69. The branches of the State Russian Museum
The State Russian Museum has 10 branches in St. Petersburg. I was aware only of the main branch when I first arrived, but I noticed that the Russian Museum administered seemingly every other place I visited during my second month here. When I decided to visit the full list, I had already been to all eight of interest to tourists before I even knew what I was doing, so it was quite easy to complete the set without specifically trying.
The list includes four museums, three palaces (with museum collections inside), two parks (one of which features museum collections), and a cabin. Quite a diverse lineup and I imagine the management team and advisory board have their hands full with responsibility for such a range of properties.
In some ways a ranked list of these branches is a challenge; comparing art museums to parks to palaces is like comparing apples to oranges to kiwifruits. On the other hand, most locations feature Russian paintings, sculptures, or both, as well as represent an historic 18th century site important to St. Petersburg's history. So, the common mission is evident for all the sites. Nevertheless, here is my list of the branches in order of how much I enjoyed them (I had a favorable view of all eight):
01) Mikhailovsky Palace
02) Benois Wing
03) Marble Palace
04) Stroganov Palace
05) Summer Garden
06) St. Michael's Castle
07) Cabin of Peter the Great
08) Mikhailovsky Garden
I recommend visiting the entire list if you're in town for at least three weeks. If you're here for a shorter visit (like most tourists), then I think you'd be fine just seeing the Mikhailovsky Palace and Benois Wing (the western wing of the main museum - it is attached to Mikhailovsky Palace and features 20th century art as well as special exhibitions). Another take is that I expect to visit several again, perhaps another few times: number 1, 2, 5, & 8 for sure, and possibly # 3, 4, & 6. The cabin does not merit multiple visits but is an interesting site to visit once.
The two branches that I did not tour include:
1) Peter I Summer Palace. This is located at the northeast corner of the Summer Garden, at the edge of the Fontanka and Neva rivers. The exterior can be viewed but otherwise this building is currently closed for renovations.
2) Pavilions of the Mikhailovsky Castle. These two buildings are located at the southern end of the southern approach to St. Michael's Castle. The east building is used for the “Russian center of the museum pedagogy and children’s creativity”. The west building currently features a "high technology interactive exposition" about Emperor Paul I. Entrance is only available via timed ticket twice a day. The information I could find online leads me to believe that this is a really cool educational experience, but only for those who can fluently read the Russian language. I've passed by the buildings several times, but don't plan to visit them.
Taken together, the State Russian Museum branches rival any other museum complex in the world for the size, scope, and grandeur - even the six museums that comprise the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, as well as the 20 Smithsonian museums in the United States.
The list includes four museums, three palaces (with museum collections inside), two parks (one of which features museum collections), and a cabin. Quite a diverse lineup and I imagine the management team and advisory board have their hands full with responsibility for such a range of properties.
In some ways a ranked list of these branches is a challenge; comparing art museums to parks to palaces is like comparing apples to oranges to kiwifruits. On the other hand, most locations feature Russian paintings, sculptures, or both, as well as represent an historic 18th century site important to St. Petersburg's history. So, the common mission is evident for all the sites. Nevertheless, here is my list of the branches in order of how much I enjoyed them (I had a favorable view of all eight):
01) Mikhailovsky Palace
02) Benois Wing
03) Marble Palace
04) Stroganov Palace
05) Summer Garden
06) St. Michael's Castle
07) Cabin of Peter the Great
08) Mikhailovsky Garden
I recommend visiting the entire list if you're in town for at least three weeks. If you're here for a shorter visit (like most tourists), then I think you'd be fine just seeing the Mikhailovsky Palace and Benois Wing (the western wing of the main museum - it is attached to Mikhailovsky Palace and features 20th century art as well as special exhibitions). Another take is that I expect to visit several again, perhaps another few times: number 1, 2, 5, & 8 for sure, and possibly # 3, 4, & 6. The cabin does not merit multiple visits but is an interesting site to visit once.
The two branches that I did not tour include:
1) Peter I Summer Palace. This is located at the northeast corner of the Summer Garden, at the edge of the Fontanka and Neva rivers. The exterior can be viewed but otherwise this building is currently closed for renovations.
2) Pavilions of the Mikhailovsky Castle. These two buildings are located at the southern end of the southern approach to St. Michael's Castle. The east building is used for the “Russian center of the museum pedagogy and children’s creativity”. The west building currently features a "high technology interactive exposition" about Emperor Paul I. Entrance is only available via timed ticket twice a day. The information I could find online leads me to believe that this is a really cool educational experience, but only for those who can fluently read the Russian language. I've passed by the buildings several times, but don't plan to visit them.
Taken together, the State Russian Museum branches rival any other museum complex in the world for the size, scope, and grandeur - even the six museums that comprise the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, as well as the 20 Smithsonian museums in the United States.
Comments
Post a Comment