Museum of Archeology of Moscow: visit reviews

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

When will the Museum of Archeology of Moscow open? There was no entrance to this building on Manezhnaya Square for several years. Muscovites and guests of the capital were looking forward to the opening of the museum, which was scheduled for the 850th anniversary of Moscow. And so it happened, they managed to coincide with the anniversary of the city, but, as it turned out later, they hurried and opened it with serious technological violations. We noticed them almost immediately, but decided to postpone the reconstruction anyway. With these problems, the museum existed for 15 years, and since it was no longer possible to turn a blind eye to them, it had to be closed for major repairs. And again the same question arose: "When will the Museum of Archeology of Moscow open?"

Opening

The museum received its second birth 3 years later, on May 18, 2015. The opening was timed to the Day of Museums, after the Night of Museums.

Now the Museum of Archeology of Moscow, in addition to being newly reconstructed (engineering communications were updated),and equipped with the latest equipment. For example, you can admire the light show, which is projected directly onto the Resurrection Bridge. The outlines of St. Basil's Cathedral, the Historical Museum and the Moscow Kremlin float by. Special binoculars, with which you can plunge into the past of Moscow, are waiting for visitors to the museum on the second floor. Moscow of the 18th century is reflected in them: the Voskresensky Bridge, not yet covered with earth, strolling couples in love, officials running on official business and scurrying trade clerks.

Modern technologies are widely used in the updated exposition, but, according to Alina Saprykina, general director of the museum, they are not the main thing in the museum. And when the restoration work began, the founders instructed that high-tech and new museum equipment should not obscure the exhibits, because this project was created at the time for their sake.

History of the Museum

The Museum of Archeology of Moscow is the first completely underground museum (7 meters deep) and probably the only one created around exhibits. Large-scale archaeological work was carried out on Manezhnaya Square from 1993 to 1997 as part of the construction of the complex here. Archaeological finds were very diverse. These are earthenware and glassware, coins, children's toys, stove tiles, as well as wooden pavements, house foundations, the ruins of the Moiseevsky convent with a cemetery, the settlement of the Stremyanny Streltsy Regiment, parts of bridges across the Neglinnaya River.

At the depth of the cultural layer of large-scale archaeological excavations,around one of these bridges (Voznesensky), and it was decided to arrange the Museum of Archeology of Moscow. It is located underground in Manezhnaya Square in the very center of the capital. Red Square and the Kremlin have a new neighbor.

Main exhibit

Due to the deplorable state of the Resurrection Bridge in 2012, the Museum of History and Archeology had to be closed for restoration. General Director Alina Saprykina says that the main exhibit had to be literally saved. Being exposed to the negative impact of the environment due to the violation of waterproofing, the bridge became covered with fungus. Now he is in order.

The largest exhibit in the past connected the banks of the Neglinnaya River and led to Kitay-gorod. According to historians, there has been a ferry in this place since the 13th century. The White Stone Bridge dates back to the period of the 17th century, when stone construction was carried out in Moscow. The remains of this bridge are now in the museum. In the 18th century it was destroyed and rebuilt, the new building had five solemn arches, only three have survived, they are now the heart of the exposition. And in 1917, the river with a pond (it was on the site of Theater Square) and a bridge were filled up, arranging Resurrection Square.

Science archeology

The renovated Museum of Archeology of Moscow not only acquaints visitors with the material culture of past centuries, but also gives an idea of the science of archeology. So, under one of the three arches of the Resurrection Bridge, an archaeological excavation (pit) is shown with the simple tools of an archaeologist, who opens the white stone masonry of the supports. In the roomfor successive exhibitions, an exposition is now organized that acquaints visitors with the history of Moscow archaeological research from the 1890s to the present. An interactive map is also presented, which indicates the sites of the current archaeological excavations. This information is constantly updated by the museum staff.

Fashion show

In our time, it has become fashionable for all renovated museums to arrange open storage. The Museum of Archeology of Moscow was no exception, the photo shows the equipment of a we althy Muscovite of the 16th-17th centuries and household utensils. Also shown are tiles of the 16th-18th centuries and dishes - jugs, ceramic pots, mugs, bowls.

The museum has two thousand exhibits, among them - flint tools of ancient people who lived in this area, the remains of fabrics, they were found on the site of ancient settlements, ceramic jugs and glass bottles, utensils, dishes, bronze brooches and others decorations, details of horse harness. A bone fork and a spoon of the 16-17th centuries, metal buttons with carnelian dating back to the same time, a fragment of a leather bag, a knitted sock tell about the life of our ancestors.

Treasures

Treasures occupy a special place in the museum. They were found on the territory of Moscow and transferred to the museum. Each find has its own history. For example, the Spanish treasure, discovered in 1970 in Ipatiev Lane, was almost damaged by an excavator during the construction of the building. In the copper basin there were 3397 coins (about 75 kg of silver) with a face value of 2, 4, 8 reais, among them wascounterfeit bronze coin. They were minted in the 16th and 17th centuries at the mints of Spain and its colonies in Latin America.

Another treasure was found on the site of the Old Gostiny Dvor in the spring of 1996. When clearing the log base of the burnt house, two jugs were found in which 335 silver thalers were hidden, they were minted in Sweden, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and other countries, and about 100 thousand Russian kopecks made of silver from the times of Ivan the Terrible and Boris Godunov. By the size of the treasure, one can understand that the owner of such savings could be a we althy merchant. The "younger" coin is a Polish thaler of 1640 from the time of King Vladislav, which means that the money was hidden in the first half of the 17th century.

The rich life of the museum includes children's archaeological programs, they are designed for different ages.

Reviews

Guests of the museum note very pleasant impressions from the visit. The museum is located in the very center of Moscow, right next to the Kremlin. You can buy a ticket freely, there are not many people. The underground beautifully decorated room stores unique finds that were found in the historical center of the capital. Visitors like that here you can find many items of the material culture of the inhabitants, all kinds of jewelry, household items, you can’t even believe that they were used in everyday life, they seem ridiculous to contemporaries. The rooms are themed. Excellent tour guides. It's nice that the museum always has a lot of school excursions, the guys come from different cities. By interested eyes, you can understand that they are curious. The museum is worth visiting. This is the general opinion of people who have been in its halls.