ARTILLERY MUSEUM

7 Alexandrovsky Park 197046 St. Petersburg
Open: 11 am - 5pm
Closed: Mondays, Tuesdays and the last Thursday of every month
Tel. 238-4704, 232-0296
Nearest metro station: Gorkovskaya

This museum, founded in 1703, is one of the oldest and largest in Russia. In the mid-18th century the artillery and military vehicles of the Russian army, its banners, orders and medals were kept in the "Memorial Hall" at the Petersburg arsenal on Liteiny Prospekt. At a later date, exhibits were added from the Armoury and the Moscow Kremlin's arsenal, the Peter and Paul Fortress, monasteries and other sources. In 1868 the "Memorial Hall" was moved to the building of the Crownwork arsenal (1849-60, architect Peter Tamansky). The museum received its present name in 1965 when its collections were augmented with exhibits from the Central Historial Museum of Military Engineering in Moscow and new departments were opened.

The museum exhibition, which fills 13 halls, recounts Russia's military history, the development of its arms and armour and the work of military engineers and signallers. Among the unique exhibits are the first Russian arquebus (late 14th - early 15th centuries) which fired stone, lead or iron cannonballs; a bronze gun cast by Yakov in 1491 (the earliest surviving example of cannon foundry work); a rare collection of seven guns made by Andrei Chokhov in the late 16th century; and a bronze mortar -a remarkable monument to the artistry of the early 17th-century cannon-founders. There are large displays of weaponry and ammunition, firearms and side-arms, military trophies, standards, battle paintings, decorations, uniforms and other relics.

A large part of the museum is devoted to the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany (1941-45). Heavy artillery, rockets, military engineering and signal equipment are on display in the huge courtyard outside the museum.

A cinema-hall and lecture-theatre are available for use by visitors.