The Museum of Arms in Moscow (the official name is the Central Museum of the Armed Forces) is high-tech and attracts many people. Here it will be interesting not only to narrow-minded specialists studying small arms, but also to ordinary citizens who are interested in the history of their country.
Where is the museum located?
The Central Museum of the Armed Forces is a military historical museum located in the capital of Russia. You can find it at: street of the Soviet Army, building number 2.
In fact, the Museum of Small Arms in Moscow is the largest of these institutions in the world. It is subordinate to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and displays the entire history of the development of the Armed Forces of the country, from the moment of their formation to our time. The branch of this museum is the Zhukov memorial cabinet, which is located in the building of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces.
Back in 1919, the first weapons museum was founded in Moscow. Today it is located in a chic large building, which was designed by architect Boris Barkhin. In its new place, a historical museum dedicated to the Armed Forces of Russia was opened on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Great Victory - May 8, 1965.
Museum in brief
Combat banners and awards, various documents, old photographs, personal items of ordinary soldiers and, of course, small arms of different eras - all this can be seen by visiting the capital’s weapons museum. You can see a photo of one of his expositions below.
The general fund of the institution has more than 800 thousand exhibits. The Museum of Arms in Moscow constantly holds various thematic exhibitions. Moreover, not only at home, but also in other cities and regions of the country. In the museum itself, exhibitions are constantly operating, allocated according to the chronological principle:
- "Civil War".
- "The Armed Forces of Russia in the period 1921-1941."
- "The Great Patriotic War".
- "Armed Forces in the post-war period."
In addition, in 2008, a new exhibition was opened entitled "The Caucasus. Five days in August", dedicated to the conflict in South Ossetia.
Museum History
The idea to create a weapons museum in Moscow appeared in 1919, when the battles of the Civil War continued. However, this year the first exhibitions were organized. In 1922, the museum received its permanent residence permit - it was an old mansion on Kropotkin Street (today the museum of A. Pushkin is located there). However, in 1924 he was transferred to one of the buildings of the Military Academy, as the mansion simply did not have enough space for organizing expositions.
Museum staff actively worked during the Second World War. In total, they made at least twenty expeditions to the front, during which a huge number of priceless relics and documentary monuments were collected.
May 8, 1965 is an important date for the institution. On this day, the Museum of the Armed Forces received its new building on the street of the Soviet Army, where it is located today.
Museum of weapons in Moscow: excursions
The Central Museum of the Armed Forces is always waiting for its visitors. Its employees will gladly conduct a professional and interesting excursion for you. Visitors will learn all about the history and varieties of small arms.
The museum holds both general sightseeing tours and thematic ones. The cost of one such excursion for a group of 20 people is 2500 rubles (for schoolchildren and students) and 3000 rubles (for adults).
Of course, you can visit the museum without a guide. The cost of the admission ticket is 150 rubles (for students, schoolchildren and pensioners - half as much). In addition, on some of the days of the year, admission to the museum is absolutely free (May 9, April 18, May 18 and February 23).
Having familiarized yourself with the history of Russian small arms, you can visit a specific front-line restaurant located here. In it you can not only taste delicious dishes, but also experience the atmosphere of military life. Well, kids will really like it on the territory near the museum, where a grandiose exhibition of military equipment in the open air is organized. It collected 157 units of military vehicles. Among them are tanks of various modifications, military helicopters, modern missiles, air defense systems and so on.
The Museum of Weapons also has souvenir stalls where you can buy a small copy of some military vehicle, military literature, and other interesting things as a keepsake.
Victory Banner
Perhaps the main relic stored in this museum is the very Victory Banner, which was erected by Soviet soldiers on the roof of the captured Reichstag. Today it is an unofficial symbol of victory in World War II, and is a red cloth measuring 188 by 82 centimeters, which depicts the main symbols of the Soviet Union - a sickle and a hammer, as well as a five-pointed star.
The banner on the roof of the German Reichstag was hoisted by three Soviet soldiers - Russian Mikhail Egorov, Ukrainian Alexei Berest and Georgian Meliton Kantaria. This event occurred on the first of May 1945 at 3 a.m.
