Significant buildings for the Russian capital - the Bolshoi Theatre, St. Basil's Cathedral and others - hide many secrets. To reveal them, as well as to acquaint Muscovites with the history of the famous buildings of the city, the task of the architectural museum named after. Shchusev. An exhibition in this museum is always a real treat for true connoisseurs of architectural art.
A place where architecture comes alive
The Shchusev State Museum is the only museum institution of this kind in the world. It's hard to believe it, but its funds contain about a million (!) Various exhibits related both to the general chronology of the development of the capital and to the history of its individual buildings.
Alas, in order to accommodate all this huge exposition, there are simply not enough exhibition spaces. Therefore, the Shchusev Museum currently holds only temporary thematic exhibitions. The most interesting and creative of them are most often organized in the wing called "Ruin".
The main activities of this unusual museum at the moment are the following:
- active scientific research in the field of architecture, urbanism and urban planning;
- increasing the museum's funds with new exhibits;
- organization and holding of temporary exhibitions, thematic exhibitions, as well as various excursions;
- restoration activities.
The Shchusev Museum is the place where architecture comes to life. From a gray and featureless mass of stone, it suddenly turns into a genuine entity that can tell its visitors about a lot.
Very worthy personalities at different times headed the Shchusev architectural museum. The director of the institution today is Irina Korobina, Candidate of Science in Architecture. Since 2010, she has been actively involved in the development of this institution. But its first director was Alexei Shchusev, a talented Soviet architect. This person should be given special attention in our article.
About the founder of the museum
The Shchusev Museum of Architecture is named after the outstanding architect Alexei Viktorovich Shchusev.
He was born in 1873, in the sunny city of Chisinau (now the territory of Moldova). His activity as an architect was evaluated by four Stalin Prizes. His teachers at one time were Leonty Benois and Ilya Repin.
In his youth, Shchusev took part in an archaeological expedition to Samarkand, where he studied the architectural features of the city. If you look at many buildings,designed later by Shchusev, one can clearly see that it was this trip that left a big imprint on all his work.
Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Constructivism, Neoclassicism - the famous architect managed to work in all these styles. He began his career with the restoration of the church of the XII century in the town of Ovruch (today the territory of Ukraine). Among the most famous works of Shchusev are the building of the Kazan railway station, the project of the Mausoleum for Lenin, the theater in Tashkent and many others. In addition, Alexei Shchusev was also involved in the development of projects for the restoration of Soviet cities after the war. We are talking about Veliky Novgorod, Chisinau and Tuapse.
Foundation of the Architectural Museum
Even at the end of the 19th century, the idea arose in the cultural circles of Moscow to create a similar institution. It was during this period that the inhabitants of the capital began to appreciate the architectural heritage that surrounded them.
But this great idea was implemented already in the days of the USSR. Architectural Museum. Shchusev was founded in 1934 on the basis of the Donskoy Monastery. At the same time, the Academy of Architecture of the Soviet Union was founded.
However, all these plans were violated by the Great Patriotic War. And the Shchusev Museum was reborn only in 1945, after its completion. The initiator of this birth was just Alexey Shchusev. However, he saw the goals of the revived museum somewhat differently.
Architectural Museum. Shchuseva: from the 40s to the present day
According to Shchusev, the new museum should not have become the base for the work of only a narrowcircle of specialists. From now on, its goal was to popularize knowledge in the field of architecture, urban planning, and urban studies. The employees of the institution were obliged to convey this knowledge in a simple and accessible form to a wide range of ordinary Soviet citizens. This is how the first director of the Shchusev Museum saw it.
In the 60s, the museum changed its residence, placing its expositions in the old estate of the Talyzins, on Vozdvizhenka. Not the best period for the institution began with the advent of the 90s. The buildings of the Donskoy Monastery were taken away from the museum. Thus, there was simply nowhere to place a huge collection of exhibits. By the way, this problem of the museum has not been solved so far. The institution continues to be located in the Talyzin estate, the building of which has long been in need of major repairs.
Schusev Museum: address and opening hours
The museum is located on Vozdvizhenka Street, in a massive three-story building at number 5. It is open every day, except Monday, from 11 am to 8 pm. Additional pre-registration is required to visit the Science Library or Museum Archives.
250 rubles - this is the price of an entrance ticket to this museum today. However, for pensioners and students, a ticket will cost only 100 rubles. Schoolchildren, employees of other museums in the country, as well as students of architectural speci alties have the right to free admission.
Excursion and lecture activities of the Museum. Shchuseva
The institution conducts an active lecture-excursion activity. All educational events are organized in the museum by the best specialists in this field. Interestingly, the lecture hall of the Shchusev Museum was founded in 1934 and operated even during the war years. Today it is located in the "Ruina" wing, which accommodates up to a hundred visitors.
Lectures at the museum do more than just talk about specific architectural styles or stories about the construction of individual buildings. It also regularly hosts meetings with famous modern architects - Russian and foreign. The variety of the museum's lecture courses is huge: their programs can be found in detail on the institution's website.
In addition to lectures, the museum also conducts regular city tours for those who wish to touch the architectural history of Moscow live.
As a rule, such excursions are conducted by museum staff - experienced guides - on weekends, so that everyone can get on them. The cost of such an excursion for one person is 300 rubles (150 rubles for students and pensioners).
The Shchusev Museum is constantly expanding its arsenal of possible excursions. However, the most popular among Muscovites and guests of the capital are those associated with the avant-garde architecture of the Arbat or with the construction of the Moscow metro.
Melnikov's House - an unusual branch of the Shchusev Museum
Melnikov's mansion today is a branch of the architectural museum. Shchusev. This building, unique in its architecture, once belonged to the family of the famousMoscow architect Viktor Melnikov. He built this house in the 1920s in the avant-garde style.
Melnikov's mansion consists of two large cylinders with different heights. In this case, the parts of the building (cylinders) are embedded into each other. The building, built by Viktor Melnikov, is absolutely rightly ranked among the most unusual buildings in the capital.
The Melnikov House became a branch of the Shchusev Museum in 2014. However, this process was accompanied by a loud scandal and lengthy litigation between government agencies and the heirs of the architect who built the house.
In conclusion…
In Moscow there is a museum, which has no analogues in the whole world. This is the architectural museum named after Alexei Shchusev, which was founded back in 1934. Despite all the problems and difficulties, it still works today, gathering around itself true admirers of architectural art.
