MUSEUM OF RUSSIAN POLITICAL HISTORY

2/4 ulitsa Kuibysheva 197046 St. Petersburg
Open: 10am - 6pm
Closed: Thursdays
Tel. 233-7052
Nearest metro station: Gorkovskaya

A political history museum has existed in St.Petersburg since 1919. It was first housed in the Winter Palace and known as the Revolution Museum. In 1957 it moved to its current premises, where, until 1991, it was called the Museum of the Great October Socialist Revolution. It is now known as the Museum of Russian Political History, a title that reflects the recent changes that have been made to its profile.

The mansion of the celebrated ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya, in which the museum is housed, is a marvellous example of Art Nouveau architecture (built in 1904-06 by Alexander von Gogen and Alexander Dmitriyev). It is characterized by its asymmetrical appearance, rich decor and unique design.

In March 1917, Kshesinskaya was forced to leave the mansion and, until July 1917, it served as the Bolshevik headquarters. The Military Wing of the Central Committee, the editorial offices of Soldatskaya Pravda and other revolutionary organizations were located there. The mansion became the nerve-centre of their propaganda work. On April 4, Lenin returned from exile and addressed a crowd of workers and soldiers from its balcony. The final meeting of the 7th All-Russia conference of the RSDLP (Bolsheviks) was also held here.

Before the reorganization of the museum in the early 1990s, more than 1,600 exhibits were kept in its 12 halls. These included documents, leaflets, photographs, revolutionary banners from 1917, and various personal belongings of eminent figures of the Communist Party and members of the revolutionary movement.

The recently created permanent exhibitions arouse great interest among visitors. They include: "Democracy or Dictatorship? Political Parties and Power in Russia from Autocracy to Perestroika", "Recollections of the Future? Russia 1917-Early 1990s", "Business in Russia: Finances, Banking Business and Entrepreneurship in the Second Half of the 19th and Early 20th Centuries", "The State Duma Yesterday. And Today?" "Russia's New Times", "Russia at the Turning Points Political History".

The museum also holds temporary exhibitions and concerts, and houses the country's first history museum for children.