Each new government wants to leave an indelible mark on the history of the state. The October Revolution of 1917 greatly changed the development of Russia. Two years after the political upheaval, a museum dedicated to this event was opened in Petrograd. Symbolically, the opening took place in the Winter Palace. The museum was called the October Revolution, now it is a Museum of political history.
Museum address, opening hours
The museum is located on the street Kuibyshev, 2-4. Getting to it is quite simple, it is located near the Gorkovskaya metro station. You can get from the station "Petrogradskaya" minibuses number 46, number 76; from the Finland Station, minibuses No. 30, No. 183 or bus 49; with "Sportivnaya" on the minibus number 183.
If you arrived on a sightseeing tour in St. Petersburg, the Museum of Political History can be visited at a convenient time: daily from 10 to 18 hours, the ticket office is open until five in the evening. On Wednesday, it is open until 20 hours, the ticket office hours are from 10 to 19 hours.
History of the museum
The Museum of Russian Political History (formerly the Museum of the Revolution) has existed since October 9, 1919. It was originally housed in the Winter Palace on the second floor. The creation was attended by famous historical figures, cultural and scientific figures: A.V. Lunacharsky, Maxim Gorky, academician Oldenburg, populists Novorussky, Figner, Morozov. The aim of the creators of the museum was to convey to the people the development of world revolutionary movements. Over the first ten years, collections were formed that talked about the class struggle in Russia (from the uprising of Emelyan Pugachev to the construction of socialism in the state), in the West (from the French bourgeois revolution to the Communist International).
The first visitors entered here on January 11, 1920. For many decades, the Museum of Political History of St. Petersburg has repeatedly changed its scientific concept, and, accordingly, its name. The Museum of the Great October Socialist Revolution was renamed in a timely and politically correct manner. Since 1991, it is known as the State Museum of Political History.
Moving to Kuibyshev street
In the middle of the twentieth century, namely in 1957, the museum was transferred to Kuibyshevskaya Street. For his needs, there are two mansions that previously belonged to the brilliant prima ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaia and a major timber merchant Brant.
The Kshesinskaya mansion was designed by the famous architect Gauguin in 1904-1906. During the revolution of 1917, the house of the ballerina was turned into a Bolshevik headquarters. Here is the party’s Central Committee, the Pravda soldier’s club, and the military committee. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Zinoviev, Trotsky and many other speakers spoke from the balcony of the mansion with their appeals to the people. Currently, the Museum of Political History presents to the attention of visitors the working room of V.I. Lenin. The second mansion (Baron Brant) is listed among the architectural monuments of the city. It was built in 1909, designed by its architect Meltzer.
In the years 1955-57, as conceived by the architect Nadezhin, these two mansions were combined into one complex. The Museum of the Great October Socialist Revolution was located here. On November 5, 1957, it was opened in a new place. In 1972, it began to exist under the authority of the Ministry of Culture, was listed as a branch of the Central Museum of the Revolution of the USSR.
New concepts
The administration and scientific team of the museum in the late 70s of the twentieth century began to develop a fundamentally new concept of the exhibition. Then a new project for the reconstruction of all expositions was born. It was planned to recreate in three stages the newest museum complex. In 1987, the first exhibition opened. In 1989, due to political events that took place in Russia, subsequent lines of the opening were suspended. The intentions of the new expositions no longer corresponded to temporary realities. It was decided to develop new concepts of the exhibition, educational, scientific activities of the museum.
Rename Museum
In 1991, the Ministry of Culture in the USSR decided to rename the Museum of the Revolution into the Museum of Political History of Russia. He was given the status of state. The sovereignty parade in the 90s also affected museum workers. To maintain their independence, to stay afloat, had to be different. Workers began to organize interesting exhibitions, they covered curious events that were not customary to talk about before. Now the Museum of the Political History of St. Petersburg carries out an exposition display of the economic, political and social life of Russian society from the 19th to the 21st centuries.
Contemporary expositions
The end of the twentieth century was very vague in the political sense, now that life is moving steadily, it has returned to its usual course, the Political History Museum of Russia constantly pleases visitors with interesting exhibits.
The exposition covers various historical events, from the Decembrist uprising to the beginning of the twentieth century, tells about the reign of Catherine II, about the reforms of Alexander II and Minister Witte, about the coronations of Russian emperors. The Museum of Political History also presents new contemporary collections that are being created “in hot pursuit”. At one time, materials came from Afghanistan, Abkhazia, Chechnya.
The State Museum of the Political History of Russia is unique, the only one in St. Petersburg, which reflects the crucial stages in the development of the Russian state, the events of public life, the work of political figures, parties, and government bodies. The museum collection contains more than four hundred thousand various exhibits, materials are constantly updated in accordance with current problems and events in society. The excursions in the Museum of History are of great benefit and interest to high school students.
Museum of the Political Police History
The branch of the Museum of Political History is located on the corner of Admiralteysky Prospekt and 2. Gorokhovaya Street. It is open daily (except Saturday and Sunday) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tours can be ordered by phone: 312-27-42.
Here is an exposition dedicated to the history of the political police of Russia. The museum building once belonged to the St. Petersburg City Administration. Since 1875, there has been the so-called "Security Guard" (Department of Public Safety). Later on this place existed: the gendarme administration, the metropolitan police. After the 1917 revolution, the famous Cheka (Extraordinary Commission for Combating Sabotage, Counter-Revolutionaries) was located at this address. Until 1932, the OGPU was also located here.
Museum expositions
The exposition presents a recreated office of the chief of police (late XIX - early XX centuries). Famous personalities worked in it: Sudeikin, Pyramidov, Sekerinsky. In 1917, the celebrated “Iron Felix” - chairman of the Cheka Dzerzhinsky took over the baton. At various times, such figures as Rysakov, Lenin, Emelyanov, Verkhovskaya, Kokovtsev, Blok, and many others visited this office for interrogation.
The Museum of Political History (a branch of the history of the police) in its exhibits presents a rich portrait gallery of political investigators from 1826 to 1917, original documents, photographs and diaries of fillers, reports of secret services, photos of witnesses and provocateurs, documents and leaflets from the time of the “Red Terror”, letters from prisoners and more. The collection is supplemented by materials from the archives of the KGB, FSB.
The political upheaval in Russia in the 1990s made it possible to look at many things in a new way. For the first time it was here that documents, photographs, personal belongings of ordinary employees and leaders of the KGB, the Cheka, the FSB were made public. In total - more than two hundred exhibits. Here you can see video reports: the fight with the CIA at the end of the 20th century, the fight at the FSB’s representation with Chechen fighters (the city of Grozny).
Visitors reviews
The Museum of Political History (St. Petersburg) leaves no one indifferent. How many visitors, so many opinions about exhibitions, collections. Someone thinks that it is better to visit a museum for adults, for children there is no place. Those who love, appreciate the story, just delighted with what they saw and heard here. Many leave their reviews, doing this in order to express their opinion and attract the attention of those who have not been to this interesting place.
So, some call this place a combination of incongruous. How to explain this? The mansion of a sophisticated prima ballerina was turned into a Bolshevik center, where the Museum of the Revolution opened in Soviet times.
It is also emphasized that this museum is clearly not for young children. There is a lot to read, think, and think in this place.
Many in their reviews also describe the sophistication of the Art Nouveau building that once belonged to Kshesinskaia. The mansion was occupied by the Bolsheviks, here Lenin appeared from the balcony. What do visitors mark? The exposition is dedicated to different periods of the development of Russia, much attention is paid to the Soviet era. There are many interesting things for children. For them, special thematic tours and lectures are held. The Phillipki School talks about how children studied in Tsarist Russia. Classes are held in a room where the interior of a rural school is reproduced. On weekends, crafts workshops take place.
Tourists also say that it is worth coming to the museum to listen to proletarian jokes. Of interest are various sound buttons that reproduce political speech. It will be interesting to everyone who studied history with interest in the Soviet school.
The last room attracts special attention. It talks about the death penalty. On the wall are excerpts from the diaries of the sentenced people, their letters to relatives. Pain, despair just chills the soul. Visitors are invited to lower their “voice” in favor of or against the death penalty in a glass box.