Significant buildings for the Russian capital - the Bolshoi Theater, St. Basil's Cathedral and others, hide many secrets. To reveal them, as well as to introduce Muscovites to the history of famous buildings of the city, the architectural museum sets itself the task. Schuseva. An exhibition in this museum is always a real celebration for true connoisseurs of architectural art.
A place where architecture comes to life
The Shchusev State Museum is the only museum institution of such subjects in the whole world. It is difficult to believe in this, but about one million (!) Various exhibits are stored in its funds related to both the general chronology of the capital’s development and the history of its individual buildings.
Alas, in order to accommodate this huge exhibition, exhibition space is simply not enough. Therefore, the Shchusev Museum currently holds only temporary thematic exhibitions. The most interesting and creative of them are most often organized in a wing called “Ruin”.
The main activities of this unusual museum at the moment are the following:
- active research in the field of architecture, urbanism and urban planning;
- building up museum funds with new exhibits;
- organization and holding of temporary expositions, thematic exhibitions, as well as various excursions;
- restoration activities.
The Shchusev Museum is where architecture comes to life. From a gray and faceless mass of stone, it suddenly turns into a true entity that can tell its visitors a lot.
At various times, very worthy personalities headed the Schusev architectural museum. The director of the institution today is Irina Korobina, Ph.D. in architecture. Since 2010, she has been actively involved in the development of this institution. But his 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 Schusev Architectural Museum is named after the outstanding architect - Alexei Shchusev.
He was born in 1873, in the sunny city of Chisinau (now the territory of Moldova). His work as an architect was evaluated by four Stalin Prizes. His teachers at one time were Leonty Benoit 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 of the buildings designed later by Shchusev, you can clearly see that it was this trip that left a big imprint on all his work.
Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Constructivism, Neoclassic - the famous architect managed to work in all these styles. He began his career with the restoration of the 12th century church in the town of Ovruch (today the territory of Ukraine). Among the most famous works of Shchusev are the building of the Kazan 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.
The foundation of the architectural museum
At the end of the 19th century, the idea to create a similar institution arose in the cultural circles of Moscow. It was during this period that the residents of the capital began to appreciate the architectural heritage that surrounded them.
But this great idea was already embodied in the days of the USSR. Museum of Architecture Schuseva was founded in 1934 on the basis of the Donskoy Monastery. At the same time, the Academy of Architecture of the Soviet Union arose.
However, all these plans were violated by the Great Patriotic War. And the Shchusev Museum was born again only in 1945, at its end. The initiator of this birth was just Alexei Shchusev. However, he saw the goals of the revived museum in a slightly different way.
Museum of Architecture Shchuseva: from the 40s to the present day
According to Schusev, the new museum was not supposed to become the basis for the work of only a narrow circle of specialists. From now on, his goal was the popularization of knowledge in the field of architecture, urban planning, and urban studies. Employees of the institution were required to convey this knowledge in a simple and accessible form to a wide range of ordinary Soviet citizens. This is how the first director saw the Shchusev Museum.
In the 60s, the museum changed its registration by placing its expositions in the old Talyzin estate on Vozdvizhenka. Not the best period for the institution began with the advent of the 90s. Buildings of the Donskoy Monastery were taken 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.
Shchusev Museum: address and opening hours
The museum is located on Vozdvizhenka street, in a massive three-story building at number 5. It works every day, except Mondays, from 11 am to 8 pm. An additional reservation is required to visit the scientific library or museum archive.
250 rubles - this is the price of admission 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 specialties, have the right to free admission.
Excursion and lecture activities of the Museum. Schuseva
The institution conducts active lecture and excursion activities. All educational events are organized in the museum by the best specialists in this field. It is interesting that the lecture hall of the Shchusev Museum was founded back in 1934 and operated even during the war years. Today it is located in the outhouse "Ruin", which accommodates up to hundreds of visitors.
The lectures in the museum not only talk about specific architectural styles or the stories of the construction of individual buildings. It also regularly hosts meetings with famous contemporary architects - Russian and foreign. The variety of lecture courses of the museum 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 live in touch with the architectural history of Moscow.
As a rule, such excursions are conducted by museum staff - experienced guides - on weekends, so that everyone can get to them. The cost of such an excursion for one person is 300 rubles (150 rubles for students and senior citizens).
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 the construction of the Moscow metro.
Melnikov House - an unusual branch of the Shchusev Museum
Melnikov’s mansion today is a branch of the architectural museum. Schuseva. This is a unique building in architecture, once owned by the family of the famous Moscow architect Viktor Melnikov. He built this house in the 1920s in the style of avant-garde.
Melnikov’s mansion is two large cylinders with different heights. At the same time, parts of the building (cylinders) are cut into each other. The building, built by Victor Melnikov, is absolutely justly included in the list of the most unusual structures of the capital.
Melnikov House became a branch of the Shchusev Museum in 2014. However, this process was accompanied by a scandal and a lengthy lawsuit between government agencies and the heirs of the architect who built the house.
