State Museum of Architecture. Shchusev: excursions, prices, tickets

The State Museum of Architecture named after Shchusev in Moscow is the world's first museum of similar themes. What is the history of this unique institution? And what interesting things can you see in it? Read more about this in our article.

History and foundation of the museum

The idea to create something similar to the air in the air back in the late XIX century, when the Muscovites began to look at the historical, cultural and architectural heritage of their city in a new way. However, this magnificent plan was realized only in 1934, when the museum was established. Simultaneously with it, the Academy of Architecture of the USSR was established. Most of the museum exhibits were then housed in the cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery.

But the Great Patriotic War came, at the end of which, in October 1945, the museum got its second birth. The initiator and the first director of it just became Alexei Viktorovich Shchusev. But he completely differently saw the purpose of the future museum. In his opinion, they consisted in the popularization of architectural knowledge and experience. That is, the institution should serve not a single specialist, but rather a wide range of ordinary people.

However, the Museum of Architecture. Shchusev has become a powerful research and development base. By the way, he received his name in 1949, immediately after the death of the great architect. Soon, in the 1960s, the exposition on the territory of the Donskoy Monastery became a branch of the museum, which was located on Vozdvizhenka, in the Talyzyn family estate.

With the collapse of the USSR Museum of Architecture. Schusev began to experience not the best of times. And many of the problems that the institution faced in the early 90's, have not been resolved to this day. So, the territory of the Don Monastery was returned to the ROC, and a huge museum collection is simply physically impossible to place in a room on Vozdvizhenka. In addition, the main building of the institution has long needed major repairs.

Nevertheless, the museum staff sincerely believes that all problems will be solved, and therefore continues to work actively and fruitfully.

Exhibitions and main activities

Museum of Architecture. Shchusev works today in several ways. Namely:

• Scientific work and research;
• Collecting of exhibits;
• Participation in restoration activities ;
• The organization of expositions and exhibitions;
• Excursion activity.

Alas, the main exposition, numbering over one million objects of storage, is not functioning today due to lack of space. Only temporary exhibitions are actively held in the museum today. Visitors especially like the outbuilding "Ruin", in which they constantly organize interesting exhibitions.

Different people at one time headed the Museum of Architecture. Shchusev. The director of the institution since 2010, the candidate of architecture Irina Korobina, actively participates in his life and development.

Alexei Shusev - who is he?

The Shchusev Museum of Architecture bears the name of its first director and outstanding architect. Alexey Shchusev (1873-1949) is a talented Moldovan and Soviet architect who received four Stalin Prizes (one of them is posthumous). He was born in Chisinau. During the years 1891-1897 he studied in St. Petersburg, in the Imperial Academy of Arts. His teachers were Ilya Repin and Leonty Benois.

In his youth Shchusev, together with archaeologists, visited Samarkand and studied the local sights of the ancient city. This trip struck the future architect and left an imprint on all his future work.

His first serious work was the reconstruction of the ancient temple of the XII century in the Ukrainian city of Ovruch. The architect managed to work in different styles (modern, constructivism, art deco) for his life and create dozens of beautiful buildings in different parts of the former USSR. Among his most important projects are the church in the village of Natal'evka (Ukraine), the Kazan station in Moscow, the Lenin Mausoleum, the theater building in Tashkent, the Moscow metro station Komsomolskaya-ring and others. In addition, Shchusev developed projects for the restoration of cities destroyed in the Second World War - Chisinau, Tuapse, Veliky Novgorod.

Museum of Architecture. Shchusev: lectures

The museum regularly organizes lectures, which are conducted by the best experts in the sphere of architectural business. The lecture hall in the Schusev Museum was established in 1934 and worked even during the war.

Today, the hall for performances is equipped in the wing of the museum called "Ruina". He is able to accommodate a hundred willing. At the lectures you can get acquainted with one of the architectural styles in detail or study some specific question concerning architecture. In addition, the Museum of Architecture. Schusev regularly meets with famous architects, both Russian and foreign.

Everyone chooses for himself the desired format of visits: either it will be a one-time visit, or you can purchase a subscription for a full-fledged course of lectures. All of them are held at a convenient time for visitors: at 19:00 on weekdays, and also on weekends, at 16:00. Choose for yourself a suitable lecture course, as well as learn its cost can be on the official website of the museum.

Museum of Architecture. Shchusev: excursions

The museum is also ready to offer its visitors all excursion services. And it can be an excursion both indoors and outside - along the streets and squares of the city. The range of offered services of this kind is constantly updated.

The museum, as a rule, conducts excursions around Moscow on weekends. The ticket for them costs 300 rubles (for citizens of preferential categories - 150 rubles).

Today the following thematic excursions are very popular:

• "The first stage of the Moscow metro."
• "Architectural styles of the city."
• "Architectural avant-garde in the alleys of Arbat" and others.

Visiting the museum: prices and tickets

Museum of Architecture. Shchusev can be visited at the address: Vozdvizhenka street, house 5 (the former estate of the Talyzins). You can make a trek to this amazing institution on a daily basis (except Monday), from 11:00 to 20:00. To get to the scientific library or archival department, it is necessary to pass an advance recording.

The entrance ticket to this museum costs 250 rubles. Discounts for certain categories of citizens. These include students and pensioners who can purchase an entrance ticket for only 100 rubles. But for children and schoolchildren, students of architectural specialties, as well as for museum workers in Russia, the entrance is completely free.

Also in the museum you can visit one of the lectures. It will cost 200 rubles. You can order a full-fledged lecture course on a specific topic. Such a subscription will cost from 900 to 1800 rubles.

According to many reviews of tourists, the Schusev Museum has very competent and pleasant staff and guides. So visiting him uniquely will bring only positive emotions.

House of Melnikov

There is this institution has one curious affiliate. This is the so-called Melnikov House-Museum, dedicated to the life and work of the capital's architect Victor Melnikov. It is located in the mansion of the architect - in a unique in its construction house, built in the twenties in the avant-garde style. The house consists of two cylinders of different heights, which are partially embedded in each other. This is one of the most unusual buildings in all of Moscow.

The museum in Melnikov's house was established in 2014. However, earlier in relation to this structure, a long legal battle between the state and the heirs of the architect was conducted. It reached its apogee in the summer of 2014, when the heiress and granddaughter of Viktor Melnikov barricaded themselves in the building.

Finally

Unique in its essence State Museum of Architecture. Shchusev, founded back in 1934, and today attracts the attention of many tourists. Guests of the Russian capital must visit it. Here, lovers of architecture and history will discover a lot of interesting things!