The Murom Museum of History and Art attracts with the size and quality of its expositions. For its rich collection of 87,000 items, the museum has received the respectful nickname "Small Hermitage".
Short story
The artistic base of the museum is made up of objects collected by Murom ethnographers, Russian archaeologists Uvarovs and academician of painting I.S. Kulikov. The Murom Museum presents works of ancient Russian culture, icons and church utensils, household items of the pre-revolutionary nobility and merchants. Here you can see the works of such famous artists as K.P.Bryullov, I.I.Shishkin, V. Surikov, K.A.Korovin and others.
Monument to V.K. Zvorykin in front of the Murom Museum of History and Art
Zvorykin House
The main building of the museum - the House of the Zvorykin merchants - was first opened to visitors on January 1, 1919. In this three-story stone mansion with a mezzanine, Vladimir Zvorykin (1889-1982) was born - a world-famous scientist, the founder of modern television. Contrary to the wishes of his father, Zvorykin became an engineer, and then emigrated to USA and fulfilled his youthful dream by creating an electronic-mechanical television system. On the 1st and 2nd floors of the Zvorykin estate there is a historical exposition telling about Murom and its inhabitants in the 19th century.
View of the museum from Pervomayskaya street
A fragment of a peasant hut with proper utensils: a stove, a spinning wheel, earthenware and wooden utensils arouses the constant interest of visitors.... On the table there is a towel with a funny inscription embroidered on it: "8 girls - I alone, where girls - there I am", and a cradle hangs over the window. Also, the attention of the museum guests is offered to men's and women's clothing sewn by hand, agricultural implements (plows and scythes), a fragment of the first Murom aqueduct carved from a tree trunk, an old bicycle from 1880. A fragment of the interior of a merchant's shop has been recreated in the museum, where exquisite lace, gloves, perfume, porcelain, etc. are “sold”. Walking through the halls of the historical composition, the guest finds himself at the exhibition “Family in a Museum Interior”.
Memorial plaque on the museum building
The interior decoration of a rich house of the late 19th - early 20th centuries has been restored in seven halls. The living room, the study of the head of the family, the rooms of the hostess and other family members, the library and the dining room are furnished in accordance with the fashion trends of that time. The exhibition ends with a room with portraits of 19th century Murom merchants. The 3rd floor of the Zvorykin House is occupied by the Old Russian (Church) Art exposition. Museum staff call this collection the "golden storeroom" of Murom. It is not so large (about 1800 exhibits), but it has a high historical and artistic value. Icons, silverware, wood carvings and church vestments dating from the 13th - 17th centuries give an idea of the Orthodox culture of the ancient Russian city.
Art gallery building (Pervomayskaya st., 6)
Art Gallery of the Murom Museum
The Art Gallery, opened in 1996, occupies the building of the former City Council (19th century). The second floor displays works of Russian and Western European art of the 17th - 19th centuries.: paintings, graphics, furniture sets, products made of bronze, copper, marble and porcelain, crystal and glassware. On the 1st floor there is a scientific library and a museum archive. Sales exhibitions are open in the building of the Art Gallery (on Pervomayskaya, 6) and in the Exhibition Center located on Moskovskaya Street in the mansion of the Golubev merchants.
Inside an art gallery building
These showrooms sell paintings by contemporary painters and craftsmen. The Murom Museum holds scientific conferences and seminars, meetings with artists and art critics, organizes city tours with visits to museum expositions.
