Shchusev Museum of Architecture facts for kids
The Shchusev Museum of Architecture is a special place in Moscow, Russia. It is a national museum dedicated to Russian Architecture. The museum also works as a research center. Its goal is to study and share information about buildings and city designs from the past.
The museum started in 1934. You can find it on Vozdvizhenka Street in Moscow. It holds a huge collection of over 800,000 items. The museum is named after a famous Russian architect, Alexey Shchusev.
Contents
History of the Museum
Early Beginnings (1934-1945)
The very first museum about architecture was created in 1934. It was part of the Academy of Architecture. This early museum was located in the old Donskoy Monastery. This large, strong monastery held many pieces of art. These pieces were saved from buildings that had been torn down. The museum was meant to show architecture from all over the world and from all time periods. However, most of the items on display were from Russia.
Alexey Shchusev's Vision (1945-1964)
In 1945, Alexey Shchusev started working to create a new museum. He wanted it to focus only on Russian architecture. This new museum opened in 1946, and Shchusev became its first director. He chose the beautiful Talyzin House as the museum's home. At that time, the building was being used by a government group called the NKVD. Shchusev used his connections to get the building for the museum.
Under Shchusev's leadership, the museum became a safe place for many people. It helped those who were facing difficulties during a time when some people were treated unfairly. For example, people like David Arkin found work there. The museum also secretly kept a collection of German art, known as the Baldin Collection, starting in 1948.
Shchusev's main goal for the museum was to record and save Russian buildings and history. Many of these had been damaged or destroyed during the war. For its first ten years, the museum mostly worked as a research and archive center. The first public exhibition opened in 1957.
Merging and Moving (1964-Present)
In 1964, two museums joined together to form the Shchusev Museum of Architecture. The Donskoy Monastery showed older Russian art. The Talyzin House displayed items from after the Russian Revolution.
However, in 1991, the government asked the museum to leave the monastery. Some of the items were moved to the Talyzin House. Other items stayed within the monastery walls. The Talyzin House itself was in poor condition. It had been poorly maintained for many years. Also, vibrations from subway trains were causing damage. Because of this, the Talyzin House had to close for a long time for repairs.
Today, in the 21st century, the museum uses three main buildings on Vozdvizhenka Street for its exhibitions. These include the repaired Talyzin House and a nearby building called the "Ruin." It also uses a 17th-century building that was once a medical office. In 2018, The Melnikov House, another important architectural site, also became part of the museum.
Leaders of the Museum
Here is a list of the people who have led the Shchusev Museum of Architecture:
- Alexey Shchusev (1945 – May 1949)
- Naum Minkin (acting, June 1949 – November 24, 1949)
- Sergey Chernyshyov (November 24, 1949 – January 1, 1954)
- Nikolai Vinogradov (acting, January 25, 1954 – July 30, 1956)
- Naum Kabukovsky (July 30, 1956 – February 1962)
- Elena Panfilenko (February 1962 – July 15, 1963)
- Victor Baldin (July 15, 1963 – 1987)
- Vladimir Rezvin (1990–2000)
- David Sargsyan (2000–2010)
- Irina Korobina (2010–2017)
- Irina Chepkunova (acting, January 2017 – March 2017)
- Elizaveta Likhacheva (2017–2023)
- Natalia Shashkova (March 2023 – present)
See also
In Spanish: Museo Estatal de Arquitectura Schusev para niños
