NAVAL MUSEUM

4 Birzhevaya ploshchad 199034 St. Petersburg
Open: 11am - 6pm
Closed: Mondays, Tuesdays and the last Thursday of every month
Tel. 328-2502
Nearest metro station: Vasileostrovskaya

St.Petersburg's Naval Museum is one of the largest naval museums in the world. Its origins go back to the Ship-Model Chamber that was founded by Peter I as an Admiralty repository for models and working drawings of naval vessels. In 1805 the Chamber was reorganized into the Naval Museum. Since 1939 it has been housed in the building of the former Stock Exchange, which was constructed in 1805-10 by the architect Jean-Francois Thomas de Thomon. The building resembles a classical temple. The attics of its facades are adorned with the sculptural groups Neptune and Two Rivers and Navigation with Mercury and Two Rivers carved by the master stonemason Samson Sukhanov.

Today the museum boasts over 800,000 exhibits telling the story of the' j Russian Navy from ancient times to the present day. These include about 2,000 models of old and modern ships, 5,000 paintings, a collection of ships' laying-down plaques, c. 7,000 examples of weaponry and combat equipment, and a collection of medals, coins, navigational devices, maps and photo-material. It also houses over 3,000 flags and banners, numerous war trophies and the personal effects of famous Russian seafarers and naval commanders.

The museum uses vivid models and displays to narrate the history of the Russian Navy: its victories at Gangut (Hango), Chesme, Corfu and Sinope, amongst others; its contribution to round-the-world voyages of discovery; and its legendary cruiser Variag and other heroic ships. A number of documents attest to the participation of sailors in the three Russian revolutions and the Civil War. The exhibition ends with an overview of naval activities in the USSR, from the operations of the Soviet Navy during the Second World War to its development in the postwar period. Among the most remarkable exhibits are the 3,000 year-old oak dug-out, Peter I's small boat known as the "Grandfather of the Russian Navy", the first Naval Regulations printed in 1720, and models of Russian ships (the Aurora, Azov, Variag, Vladimir, Kirov) and submarines.

The museum has four further branches: the Cruiser Aurora, the Narodovolets D-2 Submarine, the Kronstadt Fortress and the Road of Life Museum.