Address: Russia, Yaroslavl region, Pereslavl-Zalessky, st. Sovetskaya, 11
Foundation date: 2002 year
Coordinates: 56 ° 44'04.6 "N 38 ° 51'09.7" E
Content:
In an old two-story merchant house, in the very center of Pereslavl-Zalessky, there is a museum dedicated to the history of the most common object in the life of every person - the iron. It's nice that all exhibits here are allowed to be touched and photographed. There are more than two hundred irons in a unique collection. And they are collected not only from cities and towns of Russia, but also from other countries.
History of the creation of the Iron Museum
The museum owes its birth to the businessman from Pereslavl Andrei Nikolaevich Vorobyov. He was at the end of 1999 for one and a half thousand dollars. bought an old abandoned, burned down house in the city center. During the Soviet years, communal housing was located here.
For three years, the entrepreneur renovated the house, and on June 29, 2002, there was an unusual museum in it. About 30 thousand dollars were spent to restore the building and put in order the area around it. Almost the same amount was spent on the purchase of old irons, most of which were purchased in Moscow, at the Izmailovsky opening day.
The stone first floor of the building was given to a souvenir shop, where they sell pleasant memorable things made by the hands of local craftsmen - magnets, toys, figurines, homespun rugs and paintings. The second, wooden floor is occupied by a museum collection. The fact that its exhibits are not forbidden to touch is especially liked by children.
Until 2006, irons were allowed to the museum free of charge. Now you need to buy entrance tickets. The main income, especially during the high tourist season, comes from the gift shop. In addition, collectors come here to buy their favorite iron from museum stores. The price for them is from 100 to 10,000 rubles. Now the Museum of the Iron and the Museum of Teapots that opened a year after it give the entrepreneur profit, which he uses to expand his antique business.
Exposition of the Iron Museum
The main pride of the museum is its rich collection. One-piece heating irons with a heating middle made of cast iron, coal and steam, alcohol and gas, electric toys and ... even chintz.
The modern person is always amazed at how intricate shapes ordinary ironing items used to have. In the museum there are several old rubbles - wooden planks used by housewives for many hundreds of years. Such rubbers were invented primarily for ironing coarse linen fabrics.
Irons are completely different from each other. And their weight is different. The smallest is barely 10 grams. This expensive children's toy was made in the middle of the 19th century by a Tula master. He used an expensive alloy of iron and chromium, and also attached a bone handle to the tiny iron. BUT the largest iron in the collection weighs 12 kg. It was used in the army to iron greatcoats, blankets and tops of cowhide boots.
The "youngest" iron in the Pereslavl museum is barely over forty. This is a cast-iron iron, on the handle of which its price is cast for centuries - 2 rubles. 40 kopecks. BUT The oldest iron, made in the shape of a reclining lion, is more than two and a half centuries old. This sample of Russian artistic casting was produced in the Ryazan city of Kasimov. Moreover, there are more and more irons in the museum. This is due to caring employees and gifts from residents of Pereslavl-Zalessky, Yaroslavl, Moscow and neighboring regions.
An interesting fact is that in Russia in the 19th - early 20th centuries, irons were always expensive and were not available to the bulk of the population. For example, a small alcohol iron from the Pereslavl collection, produced in 1913, cost 4 rubles. 30 kopecks And at this time, you could buy a cow for 5 rubles.
The first electric irons, which had just begun to be produced at the beginning of the 20th century, generally cost about 15 rubles. Therefore, irons in homes were considered objects of wealth and material well-being. And they tried to put this status item on a neat napkin, in a prominent place, next to the samovar.
They loved to decorate irons. Elegant carved handles were made for them. The bottom was decorated with metallic flowers. Small intricate figures of cockerels, skates, female heads, and stylized images of plants were installed on irons. The iron stands were also skillfully designed.
But the museum exposition is not limited to irons only. Here you can see how the apartments and houses of the middle-class Pereslavl residents who lived in the late 18th - early 20th centuries were furnished, what items were used in taverns, as well as in shops and warehouses. The museum's shelves are full of vendor scales, tea tin boxes, brightly colored advertising signs, household utensils and samovars.
The museum hosts very interesting half-hour excursions. On them you can find out that the first irons were invented in China. But not for smoothing fabrics, but, first of all, for their disinfection. The guides tell you what types of irons were brought to Russia from abroad. Museum staff conduct excursions with humor, provide information in a playful way, alternating historical facts with jokes. So visitors always leave this museum in a good mood.
Several times a year, the museum hosts a merry iron festival. It is interesting because on this day, visitors are allowed to try objects from the museum collection in action. Amateur photography and filming in the iron museum are allowed free of charge.
Opening hours of the Iron Museum
The museum is open daily from 10.00 to 18.00.
How to get there
The Iron Museum is located in Pereslavl-Zalessky at 11 Sovetskaya Street. It is located opposite Pushkin Park, in the historic center of the city, on the main highway, not far from Red Square. From the city bus station, where intercity buses from Moscow and Yaroslavl arrive, it is about 3 km to the museum. They can be walked or taken by city bus or taxi.
