In the center of the northern capital on the famous Arts Square, executed in a single architectural ensemble with the Russian Museum, is an ethnographic museum. It has existed in St. Petersburg for more than a hundred years, and throughout all this time it has been acquainting everyone with the original culture of the peoples of Russia and the states adjacent to it, with their mores, way of life and peculiarities of their worldview. The expositions presented here allow you to clearly see how they are similar to each other and at the same time distinctive.
Museum History: Milestones
The Ethnographic Museum in St. Petersburg appeared in 1902, when, by decree of Nicholas II, a separate ethnographic section was created at the Russian Museum. In this case, the last Russian emperor did the will of his father, Alexander III, who was a big fan of Russian folk art. At home, he had his own collection, which included several dozen worthy examples of art. In the future, by the way, they all took their place of honor among other exhibits. The ethnographic museum in St. Petersburg becomes a separate museum thirty-two years later, in 1934, and from that moment it is called the State Museum of Ethnography. Fifteen years later, the cultural institution will be renamed. In the summer of 1948, after the official transfer of most of the fund of the Moscow Museum dedicated to the peoples of the USSR, this museum will be called the State Museum of Ethnography of the Peoples of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. And only in 1992 he will receive his current name.
Museum today
Today, the ethnographic museum is one of the largest ethnographic museums in the world. He keeps in his collection several hundred different items on 157 numerous and small nationalities of Russia, starting from the XVIII century. At the same time, the volume of collected collections, fully reflecting the culture of a particular ethnic group, allows you to create independent exhibitions. However, due to the lack of required museum space, visitors can now see only a small part of this rich collection.
Museum General Information
The Ethnographic Museum in St. Petersburg offers visitors and exhibits that demonstrate how diverse the culture of numerous nationalities and peoples inhabiting the territory from the Baltic to the Far East is. Here you can learn in detail about the structure of their everyday life, the features of national clothes, interior items, kitchen utensils and craft tools. Currently, the museum’s fund has more than five hundred thousand different items. In the collection you can find truly unique examples of the art of lace weaving, embroidery, weaving, jewelry and woodcarving. The numerous halls of the ethnographic museum are equipped with full-size residential buildings, as well as musical instruments and vehicles. The guides working here not only talk about each of these items, but also introduce everyone to the national holidays and ceremonies of various nations. They also show photos of the ethnographic museum in St. Petersburg from different times. There are quite rare personnel and archival documents.
Ethnographic Museum Departments
Currently, the museum presents such sections as the ethnography department of Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, a large department devoted to the ethnography of the Russian people, and an ethnography section of the peoples living in the Baltic and North-West. In addition, here you can get acquainted with the culture and life of the people of Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Volga region, Kazakhstan and the Urals. Also today there are sections devoted to the history of the peoples of the Far East and Siberia. The museum in this case appears in the form of a kind of time machine that allows everyone to touch the lifestyle of a variety of people. Here you can even learn a lot of new things about such small nations as, for example, Oroks, Enets and Kets.
Location and opening hours
The official address of the Ethnographic Museum in St. Petersburg is 4, Inzhenernaya Street, Building 1. The building in which it is located is located directly on the corner. The Ethnographic Museum together with the State Russian Museum create a single architectural complex. As for opening hours, it is open to all visitors daily (except Mondays) from 10:00 to 18:00. The one exception is Tuesday. On this day, the Russian Ethnographic Museum (St. Petersburg) is open until 21:00. During official holidays, the complex closes one hour earlier.