The Russian Ethnographic Museum in St. Petersburg

In the center of the northern capital on the famous Square of Arts, made in a single architectural ensemble with the Russian Museum, is an ethnographic museum. In St. Petersburg, it has existed for more than a hundred years and throughout this time acquaints everyone with the original culture of the peoples of Russia and its neighboring states, with their customs, way of life and worldview. The expositions presented here make it possible to clearly see how they resemble each other and at the same time are original.

History of the museum: main stages

The Ethnographic Museum in St. Petersburg appeared in 1902, when a separate ethnographic section was created under the decree of Nicholas II at the Russian Museum. In this case, the last Russian emperor fulfilled the will of his father - Alexander III, who was a great admirer of Russian folk art. At home he had his own collection, which included several dozen worthy samples of art. In the future, by the way, they all took their place of honor among other exhibits. The ethnographic museum in St. Petersburg became an independent museum thirty-two years later, in 1934, and from that moment it was named as the State Museum of Ethnography. After fifteen years, the cultural institution will be renamed. In the summer of 1948, after the official transfer of most of the fund of the Moscow Museum dedicated to the peoples of the USSR, this museum will be called the State Museum of Ethnography of the Peoples of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. And only in 1992 he will receive his current name.

Museum today

Today, the Ethnographic Museum is one of the largest ethnographic museums in the world. He keeps in his fund several hundred different subjects for 157 numerous and small nationalities of Russia, since the XVIII century. At the same time, the volume of collected collections, fully reflecting the culture of this or that ethnos, allows creating independent expositions. However, due to the lack of required museum space, visitors can now see only a small part of this richest collection.

General information about the museum

The Ethnographic Museum in St. Petersburg offers visitors an exhibition and an exhibition that shows how diverse the culture of the numerous nationalities and peoples populating the territory from the Baltic to the Far East. Here you can learn more about the device of their life, the features of national clothes, interior items, kitchen utensils and handicraft tools. Currently, the museum's collection has more than five hundred thousand different copies. In the collection you can find truly unique examples of the art of weaving lace, embroidery, weaving, jewelry and woodcarving. Numerous halls of the ethnographic museum are equipped with residential buildings in full size, as well as musical instruments and vehicles. Guides who work here do not just talk about each of these subjects, but also introduce everyone with national holidays and rituals of certain peoples. They also show a photo of the ethnographic museum in St. Petersburg of different times. There are quite rare cadres and archival documents.

Departments of the Ethnographic Museum

Currently, the museum features sections such as the Department of Ethnography of Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, a large department dedicated to the ethnography of the Russian people, a section of ethnography of peoples living in the Baltic and North-Western regions. In addition, it is possible to get acquainted with the culture and life of the people of Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Volga region, Kazakhstan and the Urals. Also today there are sections devoted to the history of the peoples of the Far East and Siberia. The museum in this case appears in the image of a kind of time machine that allows everyone to touch the lifestyle of various people. Here, you can even learn a lot about such small nations as, for example, oroki, entsy and chum.

Location and opening hours

The official address of the Ethnographic Museum in St. Petersburg: Engineering Street, Building 4, building 1. The building in which it is located directly on the corner. Ethnographic Museum together with the State Russian Museum create a single architectural complex. As for working hours, it is open to all visitors daily (except Monday) from 10:00 to 18:00. The only exception is Tuesday. On this day, the Russian Ethnographic Museum (St. Petersburg) is open until 21:00. During official holidays, the complex closes one hour earlier.