Museum of Political History of Russia in St. Petersburg

The Museum of Political History of Russia in St. Petersburg (Petrograd district) is the first historical and political museum in Russia, which keeps evidence of the political life of Russian society from the end of the 18th to the beginning of the 21st century, the federal state budgetary institution of culture.

The museum’s collection includes over 474,000 exhibits. The museum sees its mission in shaping the political culture of civil society.

The State Museum of Political History of Russia (GMPIR) is the successor to the State Museum of the Revolution, established on October 9, 1919 by decree of the Petrograd Soviet of Workers and Red Army Deputies.

The museum opened in the halls of the Winter Palace on January 11, 1920, and the first exposition appeared in 1922.

Chronologically, the museum’s collection covers the period of Russian history, beginning with the reign of Catherine II and continuing until the latest events in the political life of Russia. The most significant exhibits of the 18th century include documents on the legislative activities of Catherine II, on the events of the Great French Revolution; the events of the 19th century are represented by sets of exhibits dedicated to the era of the “great reforms” of Alexander II, the reforms of S. Yu. Witte, as well as the activities of zemstvo institutions.

The museum consists of two mansions of the early 20th century, connected by a central building from the 1950s.

The Kshesinskaya mansion was created in 1904-1906, designed by the famous architect A. I. von Gauguin for the famous ballerina M. F. Kshesinskaya. In March – early July 1917, the Central and St. Petersburg Committees of the RSDLP (b), as well as the Military Organization of the Bolsheviks, were located here.

The second mansion also belongs to the architectural monuments of the city. It was built in 1909 according to the project of the architect R. F. Meltzer for the large timber merchant V. E. Brant.

Address: Kuibyshev street, 2–4, Gorkovskaya metro station.

Opened: Mon, Tue 10:00–18:00; Wed, Fri 10:00–20:00; Sat, Sun 10:00–18:00

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