The airborne troops, or abbreviated Airborne Forces, have become a real symbol of Russian valor, courage and courage. The Airborne Forces are often associated with vests and berets, as well as bathing healthy men in city fountains during the celebration of the same day. However, over time, the Airborne Forces Museum in Ryazan was added to this collective image. What is this attraction? What's so special about her? And what is the history of its origin?
Idea to create a museum
The idea of creating such a unique place in Ryazan came up with the famous ancestor and one of the first army commanders Vasily Filippovich Margelov. At that time, the general took command of the armed landing forces, highlighting their incredible reaction speed, mobility and a high level of technical equipment.
Thanks to him, not only the Museum of the History of the Airborne Forces in Ryazan was created, but also the beginning of the mass production of such military equipment as heavy landing equipment, delivery vehicles and soldiers. However, the decision to organize a museum of memory and history of the airborne troops belonged to the former Soviet Marshal A. A. Grechko.
When did the museum open?
The official opening of the world's only Airborne Museum in Ryazan took place at the end of July 1972. Interestingly, this date was not chosen by chance. It is it that is directly related to the first day of graduation of cadets of the Ryazan specialized school of airborne forces. By the way, this educational institution works today.
Where is the museum building located?
The Airborne Forces Museum in Ryazan is located in the room where the theological seminary used to be. Previously, it could be found on Seminarskaya Street. If we talk about the legal address, then it speaks of Margelov Square. As you can see, the name of the square is directly related to the name of the general who took an active part in the opening of the museum.
So, the exact address of the Airborne Museum in Ryazan: pl. Margelova, house 1. However, the museum also has branches in which there are completely different thematic halls of the museum. So, the Historical and Memorial Hall of military equipment and weapons of the Airborne Forces is located at: st. 12. Military motorists. There is also another historical and memorial hall with a large fleet of military equipment. In the same building, everyone can visit the Historical and Memorial Hall of Control and Communications of the Airborne Forces.
How to get to the museum?
You can get to the museum on trolleybuses under the numbers: 1, 3, 5, 6 and 10. City buses with numbers: 1, 11, 5, 13, 7 and 17 also go here. If you wish, you can use the services of minibuses that reach stops "Children's World", "Gorky Library" and "Lenin Square".
Opening hours of the Airborne Museum in Ryazan
Everyone can visit the museum, including locals and visitors. You can come here any day of the week. The doors of the museum are open from 10 am to five in the evening. However, you should not come here from 13:00 to 14:00: you run the risk of getting on a lunch break. The same goes for every second Tuesday of the month. At this time, the museum holds a sanitary day. Every second Wednesday of the month the museum organizes an open day for university students and children under 18 years of age.
What relics are presented in the museum?
The Airborne Museum in Ryazan presents a lot of interesting exhibits. Among them there are photographs, documents, newspaper clippings, uniforms, medals and other awards, weapons of different times. All exhibits help to get an accurate idea of the history of the formation and development of the Airborne Forces.
What can I learn during the tour?
During an excursion to the Museum of Airborne Forces in Ryazan, you can learn not only the history of the emergence of this type of troops and the building itself. There are many interesting exhibits that clearly show and talk about the following main points:
- the important role of paratroopers during the Great Patriotic War;
- the first paratroopers jumping from a parachute;
- the first combat vehicles with a crew;
- Russian landing at the North Pole;
- interesting facts about paratroopers.
Also during the tour it is quite possible to learn an entertaining story related to the second, playful decoding of the abbreviation. As it turned out, the airborne forces also stands for "Uncle Vasya’s troops."
Cinema hall of the museum and its features
In addition to spacious halls, the museum has a large auditorium. It shows historically significant films that clearly demonstrate the activities of paratroopers at different times. For example, while watching such documentaries you can see footage from peacekeeping missions held in Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Abkhazia. There are also interesting tapes about the events of the Great Patriotic War.
How many halls are there in the museum?
Starting from the moment of opening and up to 2016, new halls appeared in the museum. Currently, the museum complex has 7 large halls. Each room has its own exhibits, including samples of small arms, equipment and details of real landing parachutes.
However, in addition to these seven, the museum has 9 more rooms. All of them are located in different regions of the city. The largest of them is automobile. Here you can see in detail the most famous civil and military equipment in the Russian Federation.
Museum virtual tour
Recently, a virtual tour of the museum has appeared on one of the sites of the popular company that is engaged in 3D modeling. Thanks to this service, everyone can get to know the expositions and halls of the museum, see a variety of military equipment, and visit the cabins of unique objects. And all this without leaving your own home.
