How many Russias are there in Russia? At least a few dozen. But, for simplicity, let's say two: the golden Russia of Moscow Y St. Petersburg Y snowy Russia that covers a ninth of the earth's surface. The paradox is that the first is able to represent the second.
monuments like the Kremlin or the bridges of St. Petersburg conquer our imagination along with museums like the Hermitage or the Tretyakov gallery, that leave everything else in the background. Of course, in the paintings Repin, Aivazovsky, Kandinsky, Vrubel or Malevich there is a lot of Russia, just like in the iconic domes of San Basilio fit those of many other temples in this country.
Although these symbols are not a mirage, they often overshadow that universe of details that they portray the likes, the phobias, the weaknesses and eccentricities of a people. In the faces that crowd a tram early in the morning, in the ceremony of a dinner, in the collections of icons that bless a door... That's where the second Russia betrays itself on every corner, on the outskirts of the Red Square or in the shadow of the Hermitage. All these obsessions, prides and oddities also have its museum equivalent in the most remote cities.
Moscow.
Next we choose some of the most extravagant examples. It is up to the reader to decide if they offer an approach to Russian folklore or if they are entertainment for geeks.
SPOONS MUSEUM, VLADIMIR
The moscow golden ring It is known for its extensive artistic heritage. In Vladimir they find each other the frescoes by Andrei Rublev and an iconic set of religious buildings. If someone prefers the alternative side of this city, they can always visit the museum of spoons (empty, we warn those with a sweet tooth).
houses the largest collection of spoons in Russia, which includes some silver pieces like the ones on the Romanov Or the US White House , another made by Faberge , others for mustaches, for those who want to lose weight... So up to 15,000. Incomprehensible that such an occurrence is not part of the long list of World Heritage monuments in this small city.
MOUSE MUSEUM, MYSHKIN
When a Russian hears the word Myshkin remember the moment of the protagonist of The idiotof Dostoyevsky. Myshkin is also a small town on the bank of the Volga, known as the birthplace of the vodka producer Smirnov.
But myshkinfirst of all, it means little mouse, which served as an excuse for this town to establish itself as a kind of seat of these rodents and revise upwards its prestige in the animal world. there it is mouse Palace, a kind of social center that welcomes activities for children, a small zoo of mice and celebrations such as the day of the mouse.
The facility rivals to attract tourists (which have skyrocketed in recent years) with the mouse museum, a private initiative that collects figures of mice brought from different municipalities. Rats, mice and hamsters appear humiliated with the most ridiculous clothing, although their importance in the ecosystem is also claimed here. The mice dictate the rules.
Myshkin, seat of rodents.
PERMAFROST MUSEUM, IGARKA
If there is a quintessential Russian cliché, it is the cold in its different forms: snow, blizzards, ice and even ice cream... And, if anyone knows about this, it is the inhabitants of Igarka, a city built on permafrost, the permanent ice cap on which much of the north of the country sits, and to which this small town on the banks of the Yenisei River dedicates a museum.
Is found in a small wooden house , which was built as a laboratory in the 1930s. The tunnels excavated since then allow see the different layers of permafrost up to 14 meters deep and at a constant temperature between four and six degrees below zero.
are appreciated the frozen flora and fauna throughout history... although the other facet of the cold that folklore demands is not lacking either: the black era of the GULAG, portrayed through historical documents. Perhaps the most curious is the study of the conservation of documents under these conditions: a box of newspapers was saved in 1950 to be defrosted in 2045. Some mammoths and a room dedicated to Santa Claus complete the pack.
MUSEUM OF MYTHS AND SUPERSTITIONS, UGLICH
“Both in the past and today, only phantasmagoria seems to be able to open the reader's eyes to understand the (Russian) world” writes Ricardo San Vicente in the prologue of El Maestro y Margarita.
If this book doesn't leave things confusing enough, one can zoom in on this another wooden house in Uglich to be loved by these wax figures that oscillate between the tragic and the comic.
Inaugurated by a couple of experts in scandinavian Mythology, this private collection and hand carved It is taken care of in detail. It is complemented with talismans, ritual substances and a specialized library on this issue.
Museum of myths and superstitions, Uglich.
NUCLEAR ICEBREAKER BATTLESHIP LENIN MUSEUM, MURMANSK
Murmansk is a city of epithets. The largest within the Arctic Circle, with the northernmost McDonald's in the world, the lowest temperatures we can think of and one of the largest fleets in the Russian Navy. The jewel in the crown is the nuclear icebreaker battleship Lenin, which was active between 1959 and 1989 and currently functions as a museum.
For those interested in soviet history, Visiting a ship with these characteristics is the same as climbing an eight-thousander, in winter and at night, for a mountaineer. The guided tour gives access to the narrowest corners of the ship and explains how its four nuclear reactors powered four other steam turbines.
Thanks to them, it was the first ship in the world that could sail indefinitely without returning to port, for she did not need fuel. Its decks offer a unique view of the last stretch of the Tuloma River before it empties into the Barents Sea.
The icebreaker Lenin, Murmansk.
MUSEUM OF SOVIET AMUSEMENT MACHINES, MOSCOW
Now in the center of moscow as one of the most striking tourist curiosities, the idea arose in an air-raid shelter, with the intention of retrieve the game called Naval Battle. During their search, the three founders, students at the Polytechnic University, collected dozens of arcade machines in parks, abandoned Komsomol camps, cultural centers and dumps all over the country... and as they understood the difficulty of achieving their goal, they also understood the public interest their fledgling collection could arouse.
now exhibit up to 80 refurbished machines on Kuznetsky Most street and allow its visitors to return to (or learn about) part of the Soviet leisure. Many of them are versions of Western machines, but there are also cultural adaptations such as hockey, a clear alteration of table football. Admission includes 15 kopeck coins (ruble cents), with which it is possible to play again, now yes, at Naval Battle, the oldest and most valued piece in the collection.
Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines, Moscow.
MOUNTAIN PHARMACY MUSEUM, ALTAI
We change the wooden houses for the first brick building from the Siberian city of Barnaul, in the mystical Altai region. This museum, by no means the only one on this subject in the whole country, shows the process of integrating these mountains into modern life. Here we see the arrival of Muscovite architecture and the development of contemporary pharmacological remedies since the 18th century.
What is paradoxical is that, if it was then a step towards urbanization, now it is an exciting compilation of traditional Russian remedies, including its wide repertoire of infusions, alcoholic beverages, wild fruits and typical food. A restaurant offers the possibility of completing with a siberian dinner the tastings offered by this modest museum, which we use here as an excuse to get closer to one of the most picturesque regions of Russia.
Mountain Pharmacy Museum, Altai.
VODKA MUSEUM, SAINT PETERSBURG
Here is another traditional remedy that could not be missing. Contrary to the previous one, this time it is the museum that complements the restaurant. It's about the Ryumochnaya No. 1, in the center of St. Petersburg. Although it is full of Russian tsarist tradition (both the location and the building as well as the manners of its waiters), it is an equivalent to the Pushkin cafe in Moscow; namely, a restaurant created in the 90s to forget the seven decades of Soviet history. And he gets it.
both the luxurious ryumochana like its adjacent museum they manage to convey to us the most centuries-old and refined (or distilled) essence of vodka in Russia, from its preparation, its consumption rituals and, of course, its flavor. The glassware, the tables, the bottles, dozens of curiosities and types of vodka they will transform the way we see the streets of Petersburg and Saint Isaac's Cathedral once we leave the museum.
MUSEUM OF SIN, TAMBOV
Almost as Russian as vodka is the moral and its omnipresence in popular culture, from the literary classics to today's society, increasingly religious. But how to bring something so abstract to a museum? In the city of Tambov they opt for the more physiological side of sin.
In the medicinal art chamber of the university museum of Tambov, a pathoanatomical collection seeded the idea of use the histology and pathology sections to create real story exhibits, most related to human vices. Under the gaze of a great patriarch who presides over the room, the museum is an exercise in propaganda to promote healthy habits among its visitors.
CITY OF PERESLAVL-ZALESSKY
And since the list could be extended with a few dozen museums, it is best to finish it off with an overdose of weirdness. To do this, we return to the region of Yaroslavl , to the city where almost every house houses a museum. Pereslavl-Zalessky, despite being one of the founding towns of Russia, it prefers to find its appeal in eccentric exhibitions that well synthesize the spirit of this article: some surprise us with folk curiosities and others are rather the result of acute Diogenes syndrome.
Pereslavl-Zalessky, Russia.
Once again, let the reader pigeonhole them into one category or another: the iron museum, the kettle museum (not even from samovars), the museum of tea, the museum of kvass, the museum of what was invented in Russia, the museum of Russian fun, the museum of folk remedies, the museum of letters, the museum of (rusty) locomotives, the museum of the first ship made by Pedro I...
As great as Russia is, this list shows that all roads in this country lead to eccentricity, whether in its most ridiculous or in its most fascinating form. What remains beyond any doubt is the commitment and dedication that collectors put into pleasing the visitor.