Day: 2 July 2011

Moscow is not just about Kremlin, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, and a handful of other well-known tourist attractions. Delve deeper into the unusual world of Moscow museums, starting with this selection of 5 awe-inspiring or downright weird places.

By Julia Shuvalova

As the capital city of Russia, Moscow has a plenty to offer to a traveller. And whether you are travelling in summer or in winter, there are many museums to provide shelter and food – for thought, as well as body. You have heard about the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, the State Historical Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery, and the Kremlin. But if you want to further explore Moscow, you must visit the following 5 places, located within the easy reach from the city centre.

1. The State Museum of Armed Forces.

Located towards the north of Moscow, the museum offers a fascinating and disturbing insight into the history of the Russian Army. Think of it as the U.K.’s Imperial War Museum, with a few gruesome artefacts. One part of the regular exhibition studies and celebrates the development of weapons and technical equipment. Another part of exhibition traces the wartime effort of the Russian people, the hardships and atrocities of the Great Patriotic War against fascism. Several halls are currently on reconstruction. However, the museum also has an outdoor exhibition where you can see the tanks and airplanes. There is also a chance to visit museum’s special exhibitions featuring the study of Marshal Georgy Zhukov and the Joseph Stalin’s bunker. Both exhibitions are based in separate buildings elsewhere in Moscow.

2. The G Spot Museum of Erotica

Finally, after years marked by the stigma of “no sex in the USSR”, it turns out that some like it hot – at least in Moscow. The erotic museum, G Spot, that has only recently opened in the capital, is the one to check out. It is located near Novy Arbat St, in the city centre, and has dutifully acquired a wide-spread publicity. Over 3000 exhibits include Indian erotic sculptures, installations, paintings, dolls, and adult toys. The world’s most expensive “Real Doll” is also there. Art meets sex at museum’s every corner, including a museum cafe, and if this is not enough, there is a non-stop screening of the film, “Sex in the USSR”. Needless to say, kids are not allowed, and teens must be accompanied by parents.

3. Alexander Bakhrushin Theatre Museum

Located a stone-throw away from the Paveletskaya underground station and the eponymous railroad terminal, this is a destination for all who appreciate the Russian drama and the work of Stanislavsky, Nemirovich-Danchenko, and Schepkin. The bulk of the collection on display traces the development of the Russian theatre, from the imperial court drama, through the foundation of the Maly Theatre, to the Parisian Russian Seasons and the beginnings of the Soviet theatre. Exhibits include stage and costume sketches and posters by the likes of Alexander Benoit and Leo Bakst, costumes, props and accessories donated to the museum by theatres and collectors.

4. Yuri Detochkin Carlift Museum

Yes, you can have a second glance at the name of the museum: it will not change. The museum opened its doors to the visitors in 2002; the name commemorates one of the best-known Soviet films, Beware of a Car (starring Innokenty Smoktunovsky) about a young car thief. A collection, lovingly amassed by the owner of a car salon, consists of an impressive array of tools and criminal evidence left by, or confiscated from, car thieves. As one could expect it in Russia, nothing is done half-heartedly: a car owner usually fights for his car, while the thief fights with the owner, sometimes using axes, hammers, and harpoons. Other exhibits include examples of the car theft left-overs, like destroyed sirens, fake documents, forged car plates, and even maps of Moscow districts most prone for car theft. In short, if you have always wanted to get a glimpse of the brutal world of Russian criminals, the Carlift Museum’s exposition awaits.

5. The Space Memorial Museum.

This museum is situated in the north of Moscow, a short walk away from the VDNKh (All-Russia Exhibition Centre) and the underground station under the same name. It is located in the basement of the magnificent Monument to the Conquerors of the Space, erected after the design by Sergei Korolev in 1964. The museum has been open to the public since 1981; 2011 was its 30th anniversary. The collection painstakingly documents the development of the Russian space science and space exploration, thus including not only research papers, photographic evidence, machines and equipment, but also space-inspired memorabilia. This is a spell-binding experience for all fans of sci-fi and cosmic stories, as well as a fascinating story of one of the seminal Russian breakthroughs of the 20th century.