house number 18 on Uglichskaya Street. From the capital by train “Moscow – Rybinsk” you need to arrive at the station “Volga”, and then get to Myshkin by bus. The Volga station is also connected by rail with other cities – Yaroslavl, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara and Ivanovo. Those tourists who want to get to the Volga city by car, from the capital go via Sergiev Posad, Kalyazin and Uglich.
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