St. Petersburg is the cultural capital of Russia, with more than one hundred museums. The city has unique exhibitions and collections. Especially popular are various museums for children. In St. Petersburg you can visit the exhibition for every taste. But not all tourists, and city dwellers, know where to look for them. What interesting museums in St. Petersburg can I go with my child? What does the cultural capital offer guests? Do free museums work? More about this later in the article.
General information
Museums of St. Petersburg are both “classic” and quite “unusual” exhibitions. The latter include, for example, “Planet of dinosaurs”, “Clever man” and others. The list of places to visit is quite extensive, some of them are free. Museums in the cultural capital offer to see collections on the history of artillery and engineering, ethnography and the peoples of Russia, railway transport.
The city has a unique exhibition center, where a grand layout of Russia is presented. Museums in St. Petersburg such as the World of Tropical Butterflies, the Republic of Cats, or the Retro Art Exhibition are also popular. In addition, the city on the Neva is distinguished by its long-standing maritime traditions. The Naval Museum is open in St. Petersburg, guests and residents can visit the cruisers (Aurora and Standard), a submarine and an icebreaker.
Modern entertainment and educational centers
What are some interesting museums for children? The city has interactive exhibitions. As you know, children love outdoor games, run, play. They are interested in enough detail in everything, studying these or those subjects in detail. Interactive museums for children provide an opportunity to expand the horizons of kids. The study is carried out in a playful way. These museums of St. Petersburg will introduce the child to unique exhibits, rare finds. For each age group, appropriate cognitive programs have been developed. Having visited interesting museums in St. Petersburg, the child begins to better understand the world around him.
"Dinosaur Planet"
This is a unique museum for children. St. Petersburg is generally distinguished by the variety of such unusual cultural places. "Dinosaur Planet" is an exhibition of wax moving figures that recreate the images of ancient animals that inhabited the Earth. Exhibits are presented in four rooms. With animal figures you can take a picture. The exhibition allows you to get to know better the ancestors of modern animals, to learn their habits and habits, lifestyle. The organizers managed to recreate copies of dinosaurs from small to large in their actual size. The interiors of the exhibition halls convey the atmosphere of a real Jurassic park.
Grand layout of Russia
This is a unique museum for children. St. Petersburg is the only city in Russia where you can see a reduced copy of the country. It should be said at the same time that this is not just a model, it is in the full sense a living state. On the copy you can see moving trains, cars, people. The state model changes its appearance in accordance with the time of day and year, the situation, and events. An exact copy of Russia occupies 800 square meters. m. This is the result of the hard work of the creators, who recreated the views of the state to the smallest detail.
The layout shows the most significant places in Russia from Kaliningrad to the Far East. Reconstructed parts from improvised tools. Children enthusiastically look at this large-scale "toy". Today, the layout is not completed, but many plots (buildings, infrastructure, structures) of such cities as, for example, Magadan, Vladivostok, Moscow, Kaliningrad are embodied. The Grand Museum is a unique place, one of the attractions of the city on the Neva and a country that has no analogues.
Zoological Museum for Children
St. Petersburg is primarily a city of history, ancient buildings. One of these is the building where the customs warehouse used to be. Since 1896, this building was transferred to the Zoological Museum, which is one of the oldest in Europe. In 2012, he celebrated his 180th birthday. The museum was founded by Peter the Great. It was he who brought the first exhibits from Holland. In 1714, Peter ordered the founding of the Kunstkamera in the Summer Palace. Subsequently, the Academy of Sciences was created on its basis. Over time, due to the strong increase in the number of exhibits, the entire collection was divided.
The opening of the Zoological Museum itself took place in 1832. To date, it has collected more than 15 million historical units. The rarest exhibits include the skeleton and stuffed mammoth, southern elephant, whale, and wild camel. One of the oldest are stuffed dogs and Peter's horses. The first place, nevertheless, by right among the exhibits belongs to a stuffed mammoth. It was discovered in 1900 in fairly good condition. Scientists were able to restore in detail the appearance of the animal, mount it in the same position in which it was found.
Antarctic and Arctic exhibits
This is the only place in Russia where you can get acquainted with the theme of the North, its history. This is not just a museum, but a unique storehouse of research and meetings of polar scientists, including the discoverers of this area. The Arctic Institute was founded in 1930. Under him, a museum was formed. At the same time, studies of the polar regions began. In September 1938, the first exposition opened, which was dedicated to the activities of polar explorers from the North Pole-1 (drifting station).
In 1958, the Antarctic Division opened. Due to expansion, the museum separated from the institute and became an independent independent institution. Today, the exhibition has three departments. Among the most unique and valuable collections, household items of the Pomors living in the first half of the 17th century, finds of decorative-applied, fine art, household items and clothes, and others should be highlighted.
The museum was originally erected for the needs of the church. The architect was Alexander Melnikov. In 1934-1936, in accordance with the project of Sivkov, the room was reconstructed. Today, the Antarctic and Arctic Museum presents about one hundred thousand exhibits. Among the objects exhibited in the halls, you can see printed and cartographic sources, expeditionary equipment and devices, photo documents, archival information.
Puppet Museum for children
St. Petersburg is a rich cultural city. Coming here, you should definitely visit a unique exhibition of dolls. The museum was established in 1998. Based on several private collections. Today, expositions are replenished with antique and modern author's dolls. At present, about 5000 exhibits are presented. Among them there are fabulous, ethnographic and folkloric heroes.
The museum has eight halls. Each of them has a dedicated theme. So, for example, there is a hall of eastern Slavic dolls dedicated to traditional Russian rites and executed according to ethnographic models. There is also a hall of literary characters, a hall of the "kingdom of the forest." All exhibits of the museum are copyright works of not only modern, but also artists who lived in past centuries.
The theater hall has a carnival atmosphere. Here are a variety of masks, accessories and other items. In addition, the museum has opened workshops on the creation of dolls for children and adults. A special part of the exposition is made up of textile collages, masks and other objects made by students of the Academy of Theater Arts. It should be noted that cooperation with this institution contributed to the development of the principle of exhibiting in exhibitions. When arranging the windows, in particular, some kind of theatrical stage is used, where the puppet characters go out. This creates a peculiar effect, immersing the audience in a magical atmosphere. The museum also makes custom-made dolls.
"Clever"
This is a modern museum for children. St. Petersburg is a city that is constantly evolving. Every year, constantly opening new entertainment and training centers. Umnikum is a unique complex located in the center of the cultural capital. This and other natural science museums in St. Petersburg for children offer a completely new approach to the study of physics, mathematics and other school disciplines. Professional animation guides will easily and quite affordable tell visitors about thermal phenomena, the properties of liquids, and other important processes occurring on the planet and beyond. In "Umnikum" with the help of experiments, the device of the surrounding world is clearly shown.
"Menagerie of little animals"
This small zoo was organized in Toksovo. Here is a fairy tale not only for animals, but also for children and adults. Guests travel with a storyteller. He shows them the “Menagerie”, talks about life in the forest of birds and animals, their fate. Along with this, children are invited to chat directly with animals, stroke them, and feed them. The programs of the Museum "Tales of the Forest" are designed for children from adolescence to very young age. Here you can also celebrate any holiday, birthday, family celebration. All programs are in some ways a journey to another world. It is inhabited by robbers and sages, filled with trials and adventures, it is inhabited by various unusual animals that are friends with people.
On the Swamp
In the museum on Bolotnaya the project "The Gaidaric Country" is working. Here, children from 10 to 13 years old can be in the headquarters of Timur from the book of Gaidar. The project is located in the attic. Here visitors are invited to go through the game route, during which the accident at the Kirov plant will be eliminated, then they will make a flight through the Arctic, save the Papanin. After completing all the tasks, you will need to run upstairs and open Timur’s cache. In it, participants will find the keys. Each of them will go to one box or box, opening which the child will find a message from the works of Gaidar.