Naturally, familiarization with the cultural and historical heritage of their country is the main goal of each museum fund. But often visiting museums or galleries from an economic point of view is quite costly, is relegated to the background, or even delayed. As a result, due to the high entrance fees, the percentage of their visits decreases every year. But thanks to the introduction of various socio-cultural programs, this problem has become possible to solve. What kind of programs are these and what museums in Moscow are free thanks to their implementation can be found in the article.
Visiting Conditions
It was possible to ensure the maximum accessibility of museum exhibits for a wide range of people thanks to the decision adopted by the Department of Culture of the capital on free visits to museums in Moscow, according to which all historical, scientific and educational and developing monuments and exhibitions of non-federal significance should work without charging an entrance fee. This promotion is valid one day of every month and is intended for absolutely all categories of visitors.
Thus, Moscow’s free museums work every third Sunday, as well as, traditionally, on days of major festivities, including New Year’s festivities and May weekends, on Russia Day (June 12), National Unity Day (November 4) and Moscow City Day ( September 6-7). Visitors are also free of charge during the “Night of Museums”; this event, as a rule, takes place in the spring of May 15–25.
Benefits of Free Admission
Such a favorable decision from the Department of Culture has led to the fact that now the queues for free museums on Sunday in Moscow are 3 times longer than on ordinary days. During the New Year holidays, the number of visitors reaches about 40,000 people a day.
This excitement allows not only the museums of the capital to work at full power and to connect a greater number of people to historical roots and cultural heritage, but also to the visitors themselves to experience a number of undeniable advantages:
- rest for the soul;
- cultural enrichment;
- the opportunity to spend more time with children;
- chance to save family budget.
The list of museums
For the convenience of visitors, the free museums of Moscow are placed on special lists dividing them by direction. Currently, more than 60 museums are included in various subgroups. So, based on your personal preferences, it is much easier to determine the choice of a museum to visit. The most extensively represented museums with a rich exhibition fund.
Under the terms of the visiting rules, all categories of citizens can enter for free with the possibility of independent viewing of the exhibition (without a guide). But you still have to pass control at the entrance to the museum and stand in line at the ticket office for a ticket.
Historical museums
The most popular historical free museums in Moscow are museum complexes dedicated to the heroes of the Soviet Union, the Navy, and panoramas about the course of the Battle of Borodino. They also include the Gulag Museum, local history and archaeological museums, the museum hall dedicated to the history of the war in Afghanistan, numerous museum-estates: Tsaritsyno, Kolomenskoye, Izmailovo, Lublino, as well as a museum of ceramics dating from the 18th century called “Kuskovo” .
The most visited museum is dedicated to the history of astronautics. It was opened on the 20th anniversary of the flight into space of Yuri Gagarin. This Memorial Museum contains the first satellites of the Earth and space stations, various spacesuits, rockets, which can be seen for free. The maximum number of people in a group is 15.For larger groups, special conditions apply.
Literary Museums
Literary museums that you can visit for free include:
- Museum them. V.V. Mayakovsky, which contains all the works of the writer;
- cultural center-museum to them. V. S. Vysotsky, where, in addition to stories about his life and work, you can hear the songs written by him performed by young bards;
- House of the Russian Abroad Solzhenitsyn;
- memorial museums to them. A. N. Scriabin, K. G. Paustovsky, M. A. Bulgakov, M. Tsvetaeva, N. V. Gogol, I. S. Turgenev, where famous artists lived and worked;
- humanitarian center "Overcoming";
- State Museum of S. A. Yesenin, whose exposition allows you to plunge into the atmosphere in which the poetry of the author was born.
Art museums
Free art museums in Moscow are represented by the art galleries of I. Glazunov, as well as A. M. Shilov (people's artists of the USSR), the Museon association, museums of folk art, contemporary and naive art, and a multimedia complex of contemporary art from the Moscow House of Photography.
There is also the opportunity to visit the exhibition halls “Chekhov’s House”, “New Manege”, the workshop of D. A. Nalbandyan, “The House of Burganov”, the museum named after V.A. Tropinin or Vadim Sidura, as well as the school of watercolors by Sergei Andriyaka.
What other museums take part in the action
There are also free museums in Moscow with a scientific and natural bias (Darwin and the Museum of Biology named after K. A. Timiryazev) and interactive (Museum “Living Collection of Private Investments”) bias. Also, more than 25 exhibition halls are open in the city, each of which is dedicated to a famous person, an outstanding event or a major invention. The most popular exhibitions include:
- master classes are held at the Rostokino electromuseum (Rostokinskaya St. 1), where 18 different exhibitions of media artists in the style of public and sound art, developing architectural, design and artistic vision, have been collected;
- in the art gallery "On Kashirka" (Ak. Millionshchikova St., 35), which has been operating since 1986, where exhibits are constantly replenished through various media installations and thematic performances;
- in the gallery of the 21st century (Kremenchugskaya street, 22), which contains collections of art and sculptural works from masters from around the world, workshops for sculpting are also equipped here;
- in the fashion museum (Ilyinka str., 4), where various events in the field of fashion are held, new collections are being developed and presented, expositions telling about the history of the first costumes and more are collected.
Do all museums adhere to this action schedule?
Each of these museums has its own website, which shows the exact schedule, and can also reserve tickets online. There it will be possible to clarify information about additional days off or sanitary days associated with repairing or changing the exposure, when entrance to museums is prohibited regardless of the day of the month. The full list of free museums can be found on the city website 2do2go.ru.
As mentioned earlier, only non-federal museums of Moscow take part in this action. The list of free museums does not include institutions that are not subordinate to the Department of Culture. These are the Tretyakov Gallery, the Museum of Leo Tolstoy, A. S. Pushkin, V. I. Lenin, K. E. Tsiolkovsky, the State Historical Museum, the Kremlin Museum and others, a complete list of which can be found on the pages of the state catalog of the Russian Museum Fund. For free familiarization with the exhibits and exhibitions of these museums, a number of other alternative events are provided (for example, “Museum Night”).
Museums work free night until morning
Much attention has been paid to the action, which has become traditional since 2008, entitled “The Night of Museums”, which also makes it possible to visit Moscow museums that work for free.The advantages of this cultural event are that the working day of institutions begins at 10-00 and lasts until late at night (until 23.00, in some cases until 2-00).
On this day, more than 250 venues open, including many galleries, exhibition centers, art venues, open-air parks, estates and old mansions with various installations, master classes, and excursions, which, thanks to artificial lighting and the creation of a special romance with sunset the suns become the most memorable.
The dates of the event fall in May, but the date is different each year. More information can be found on the site "night art. Rf", created with the support of the Department of Culture, which also lists popular museums in Moscow, a list of free museums, their programs, as well as a list of upcoming events.
Bonus for students
Among other things, many free museums in Moscow take part in social development projects for schoolchildren, thanks to which you can visit various exhibitions, excursions and events without entrance fees not only during the holidays or every Sunday, but daily.
These include an exhibition dedicated to the Moscow Metro, one of the most beautiful in the world, as well as an interactive tour of the historical monuments of the city. It is located in the Career Guidance Center at the Vystavochnaya station of the Filenovskaya line in the Moscow metro. These events allow you to get acquainted with archival data and watch a movie dedicated to the activities, opening, construction of the metro, ride on an imitation of a modern underground train.
It is logical that among children this is the most popular museum in Moscow: admission is free, there is a recreation area, everything can be touched. Additionally, there is the opportunity to attend mugs and workshops on railway modeling, blogging, art photography, as well as come to open and visiting lessons. The exhibition is designed for children from 8 to 18 years old, the maximum number of people in one excursion group is 35. Parents can spend time in a specially equipped recreation area or art cafe.
An alternative to museums
As a cultural program, not only free museums are popular. In Moscow, a walking tour is also in great demand, which starts daily at 10-45 in the morning at the monument to Cyril and Methodius, which is located in Kitay-Gorod.
This event is also free, and its main feature is information about the historical monuments of the city in English, so not only residents of the city, but also guests can attend it. Among the advantages of this type of excursion are a walk in the fresh air, improving knowledge of a foreign language and, of course, cultural enrichment. The number of excursionists is not limited.
