Visiting museums is part of the cultural life of any person, especially a tourist who has come to see the sights of the city. Arriving somewhere for the first time, a person immediately goes to the "classical" museums. But those who are already familiar with the city are inevitably faced with the need to find a new place, after visiting which you can share your impressions with friends for a long time.
Residents and guests of St. Petersburg have the opportunity to choose from many small museums. Some of them are quite well-known, while others have not yet found their audience. The "atypical" centers of culture include the Museum of the History of Perfumery. Let's get to know him better.
Creation
The Museum of the History of Perfume in St. Petersburg opened relatively recently. It received its first visitors in 2012. This hotbed of culture is not yet well known.
It was based on the personal collection of Elina Arsenyeva. By the time the museum was created, she collected perfumesfor several decades now. The number of fragrances in her arsenal went into the thousands. There was simply no place to keep these "treasures" at home, so Arsenyeva moved them to a small office building on the 3rd Line of Vasilyevsky Island, where the museum was located at first.
In addition to collecting perfumes, Arsenyeva accumulated interesting information: who and when created this or that perfume, why did it become exactly the way the public recognized it. Elina carefully selected and systematized information, which later formed the basis of thematic tours of the Perfume Museum in St. Petersburg.
Exhibits
Since the number of perfumes in the museum has passed over three thousand copies, among them you can find a wide variety. The collection is represented by the spirits of the last century, as well as novelties. The most rare exhibit is over 100 years old. In the museum you can see the products of domestic and foreign factories. Many perfumes were brought as a gift to Arsenyeva.
Here is one of the photo exhibits taken at the Perfume Museum in St. Petersburg.
Features of visiting
The main idea of the museum is to keep people's memory of the scents of the past. Arsenyeva strives to show visitors not only perfume bottles from different factories and eras, but also to taste their contents. Everything happens in the most comfortable environment. There are no clocks in the room, no noisy equipment or telephones,the windows are curtained, the halls are in a cozy twilight. Elina Vasilievna says: "It's always time to drink tea."
Excursions in the Museum of Perfume for individuals or for small groups (no more than five people). Everything takes place in an atmosphere of unhurried and cozy friendly tea drinking. Guests sit at a small table. They are treated to tea, bottles are shown, they are told about the features of aromas. This museum allows you to taste the perfumes on display.
Visitors have a unique opportunity to inhale the aroma of a bygone era. Some exhibits were created before the First World War. One of the most "venerable" is L'origan by Coty. It was created in 1904, at the dawn of this cosmetic brand.
There are perfumes in the collection dedicated to certain events. As a rule, these are the fragrances of famous Soviet factories: Moscow's Novaya Dawn and Leningrad's Northern Lights. Among them there is a perfume dedicated to the flight of Yuri Gagarin, as well as several fragrances created in honor of Valentina Tereshkova.
Memorial souvenir
At the Museum of Perfume in St. Petersburg there is a perfume laboratory Art Deco Perfumes, the soul of which is Elina Arsenyeva. In the laboratory you can buy unique author's fragrances, united in collections on different topics: vintage, naturalistic, Leningrad. There is even a small collection of three scents dedicated to Harry Potter spells. A large selection will allow the visitor to finda gift for the most demanding taste.
Reviews
Before visiting any new place, you always want to read reviews, find out some important details that museum staff may accidentally miss. Visitors note that such an excursion can be an interesting and unusual gift for any holiday.
Many in their reviews report that the museum staff provide the opportunity to order a thematic tour for a birthday. The birthday boy and his guests will be told the history of perfume art. After that, visitors will be able to create a new aroma on their own (the owner of the establishment selects products that do not have a pronounced smell). The guests take the resulting perfume with them, and the birthday boy receives as a gift something from Arsenyeva's fragrant creations.
Also, guests of the museum note the special atmosphere, relaxed and almost intimate. Many are also pleasantly surprised by the opportunity to taste perfumes. Visitors report that this feature distinguishes this cultural institution in St. Petersburg from similar places around the world, makes it unique and attractive to connoisseurs of aromas.
It should be said that there are also negative reviews about the Perfume Museum in St. Petersburg. Visitors note that Elina Arsenyeva is not always friendly and correct. To some people who want to visit this institution, she directly answers that they should not come.
Some visitors write in reviews that it is not always possible to sign up for an excursion,dedicated to their topic of interest.
Address
In St. Petersburg, the Perfume Museum carefully preserves its exhibits. This most interesting place for connoisseurs of perfumes is located in the Vasileostrovsky district of the city on the Neva, on the 1st Line of Vasilyevsky Island, at number 48. You can get to the museum by metro. The nearest station is Vasileostrovskaya. After leaving the subway, you need to walk about five hundred meters.
Additional information
The Museum of Perfume in St. Petersburg has an official website, which gives the contact phone number of the institution, his e-mail address. Also here you can find links to official communities in social networks. The museum does not have a set schedule. It opens its doors by appointment only. This should be taken into account and plan your visit in advance.
The cost of one individual excursion in 2019 is 6000 rubles. Prepayment is required for booking.
