Nizhny Novgorod is one of the most powerful industrial centers in Russia. Here the domestic automobile industry on the basis of the Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ) got its start. The museum, located on the territory of the training center of the enterprise, shows visitors the history of the creation and development of the plant, from the foundation stone to the present day.
About the museum
The GAZ Museum (Nizhny Novgorod) was opened in 1965, almost forty years after the foundation of the plant, when it became clear that the company has heroes and products that have become legendary. With the filing 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 GAZ OJSC. The beginning of the exposition is on the second floor, sections on the history of the plant are presented here. An internal staircase leads tourists to the first floor, where the exhibits are breathtaking. The site housed the legendary cars produced at the enterprise.
Carefully restored cars and trucks, as well as copies of military equipment, make up a unique collection, which tourists come from all over the country 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 the start of mass production. GAZ Museum holds many interesting facts.
The work schedule of the expositions is tied to the work 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 visits 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 stores at 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 outstanding people of the plant.
The exposition is divided into sections devoted to periods in the life of the company in chronological order:
- The pre-war period: 1929-1941. Reflects the period of construction, industrialization, release of the first samples of mass automotive products.
- Years of the war: 1941–1945
- Recovery and expansion of production: 1945–1960
- Industry Leader: 1960-1980
- Perestroika crisis: 1980–2000
- Recent history and prospects: since 2000
At the stands of the hall you can see the awards received by the enterprise in different years, as insignia and recognition. The banner of the State Defense Committee, the main prize received at the Brussels exhibition for executive cars: GAZ-21 Volga, GAZ 52 Chaika, is in eternal storage here. 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 the avid car enthusiast, a child, but also a person who is far from a love of technology. Authentic GAZ cars are exhibited on 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 car brand GAZ-AA civilian, nicknamed the "one and a half." It was designed on the basis of a Ford brand automobile and was produced off the assembly line for almost twenty years, from 1932 to 1950. These machines are present in the frames of films devoted to the war. You can also examine in detail the car with the ominous nickname "funnel", GAZ M-1, it was used by the NKVD.
The “Victory”, M-20 models with an all-metal body, representative luxury car ZIM and the prototype “UAZ” - “Kozlik” GAZ - 69 attract attention. UAZ brand is also present in the hall, models of trucks of the past and the present are immediately presented in for details consider armored personnel carriers that are in service with the modern army, and many other representatives of the GAZ automobile industry. The museum has assembled and continues to replenish a unique collection of cars of its own brand within its walls.
Themed Tours
GAZ Museum (Nizhny Novgorod) offers visitors group excursions on the following topics:
- A large program called "The history and development of GAZ." An hour and a half is devoted to an excursion into the history of the company, starting 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 of the second floor, which presents the best collection of restored and in working condition GAZ cars.
- Excursion "Hello, Museum!" - The program is aimed at primary school students. In a playful way, young visitors are told about the history of the plant, as well as acquainted with the basic concepts inherent in museum business, the rules of conduct in museum displays. The duration of the tour is 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 illuminates not only the processes that took place within the factory walls, but also the period of the industrialization of the thirties in the USSR.
- The heroism of the Great Patriotic War was reflected in the excursion “Everything for the Front, Everything for the Victory”. The duration is 30 minutes and is dedicated to a separate stand on the ground floor with a demonstration of military equipment issued for the front.
- Sightseeing tours focused on all age categories: “The flagship of the Soviet automobile industry” and “GAZ Museum”. Dedicated to the history of the plant and museum.
Funds
In addition to the documents and exhibits exhibited for acquaintance, the museum funds contain many historical materials. The treasury includes an extensive library, an archive of genuine documentation, museum items and a list of primary sources documenting the history of the enterprise.
The memoirs of the plant employees received in different years and transferred to the GAZ museum are waiting in the wings. Photographic materials also represent an extensive fund received by employees from the chronicler of the life of the plant N. Dobrovolsky. Museum reserves are used by journalists, students, researchers and company management.
Lecture and enlightenment
In addition to the main activity developing in the profile direction, many events are held within the walls of the museum. Often lectures are given on the history of the country and the region, meetings are held with veterans. For more than a decade, the “School of a young local historian and guide” has flourished at the museum, whose students won prizes at various competitions of tour guides.
As part of the program, schoolchildren conduct classes covering the history of Nizhny Novgorod and its attractions, instill interest in archeology and folk crafts. A lot of time is devoted to the culture of Russian speech, the love of the native language is inculcated.
Students and university professors in the museum hold meetings with veterans of GAZ OJSC, with designers who created the best car brands. Museum employees are actively working on the digitization of documents so that everyone has access to the necessary information. You can see the schedule of lectures and other events by visiting the GAZ Museum. The work schedule includes the opportunity to view 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 collections with exhibits from the past and present, but also to maintain the corporate image of the GAZ plant. The museum is the keeper of the company's traditions. As part of this type of activity, organization employees conduct field events, prepare materials for television programs on the plant, and gather background information for the media.
Such an active position made the museum world-famous. The number of visitors is growing and now totals more than twenty thousand people a year. The main private sightseers are guests from the countries of the former Union, foreigners most often visit the exposition as part of delegations. Since 1996, the GAZ Museum has been on the list of the catalog of automobile museums in Europe.
