| Name: |
Naval Museum |
| |
 |
| Address: |
Birzhevaya ploshchad (metro
station: Vasileostrovskaya) |
| Phone: |
+7 (812) 328-2502 |
| Open: |
Open: 11am - 6pm
Closed: Mondays, Tuesdays and the last Thursday of every month |
| Description: |
St.Petersburg's Naval Museum
is one of the largest naval museums in the world. Its origins
go back to the Ship-Model Chamber that was founded by Peter
I as an Admiralty repository for models and working drawings
of naval vessels. In 1805 the Chamber was reorganized into
the Naval Museum. Since 1939 it has been housed in the building
of the former Stock Exchange, which was constructed in 1805-10
by the architect Jean-Francois Thomas de Thomon. The building
resembles a classical temple. The attics of its facades are
adorned with the sculptural groups Neptune and Two Rivers
and Navigation with Mercury and Two Rivers carved by the master
stonemason Samson Sukhanov.
Today the museum boasts over 800,000 exhibits telling the
story of the' j Russian Navy from ancient times to the present
day. These include about 2,000 models of old and modern ships,
5,000 paintings, a collection of ships' laying-down plaques,
c. 7,000 examples of weaponry and combat equipment, and a
collection of medals, coins, navigational devices, maps and
photo-material. It also houses over 3,000 flags and banners,
numerous war trophies and the personal effects of famous Russian
seafarers and naval commanders.
The museum uses vivid models and displays to narrate the history
of the Russian Navy: its victories at Gangut (Hango), Chesme,
Corfu and Sinope, amongst others; its contribution to round-the-world
voyages of discovery; and its legendary cruiser Variag and
other heroic ships. A number of documents attest to the participation
of sailors in the three Russian revolutions and the Civil
War. The exhibition ends with an overview of naval activities
in the USSR, from the operations of the Soviet Navy during
the Second World War to its development in the postwar period.
Among the most remarkable exhibits are the 3,000 year-old
oak dug-out, Peter I's small boat known as the "Grandfather
of the Russian Navy", the first Naval Regulations printed
in 1720, and models of Russian ships (the Aurora, Azov, Variag,
Vladimir, Kirov) and submarines.
The museum has four further branches: the Cruiser Aurora,
the Narodovolets D-2 Submarine, the Kronstadt Fortress and
the Road of Life Museum. |
