St. Petersburg is known to all for its wonderful museums. One of the old and interesting is the Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation, which is located in the very center of the northern capital. The exhibition of this technical museum is dedicated to railways, trains, railways and in general everything related to this type of transport.
A bit of history
The Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation was founded in 1813 by Augustin Augustinovich Betancourt. At the Institute of the Corps of Railway Engineers , a separate room was opened in which models of railway cars and steam locomotives were stored. It was located in the former palace of Prince Yusupov, on the banks of the Fontanka River. Every year, 5000 rubles were allocated for the needs of this "special" hall. With these funds, small models and devices, various layouts were purchased abroad and manufactured in Russia. Some of them were made in the workshops of the institute itself.
The rector of the institute A. A. Betancourt took an active part in creating the exposition of the railway transport museum. There are projects that were his authorship. The collection has grown significantly during this time, so in 1823 it was transferred to another building, the hall grew into a museum, to which the caretaker was assigned. Located on Obukhov Avenue, the museum occupied two wings, but the exposition was so large that there was not enough space there.
During this period of history, railroad transport developed rapidly around the world, so that the railway museum collection was replenished with copies from America and Western Europe. In the winter of 1851, all exhibits were moved to a new building, which was located on the first floor of the main building of the institute. All models and models were placed in specially made coasters and cabinets made to order by mahogany craftsmen. For storing models purchased beautiful glass cases.
For the needs of the institute, in order to educate students, a decree was issued in 1859, which ordered all organizations to send their models and drawings of the structures of railway facilities to the museum. Visitors could see the collection only in 1862.
Moving to a new building
The decision to build a new building, specially designed for the collected large collection of technical exhibits, was made during the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Emperor Nicholas I. The Minister of Railways M.I. Khilkov raised the question of moving to a new building. However, the dedicated playpen building was not large enough. Such a significant collection simply did not fit. Then they decided to build a separate building, especially for the museum.
Such a structure was built by the architect P. S. Kupinsky in 1902. 90,000 rubles were allocated for the construction. The main facade of the museum looked out onto Sadovaya Street. The building is located in the Yusupov Garden. Subsequently, two more buildings were added. One - in 1904. In a two-story building, there was a boat of Peter I and a boat of Alexander II. The other is in 1910.
The catastrophe of the museum in Soviet times
With the advent of Soviet power, the staff of the museum was reduced to one caretaker. Then there was a division of exhibits between the disbanded faculties of the institute. At first, the exhibits of the Central Museum of Railway Transport mercilessly shared between different institutes. And then it was decided to shut it down altogether. Priceless mockups and devices were thrown into a heap in dark closets, many exhibits were destroyed.
But the museum was saved by wide publicity. Many were outraged by the ugly attitude towards such historical values. It took two long years to restore everything to its former form. And finally, in 1934, the Central Museum of Railway Transport in St. Petersburg reopened its doors to visitors.
Museum during the war
All people remember what the inhabitants of Leningrad experienced during the terrible years of the war. But our people, even in these terrible years, did not forget about their history. Desiring to preserve such a valuable collection of exhibits, already in the first years of the war they decided to evacuate the museum’s collection from ul. Garden in Novosibirsk.
After the final victory over the enemy, the exhibits in 1944 returned to their hometown. But for another four long years, work was underway to restore the building and organize numerous layouts, models and parts of the exhibition. Only in 1948 the museum reopened its doors to ordinary visitors.
Nowadays
Now the Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation welcomes everyone. The exhibition is open daily, except for the last Thursday of every month. Opening hours - from 10.30 to 17.30.
This museum is considered the only state railway museum in the entire post-Soviet space. The exhibits tell the story of the construction and reconstruction of the railways, show the renewal of the locomotive and diesel locomotive fleet, you can see old cars with all the conditions reconstructed in small details of those times.
Models and mechanisms show how this branch of the national economy developed, how train control devices, mechanisms and models changed over time. An interesting exposition of railway bridges is located in the branch of the museum. Models of still wooden old objects of Russia are presented there.
Since the museum is state-owned, it does not have as its main goal to profit from visiting. Its main and main activities are educational and research.
Museum branches
In the 90s, it was decided to open two separate branches. The first is located in Krasnoye Selo and is dedicated to the construction of bridges in Russia. There you can see the wooden and metal old bridges along which the railway lines passed. Modern reinforced concrete models are also of interest, especially for students and designers. There are drawings and other interesting materials.
The second branch of the Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation is located in Lebyazhye. There you can see the natural rolling stock: old locomotives, cars. Collected about 50 units. In addition to domestic representatives of railway equipment, there is also a rare wagon salon of the last emperor of the Chinese dynasty, Qing Pu I. The restored copy went to Peterhof with the students and employees of the Russian Railways at the celebration of the 170th anniversary of the Russian railways.
Useful Information
The museum is located at: st. Sadovaya, 50. The building is easy to find, as it is located in the city center. You can get on the subway, having reached the following stations: Sadovaya, Sennaya Ploshchad, Spasskaya.
Tickets are cheap: for adults - 300 rubles, students pay 150 rubles, and preschoolers - 50 rubles.
The categories of beneficiaries who attend the exhibition for free are the military, conscripts, combatants, veterans, blockades and museum workers. Once a month, large families and young people under 18 are allowed.
Also organized group tours. There are discounts for them. You can listen to the tour yourself by renting an audio guide for 250 rubles. But you have to leave a thousand as a security.
Come to the museum for sure, get an unforgettable experience!