Verkhnyaya Pyshma is a satellite city to the Ural capital of Yekaterinburg, located to the north of it. Founded three centuries ago, the city of Verkhnyaya Pyshma after the Great Patriotic War is the concentration of several large industrial enterprises, as well as the base city of the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company (UMMC).
But recently, Verkhnyaya Pyshma is also known for its magnificent museum complex of military and civilian equipment, designed to give honor and eternal memory to the heroes of our country.
How the Museum of “Military Glory of the Urals” was created
The opening of the museum of military equipment in Pyshma is considered 2005, May 9.
The museum is located on the territory of the Uralelectromed plant, or rather, at the central entrance of this plant, next to the Cranes memorial site.
At the proposal of several active war veterans to the leadership of the UMMC on the creation of a memorial complex in honor of the factory workers who died during the war, the UMMC-Holding and Uralelectromed JSC, with the support of the Military Council of the Volga-Urals District, acquired the first models of military equipment.
So the idea arose of creating an open-air museum of military equipment in Pyshma. Gradually new copies of military equipment appeared, and exactly one year later, on May 9, the open-air museum complex was solemnly opened.
The pearl of the UMMC. Museum of military equipment of Verkhnyaya Pyshma
Finding more and more copies of various types of vehicles and equipment, both military and peaceful, the Museum of “Military Glory of the Urals” has become one of the largest among such museums not only in the Ural region, but also in Russia as a whole.
Huge open-air squares in the Pyshma Museum of Military Equipment are systematized into thematic podiums. Each site deserves a detailed, careful study. Here are the podiums of post-war and WWII technology, such as artillery, armored vehicles, naval equipment, self-propelled artillery installations, engineering equipment, marine artillery, rocket launchers, multiple launch rocket systems, railway equipment and much more.
Automotive Engineering
Not so long ago, in April 2016, on the basis of the military equipment museum in Pyshma, the opening of the museum of automotive equipment took place.
The museum exposition includes more than two hundred units of various vehicles, most of which are from the collection of Soviet cars of the UMMC museum of military equipment. According to the presented exhibits, one can trace the entire history of the development of the domestic automobile industry. Here you will see Soviet cars of both mass production and small-scale models, and some specimens are rare rarities.
In addition to Soviet cars, the museum presents rare specimens of foreign motor vehicles that served as the prototype of some Soviet cars. The museum collection also presents motorcycles of domestic and foreign production. Unique motorcycles since the war of 1914-1918 deserve special attention. Purchased abroad, these motorcycles served in the army of Soviet Russia.
Also part of the exhibition is sports equipment, presented by racing cars and sports motorcycles. A representative of air transport is also considered an equally amazing exhibit - a biplane of the early twentieth century, a high-speed pleasure boat, bicycles and much more.
Exhibition Pavilion
In addition to open podiums, the Museum of Military Equipment in Pyshma offers to visit a three-story exhibition center, built specifically for cars, equipment and other items of the collection that can not tolerate temperature extremes and require careful treatment.
The pavilion building, built in the neoclassical style, or, as this style is also called, the Stalinist empire, is designed to bring the distant military era of the middle of the twentieth century with its design and interior.
For students to visit the historical museum, interactive excursions are provided, during which the historical events of our homeland are graphically presented. These excursions are an integral part of the education of patriotism and a sense of duty to the heroic generation of that time.
On 7 thousand square meters of the exhibition center, there are several thousand unique museum exhibits devoted to various topics (from military equipment and aviation, to insignia and military hats).
Story floors
Visiting the exhibition center is recommended to start from the first floor. Cars of various purposes are presented here - these are medical, military, generals, cars, trucks, chefs, and even amphibious floating cars.
The second floor is devoted to the history of the creation of domestic cars mainly after the war. In addition to cars, there are also a variety of motorcycles, scooters and scooters.
On the third floor there is an exposition telling about the history of Russian military awards, the history of military uniforms and small arms. Some exhibits are not in the museum’s collection, but their models can be seen here with the help of special holographic installations. There is also a photo of exhibits of various ancient equipment in Pyshma (Museum of Military Equipment). And on the third floor there is a great view on the mock-ups of aircraft located under a glass roof.
Of course, a visit to the exhibition center will be several times more interesting if you are guided by a tour and tell about the exhibits.
Railway
In total, within one year, the museum’s exposition expanded on the territory of the museum with the efforts of the museum staff and with the help of the Sverdlovsk Railway . In 2015, on the Victory Day, its opening took place.
At the station there are five trains with such rolling stock as passenger cars, heating cars, tanks, two- and four-axle platforms and armored vehicles with a railway track.
The railway exposition recreated from the photographs is a full-size model of the Uzlovaya station. Here you can see the main elements of railway equipment more than half a century ago, namely a water tower, water columns, cranes for loading coal.
Railway workers took an active part in filling the museum collection with railway exhibits, many of which are rare, as well as in their delivery.
Museum of military equipment in Verkhnyaya Pyshma. How to get there?
To visit this magnificent museum complex, it is best to come to Yekaterinburg. There are practically no borders between cities. The borders of Yekaterinburg smoothly flow into the borders of Verkhnyaya Pyshma.
Located in Verkhnyaya Pyshma Museum of military equipment at the following address: Alexandra Kozitsyna Street, 2. If you get from Ekaterinburg by public transport, you need to take the shuttle bus 111 or 111a from the metro station Prospekt Kosmonavtov, go to the Metallurgov stop or as it is now called - "Museum of military equipment."
Getting to the museum by car is even easier - leaving Kosmonavtov Avenue for Serovskiy Trakt, which, following the road sign, will take you to Verkhnyaya Pyshma in 15-20 minutes. The parking area of the museum is designed for more than 200 parking spaces, so there should be no difficulties with parking.
The museum in Pyshma military equipment, whose working hours are five days (working days: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and weekends - Monday and Tuesday), is open from 10.00 to 18.00.
Please note that the automotive technology museum is located on the territory of the Uralelectromed plant. For those who wish to visit it, special free buses run from the open area of the museum.
Additional types of entertainment
The museum offers unusual entertainment at the most modern level. For example, in a laser shooting range you can feel like a shooter and try different types of weapons.
Tank simulators will help you feel like a tanker no worse than in a famous computer game. In special 5D simulators, even cadets of tank schools study.
In an organized modeling circle, younger museum visitors can model their own self-propelled guns and armored vehicles.
There are cafes in the museum, and in the warmer months you can even try military porridge.
You can and even need to come to the Museum of Military Equipment more than once. Each time looking at exhibits that are regularly updated, you can find out their special story, which is closely intertwined with the history of our country. The variety and abundance of cars is so great that it can impress even a demanding visitor, not to mention children. By the way, this museum was created just for them - for the future generation.