Whether you are into history and arts or not, learning about your host country’s history and culture is a must. And one of the best places to go to for historical and cultural learning is a museum.
Why You Should Visit Museums in Russia
Museums are not just for those who are interested in history and arts. Visiting one allows learning and understanding a country’s culture and traditions.
Due to Russia being the largest country in the world, you can expect diverse history and culture from this nation. Russia is the only country in the world (aside from Turkey) that has a long history of influence from both Europe and Asia.
Russia has a lot of contributions to the world when it comes to the different types of art, science, and philosophy. Below are some world-renowned Russians and their contributions:
- Leo Tolstoy, writer of Anna Karenina and War and Peace
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composer of famous ballet music for Swan Lake, and the Nutcracker
- Ivan Pavlov, a physiologist known for his classical conditioning experiment
- Dmitry Mendeleev, chemist who invented the periodic table of elements
- Ilya Repin, painter of the famous painting of Ivan the Terrible and his Son Ivan, and Russian laborers
Museums in Russia That You Should Visit
Here are the top 3 museums in Russia you should visit:
St Petersburg University museums
St Petersburg University has been involved in preserving and gathering some of Russia’s cultural, historical, and scientific objects. In fact, it even has a department, where research collections can function within the university’s system. Some of the best museums and exhibits you can check under St Petersburg University includes:
- Dmitri Mendeleev museum and archives is a collection of the works and personal belongings of this famous Russian chemist. It is located in the scientist’s former flat in the university’s Twelve Collegia Building. A large part of this collection includes Mendeleev’s manuscripts, letters, work drafts, diaries, and notebooks. Moreover, the collections also include the scientist’s own collection of arts and paintings.
- St Petersburg University History Museum which was founded in 1945 includes a collection showing Russia’s first university’s history during the 18th and 19th centuries. This includes exhibits for its outstanding graduates, some of which became great scientists and politicians. It also includes natural science collection, rare prints, and a collection of videos and photographs of the university’s long history
State Hermitage Museum
Russia’s State Hermitage Museum, founded by Catherine the Great, holds some of the world’s biggest collections of fine art. This includes works of Rembrandt and other impressionist masterpieces. It also includes archaeological works such as the carvings from Egypt.
Museum of Cosmonautics
After the second world war, a cold war between the US and Russia, then USSR, emerged. Aside from having the biggest ideological and political rivalry in the world during that time, the cold war also brought in the Space Race between the two countries. The Museum of Cosmonautics in Moscow traces the country’s aeronautics and spaceflight industry that has even beaten the US in sending the first man to space. Exhibits in the museum include moon rocks and even the evolution of spacesuits.
Aside from museums in Russia, there are other places worth visiting in the largest country in the world. To learn more, check out MSM Unify’s article on 5 Must-See Travel Destinations in Russia.
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