Nizhny Novgorod is one of the powerful industrial centers of Russia. Here the branch of the domestic automotive industry began on the basis of the Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ). The museum, located on the territory of the enterprise's training center, shows visitors the history of the creation and development of the plant, from the laying of the first stone to the present day.
About the Museum
GAZ Museum (Nizhny Novgorod) was opened in 1965, almost forty years after the laying of the plant, when it became clear that the company had heroes and legendary products. At the suggestion of a group of veterans of the enterprise, the administration founded a museum with the original name "Museum of the History and Labor Glory of GAZ".
Exhibition halls occupy two floors in the training center of OAO GAZ. The beginning of the exposition is located on the second floor, here are sections dedicated to the history of the plant. An internal staircase leads tourists to the first floor, where the exhibits are breathtaking. The site housed the legendary cars produced by the company.
Carefully restored cars and trucks, as well as copies of military equipment, make upa unique collection that tourists from all over the country come to admire. Museum employees can tell more than one story about each exhibit, tell all the stages of creating each car model from the idea to launch into mass production. The GAZ Museum keeps many interesting facts.
The schedule of the expositions is tied to the working schedule of the plant, which is not very successful, but still gives a chance to visit it on Saturday from 9:00 to 16:00. Those who have more free time can arrange a visit during working hours on weekdays: Mon.-Thu. from 09:00-18:00, Fri. 09:00–16:00. Break: 11:30-12:30.
The first hall of the museum
In the first, upper hall of the exposition, materials about eighty years of the GAZ plant are collected. The museum carefully preserves on the stands information about the first builders of the future giant, tools of the first years of work, drawings of legendary cars and information about the outstanding people of the plant.
The exposition is divided into sections dedicated to periods in the life of the company in chronological order:
- Prewar period: 1929–1941. Reflects the period of construction, industrialization, the release of the first samples of mass automotive products.
- War Years: 1941–1945
- Restoration and expansion of production: 1945–1960
- Industry leader: 1960-1980
- Perestroika crisis: 1980–2000
- Recent history and perspectives: since 2000
On the stands of the hall you can see the awards received by the enterprise in different years, as signs of distinction and recognition. Hereis in eternal storage The banner of the State Defense Committee, the main prize received at the Brussels exhibition for executive class cars: GAZ-21 Volga, GAZ 52 Chaika. There are many other awards, for more than eighty years of development and activity, they have accumulated a lot.
Second Hall
The exhibition hall, which occupies the entire first floor, delights not only an avid car enthusiast, a child, but also a person who is far from a love of technology. Authentic GAZ cars are exhibited at the site. The museum carefully preserves the funds of retro cars and replenishes the collection with modern technology. Here are the best legendary products of the company.
In the hall you can see the legendary GAZ-AA civilian car, nicknamed the "one and a half". It was designed on the basis of a Ford car and was produced off the assembly line for almost twenty years, from 1932 to 1950. It is these machines that are present in the frames of films dedicated to the war. You can also see in detail the car with the ominous nickname "funnel", GAZ M-1, it was used by the NKVD.
Pobeda, the M-20 models with an all-metal body, the executive luxury car ZIM and the prototype of the UAZ - the Kozlik GAZ - 69 attract attention. The UAZ brand is also present in the hall, models of trucks of the past are also presented here and modernity, one can examine in detail the armored personnel carriers that are in service with the modern army, and many other representatives of the GAZ automotive industry. Museum in itswalls has collected and continues to replenish a unique collection of cars of his own brand.
Themed tours
GAZ Museum (Nizhny Novgorod) offers visitors group tours on the following topics:
- A big program called "History and development of GAZ". An hour and a half is devoted to an excursion into the history of the company, from the thirties of the last century to the present.
- "Cars and Their Creators", the tour lasts about fifty minutes, the main part takes place in the exhibition hall on the second floor, which displays the best collection of restored and working GAZ cars.
- Excursion "Hello, Museum!" - The program is aimed at younger students. In a playful way, young visitors are told about the history of the plant, and are also introduced to the basic concepts inherent in museum business, the rules of conduct in museum expositions. Tour duration 40 minutes.
- "How it all began", this tour is dedicated to the earliest years of the plant, the pre-war period of work and development. It lasts forty minutes and covers not only the processes that took place within the factory walls, but also the period of industrialization of the thirties in the USSR.
- The heroism of the Great Patriotic War was reflected in the tour "Everything for the front, everything for victory." The duration is 30 minutes and is dedicated to a separate stand on the ground floor with a demonstration of military equipment released for the front.
- Sightseeing tours aimed at all age categories: "FlagshipSoviet Automotive Industry" and "GAZ Museum". Dedicated to the history of the plant and the museum.
Funds
In addition to the documents and exhibits exhibited for review, the museum's funds contain a lot of historical materials. The treasury includes an extensive library, an archive of original documents, museum items and a list of primary sources documenting the company's history.
The memoirs of the plant's employees, received in different years and transferred to the GAZ museum, are waiting in the wings. The photographic materials also represent an extensive fund received by the employees from the chronicler of the life of the plant N. Dobrovolsky. Journalists, students, researchers and company administration use the museum's storerooms.
Lectures and enlightenment
In addition to the main activity developing in the profile direction, many events are held within the walls of the museum. Lectures are often given on the history of the country and the region, meetings with veterans are held. For more than a decade, the “School of a young local historian and guide” has been flourishing at the museum, whose students won prizes in various competitions for guides.
As part of the program for schoolchildren, classes are held covering the history of Nizhny Novgorod and its sights, interest in archeology and folk crafts is instilled. A lot of time is devoted to the culture of Russian speech, love for the native language is instilled.
Students and teachers of universities on the territory of the museum hold meetings with veterans of OAO GAZ, withdesigners who created the best brands of cars. Museum staff are actively working to digitize documents so that everyone has access to the necessary information. You can get acquainted with the schedule of lectures and other events by visiting the GAZ Museum. The opening hours include the opportunity to get acquainted with the expositions and programs on Saturdays from 9:00 to 16:00.
Corporate Museum
The tasks of the GAZ Museum are not only to preserve and replenish museum funds with exhibits from the past and present, but also to maintain the corporate image of the GAZ plant. The museum is the custodian of the company's traditions. As part of this type of activity, the employees of the organization conduct field events, prepare materials for television programs dedicated to the plant, and collect background information for the media.
Such an active position has made the museum world-famous. The number of visitors is growing and now has more than twenty thousand people a year. The main private tourists are guests from the countries of the former Soviet Union, foreigners most often visit the exposition as part of delegations. Since 1996, the GAZ Museum has been included in the catalog of European automobile museums.
Where is it
Museum halls are located in Nizhny Novgorod on Prospekt im. Lenina, 95. To get to the museum, you need to go up to the second floor of the factory's training center.
How does the GAZ Museum (Nizhny Novgorod) work? Working hours on weekdays from 9 am to 6 pmOn Fridays, the exposition is open until seventeen hours, and on Saturday until sixteen. Sunday is traditionally a day off for working enterprises and this museum. When planning the time, consider the daily break: from 11:30 to 12:30.
A visit to the GAZ Museum will leave vivid impressions on children and adults, the employees of the organization will tell a lot of new things, reveal facts from an unexpected angle, everyone will replenish their knowledge of the automotive industry and the history of the city.
