The State Hermitage Museum

The State Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage is one of the largest museums in the world. It occupies 6 buildings including Winter Palace - the residence of Russian tsars. The Hermitage keeps about 3 million monuments of culture and art of the European and Oriental peoples, from high antiquity till nowadays: pictures, graphic sheets, sculptures, a rich collection of applied art items, over a million coins and medals, archaeologic materials. Among the Hermitage's treasures, there are artworks by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens, famous collection of impressionists and post-impressionists, Matisse and Picasso. World-renowned are the collections of Scythian gold and the antiquities from the Black Sea North Littoral. +7 812 710 9625 Closed on Mondays 10:30 - 17:00; 10:30 - 16:00 on Sundays

2 Dvortsovaya ploshad

www.hermitagemuseum.org Nevsky Prospect The State Russian Museum Opened in 1898 in the Mikhaylovsky Palace (architect C.Rossi), the museum possesses nearly 400,000 exhibits. It is the largest in the country collection of Russian art. Renewed exhibition 'The Art of the XX Century' contains works by M.Vrubel, V.Serov, K.Petrov-Vodkin, M.Chagall, K.Malevich, P.Filonov, and others, less renowned painters from the largest artistic unions of last century. +7 812 595 4248 Closed on Tuesdays 10:00 - 17:00; 10:00 - 16:00 on Mondays

2 Inzhenernaya Ulitsa

www.rusmuseum.ru Gostiny Dvor, Nevsky Prospect St Isaac's Cathedral One of the finest architectural monuments of the XIX century (architect A.Montferrand), formerly principal cathedral of the Russian capital, the largest cathedral in town. The cathedral is graced with 112 solid granite columns weighing up to 114 tons each, and about 400 relieves and bronze sculptures. The observation platform on the colonnade provides a magnificent view of the city. +7 812 315 9732 Closed on Wednesdays and last Fridays of the month 11:00 - 18:00

Isaakievskaya ploshad

Gostiny Dvor, Nevsky Prospect Church of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood Completed in 1907 as a memorial church to the Russian emperor Alexander II, on the very spot of crucial terroristic attempt upon him. A sample of 'Russian Revival style' in architecture and decorative art at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. Mosaics revetting the church (over 7,000 sq.m) were created to the design of 30 artists, among them V.Vasnetsov, M.Nesterov, A.Ryabushkin, V.Belyaev, N.Kharlamov. +7 812 315 1636 Closed on Wednesdays 11:00 - 18:00

2a Griboyedova Kanala nab.

Nevsky Prospect, Gostiny Dvor The Peter and Paul Fortress The Peter and Paul Fortress was founded by Peter the Great in 1703. Except the old fortifications themselves, there are the Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral of the early XVIII century (architect D.Trezzini) with the burial vault of Peter the Great and other Russian tsars, the museum in Trubetskoy Bastion prison, the exhibitions 'The History of St.Petersburg - Petrograd. 1830-1918', 'Museum to Old Petersburg', 'Pechatnya (Printing Workshop)', 'Museum for Adults and Children', 'Three Centuries above the City' (dedicated to the history of building Cathedral's belfry), and museum on space exploration and missilery. An excursion route 'Panorama of the Neva' goes over the roofs of the fortress bastions and curtains. +7 812 498 0505 Closed on Wednesdays and last Tuesdays of the month 11:00 - 17:00; 11:00 - 16:00 on Tuesdays

3 Petropavlovskaya Krepost

www.spbmuseum.ru Gorkovskaya The Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography named after Peter the Great (The Chamber of Curiosities) The collection stems from the exhibits of the first Russian museum - Kunstkamera, founded by Peter I, and contains over a million exhibits on the lifestyles of different peoples of the world. Many of them are unique. Permanent expositions: 'First Collections on Natural Sciences in Kunstkamera', 'M.Lomonosov and the Academy of Sciences in the XVIII Century', 'The First Astronomical Observatory in the Russian Academy of Sciences', 'Grand Gotthorp Globe-Planetarium'. +7 812 328 1412 Closed on Mondays and last Thursdays of the month 11:00 - 16:30

3 Universitetskaya nab.

www.kunstkamera.ru Vasileostrovskaya The Menshikov Palace The palace of Prince Alexander Menshikov, first governor - general of St Petersburg, was founded on Vasilevsky Island in 1710. It is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the city, and once combined both residential and administrative functions. The palace also features an exhibition, owing to the Hermitage collections, on Russian culture in the era of Peter the Great. +7 812 323 1112 Closed on Mondays 10:30 - 16:00

15 Universitetskaya nab.

www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/03/hm3_9.html Vasileostrovskaya The Marble Palace An architectural monument of the mid-XVIII century (architect A.Rinaldi). Over 30 tints of marble were used for the decoration of the palace, hence the name Marble Palace, which was bestowed by delighted contemporaries. The main exhibitions: 'Peter Ludvig Museum in the Russian Museum', 'The Collection of Brothers Rzhevskiy', 'Konstantin Romanov - a Poet of the Silver Age'. +7 812 312 9196 Closed on Tuesdays 10:00 - 17:00; 10:00 - 16:00 on Mondays

5/11 Millionnaya Ulitsa

Gostiny Dvor, Nevsky Prospect Mikhaylovsky (Inzhenerny) Castle The castle was constructed to protect the Russian emperor Paul I. Ironically, it was here where he was assassinated on the night of March 12, 1801. Since 1817, the castle housed an Engineering School, which was attended by many great Russian figures of the past, including the writer F.Dostoyevsky. Permanent exhibitions: 'Classic Subjects in Russian Art' and 'The Renaissance and the Creative Activity of Russian Artists'. +7 812 313 4173 Closed on Tuesdays 10:00 - 17:00; 10:00 - 16:00 on Mondays

2 Sadovaya Ulitsa

Gostiny Dvor, Nevsky prospect Stroganoff Palace The oldest of palaces under the Russian Museum supervision. For almost 2 centuries, it was the property of Barons and Counts Stroganoff. Its building was begun in 1738 and headed by M.Zemtsov. However, F.Rastrelli is considered as its real author who completed the outward appearance of the palace. The interiors were worked out by the remarkable Russian architects F.Demertsov, A.Voronikhin, G.Bosse, et al. A permanent exhibition 'The Gallery of Russian Porcelain' is opened in the restored first-floor suite of rooms. +7 812 571 2360 Closed o Tuesdays 10:00 - 17:00; 10:00 - 16:00 on Mondays

17 Nevsky Prospect

Gostiny Dvor Museum of Porcelain A new department of the State Hermitage, opened on Lomonosov Porcelain Factory grounds. 2 restored halls contain the exhibition of porcelain made in Royal Porcelain Manufacture during 1744-1917, an exhibition on how the museum collection was formed, and products by the famous West-European porcelain manufactures and artistic glassware. +7 812 560 8300 Closed on Mondays 10:30 - 17:00; 10:30 - 16:00 on Sundays

151 Obukhovskoy Oborony Prospect

Lomonosovskaya The Russian Ethnographic Museum The exhibitions of the museum illustrate the everyday life and culture of the peoples of Russia in the XIX-XX centuries. The collections of the museum have over half a million exhibits. In the Special Storeroom, shown are jewelry, weapons, and religious objects, made of precious metals. A new permanent exhibition 'Peoples of Russian North-West and Baltic Countries' is open. +7 812 313 4320 Closed on Mondays and last Fridays of the month 10:00 - 17:00

4/1 Inzhenernaya Ulitsa

www.ethnomuseum.ru Gostiny Dvor, Nevsky Prospect The Zoological Museum One of the largest in the world. The museum's research collection contains 17 million species, 500,000 of which are on display. +7 812 328 0112 Closed on Fridays 11:00 - 17:00

1 Universitetskaya nab.

www.zin.ru/museum/ Vasileostrovskaya The Central Naval Museum Located in the historical building of the Stock Exchange, designed by the architect T. de Thomon, constructed in the early XIX century, it is the largest naval museum in the world. Founded in 1709, the museum has over 800,000 items, including 'The Grandfather of the Russian Navy' - the childhood boat of Peter the Great, models of vessels, examples of weaponry and military machinery, marine paintings. +7 812 328 2501 Closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and last Thursdays of the month 10:30 - 16:45

www.museum.navy.ru Vasileostrovskaya Museum on board the cruiser Aurora A cruiser of the Russian Navy put on eternal mooring. The museum on board illustrates the Aurora's participation in the battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, revolutionary events of the early XX century, and the World War II, 1941-45. +7 812 230 8440 Closed on Mondays and Fridays 10:30 - 16:00

Petrogradskaya nab.

Gorkovskaya The Cabin of Peter the Great Constructed for Peter the Great in May 1703, it is the first building in St.Petersburg. The exhibition of the museum includes personal belongings of Peter the Great, domestic items from the early XVIII century, and a description of Russian victories in the Northern War of 1700-1721. +7 812 232 4576 Closed on Tuesdays and last Mondays of the month 10:00 - 17:30

6 Petrovskaya nab.

Gorkovskaya The Museum of the Political History of Russia The museum features original objects, documents, photographs on the history of Russia in the XIX-XX centuries. A special section is devoted to the famous Russian ballerina M.Kshessinskaya, the former owner of the mansion. Other exhibitions include 'Deeming on the State Duma (The history of Russian parliamentarism in the XX century)', 'Thanks to Comrade Stalin... (Individual and power in the USSR in 1920-30s)'. +7 812 233 7052 Closed on Thursdays 10:00 - 17:00

2/4 Kuybysheva ulitsa

www.polithistory.ru Gorkovskaya Rumyantsev Mansion A branch of the Museum of St.Petersburg History. The mansion bears the name of one of its owners - Count N.Rumyantsev, the founder of the famous Rumyantsevsky Museum which was located in the mansion's premises in the first half of the XIX century. Nowadays, it hosts the exhibitions: 'Leningrad in the Second World War', displaying over 2,000 relics of the war period, 'From Workdays to Holidays. City Sketches of 1930s', 'The Story of Rumyantsev's Mansion', 'NEP: Image of the Town and the Townsmen'. +7 812 571 7544 Closed on Wednesdays and last Tuesdays of the month 11:00 - 17:00; 11:00 - 16:00 on Tuesdays

44 Angliyskaya nab.

Nevsky Prospect Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad This memorial is dedicated to the 900-days of unprecedented heroic defence of the city in the World War II, 1941-1945. Consists of an obelisk, sculptural composition, and an underground Memorial Hall, where original documents and items of that time are displayed. +7 812 373 6563 Closed on Wednesdays and last Tuesdays of the month 10:00 - 18:00; 10:00 - 17:00 on Tuesdays and Fridays

Pobedy ploshad

Moskovskaya Tretyakov Gallery The National Museum of Russian Fine Art, the State Tretyakov Gallery, is one of the largest museums in the world. Its collections embrace the period from the 10th to 20th century and all schools of Russian painting - from ancient icons to avant-guard. The Gallery treasures priceless collection of old Russian icons, paintings, sculptures and graphics. All week apart from Mondays 10.00am-19.30pm

10 Lavrushinsky Lane

Historical Museum The largest historic museum of Russia, the State Historical Museum, was established in 1872 on the initiative of the Russian scientific community. Articles and monuments representing the culture and the history of the multinational Russian State were brought to the new museum from all the regions of Russia. All week apart from Tuesday and every first Monday of the month 10.00-18.00 11.00-18.00 (Sunday)

1/2 Red Square

Museum of Moscow History The Museum of Moscow History that is one of the oldest Museums of the city was established on the initiative of Russian scientific community in 1896. All week apart from Monday 10.00-17.00

12 Novaya Sq

Lenin's Mausoleum Lenin's Mausoleum, the monument and the burial-vault, is the compositional center of the Red Square in Moscow. In the Funeral Hall of the Mausoleum there is the crystal sarcophagus, which contains the embalmed body of Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the Bolsheviks closed on Monday, Friday, and Sunday 10.00-13.00

Red Square

Paleontology Musuem The Paleontology Museum named after Yuri Orlov is reckoned among the world largest natural-science museums. It originates from the Kunstkammer established by Peter the Great in Saint Petersburg. The Kunstkammer's collection was comprised of all kind of rarities including teeth and bones of ancient creatures found in different parts of the world. All week apart from Monday and Tuesday 11:00-18:00

123 Profsoyuznaya Street

Museum of Vladimir Vysotsky The idea of Vysotsky Museum foundation appeared in 1980, just after the poet's death in 1980. The Taganka Theater, where Vysotsky had worked as an actor, was overflowed with letters from ordinary people who offered the establishment of the exposition dedicated to the life and creativity of the outstanding poet and bard. All week apart from Sundays, Mondays 11.00-17.30

Nizhne-Tagansky Tupik, 3

National Art Museum of Ukraine The National Art Museum of Ukraine is of course not the oldest in the list of most famous museums of the world. But its prestige is constantly becoming higher. And the belief of museum founders that Ukrainian culture is valuable on international level today has spread around the world. +38 044 278 13 57 10:00 - 17:00 Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday; 12:00 - 19:00 Friday; 11:00 - 18:00 Saturday.

6 Grushevskogo St.

Museum of the Great Patriotic War This World War II memorial complex, which opened in 1981, includes a museum with different galleries, an eternal flame, plaques honoring particularly heroic Soviet cities and an outdoor display containing military planes and other equipment from various wars. The most impressive replica of it all is the massive titanium statue of a woman, 62m tall to be exact, grasping a 12-ton sword and a shield. It is called the Statue of Motherland and symbolizes the victory and invincible country. The museum consists of 16 halls that reflect different war stages. All of them are full of weapon, war equipments, cars, trapping and even war plates and sauce-pans that will make you feel like being witnesses of all these horrible events. You will be horrified by the consequences of the concentration camp activity when people did not have names but numbers and where of the human skin the gloves where made. Also you will see the bred scales. During the war the little piece of bred was weighted before it was given to the soldier. You will have chance to see different awards that was given during the Second World War. In one of the halls you will be touched by the great deal of pictures of the unknown soldiers. +38 044 285 94 52 Tuesday - Sunday 10:00 - 17:00

44 Sichnevoho Povstannia Street

warmuseum.kiev.ua/ Druzhbi Narodov Open-air of Folk Architecture and Life Museum 'Pyrogovo' Pyrogovo is a picturesque open-air museum of old Ukrainian lifestyle and folk culture. The museum is divided into areas representing different regions of Ukraine, recreating authentic village atmosphere: clay huts roofed with grass or wooden shingles, archaic barns and wells - everything is meant to bring you back to Ukraine of 16th to 19th century. At Pyrohovo you will find wooden churches, windmills, and even a school building typical of rural areas from recent centuries. Different kinds of structures: water-mills, cattle-sheds and granary, threshing floors and 'stodota' for storing cereals, apiaries and hen houses, cellars and wells. All this will tell you how Ukrainians lived in Ukraine centuries ago. Most of the buildings are original and were moved here piece by piece from villages all over Ukraine. There are represented different regions of Ukraine and you will have the opportunity to notice how different they were. It's very interesting to compare the churches and the bell towers, they are silent witnesses of the spiritual growth of Ukraine, its customs and traditions. The exposition of village cottages or huts (khatas in Ukrainian) here is unique for their age (1587 to 1687). Every item is displayed in its natural environment and you could even see them in operation, as museum employs people to play different roles of the ancient village life. +38 044 526 55 42 Open daily 10:00 - 17:00

National museum 'Chornobyl' This museum is the concentration of pain and regret about the national tragedy for Ukrainian Nation. Museum consists for 3 halls with witnesses and always alive traces of this horrible event. One hall is dedicated to the tragedy itself and first action against it. The second tells us about consequence of this terrible catastrophe. The whole atmosphere of the museum with movie fragments, photos from the place of the tragedy and musical accompaniment are created to convey the core problem to all people in the world - we shall do everything not to repeat this horror once again. It is very touching especially the photos of the children, the innocent victims that suffered of the tragedy +38 044 417 54 27 Monday - Saturday 10:00 - 18:00 Saturday: 10:00 - 17:00

1 Khorevyi Lane

Kontraktova Ploscha Archaelogy Museum The oldest museum in the city, with 170 thousand exhibits from times of the paleolithic perid, and coin collection - about 50 thousand exhibits 10.00 - 17.00 (except Monday)

4 Lastochkin St.

The Catacombs Catacombs are the hand made underground labyrinths. They were first made to provide the city with building material, i.e. lime stone. During the WWII they were used by partisans as a shelter. The catacombs are situated in the distance of 14 km. from Odessa. 10:00 - 16:00 (except Monday)

Museum of Western and Eastern art in Odessa Opened its doors to the public in 1920 along with many other art museums set up in the Soviet Union in that year. Later, based on this museum's collection of foreign art, the Odessa Museum of Western and Oriental Art was established. The collection of Italian art is the most representative in the section on West-European art. It includes paintings, sculptures and works of decorative and applied art dating from the Renaissance period (15th century) up to the twentieth century. +38 0482 22-74-53 Monday - Weekend 10:00 - 17:00

13, Pushkinskaya str.

Lviv Brewery Museum Lviv is the birthplace of beer in Ukraine. "Lviv Beer", one of the oldest and still most popular beer brands in Ukraine, has been brewed in Lviv since 1715. The museum is assembling a treasure trove of breweriana such as rare old photos, beer related labels and containers, advertising materials of all kinds, as well as unique brewery related artefacts an loan or donated by collectors, historians and by breweries, both large and small, throughout Lviv region.

The tour starts with Lviv Beer Memorial room, filled with beer brands and labels famous since the Soviet times onward.

Museum includes: A barrel-making workshop - known as cooperage. This fascinating art was essential to businesses and breweries from medieval times well into the XXth century. Visual Presentations of the first brewery - the Wax Figures of the monks of Jesuit order, who established the brewery in 1715. The Model of the old brewery - an impressing example of industrial architecture of the XVIII century. The Scheme of beer-making as well as numerous old mugs, first bottles, ancient brewing equipment and many other interesting exhibits. Your tour finishes with a 10 minutes Video - Lviv beer story that will help your imagination shape up what you saw and heard. Finally, the most pleasant part of the tour is beer tasting. Mon, Tue - Sun (except state holidays) 10:30 - 17:00 LvivBrewery.jpg

18, Kleparivska Str.

Lviv History Museum Among Ukraine's museums, Lviv History Museum is one of the oldest and richest in historical artifacts and cultural relicts. Its displays help visitors visualize and trace the historical past of the city of Lviv and the lands of Galicia from older times to modern days. The Museum's collections are housed in buildings Numbers 4, 6, 24 Rynok Square (Market Square). These buildings house architectural monuments of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. +38 0322 74 33 04 Closed on Wednesdays 10:00 - 17:00 (winter), 10:00 - 18:00 (spring/summer/autumn)

6, Rynok sqr.

The Johann Georg Pinsel Museum (Baroque Sacral Art Museum) In 1996 in the former Poor Clares Church there was opened the Museum of Lviv Sacral Baroque Sculpture "Johann Georg Pinsel Creative Work". At the end of the 1750s he created the sculptural ensemble on St. George Cathedral in Lviv, worked in Lviv St. Martin Church, in Monastyrys'ka in Ternopil region. The altar from the church of Hodovytsya village near Lviv*** is the brightest work as concerns the emotional influence. In 1761 the sculptor died. The sculptor's creative work is a remarkable phenomenon in the history of Ukrainian and moreover - the world culture. He created the original heritage which had no equal in Europe of the mid-18th c. and formed Lviv baroque sculpture school (about 40 masters). The Boim family Chapel is the department of the Lviv Art Gallery. +38 0322 75 69 66 Closed on Mondays 11:00 - 16:00

2, Mytna square

Yalta Chekhov Estate-Museum Quite a number of places in Yalta are connected with the name of famous Russian writer Anton Chekhov: a Chekhov district, a Chekhov Museum, a Chekhov Theatre, a monument to Chekhov, and a street, a library and a school named after him. Chekhov was very popular among local residents. +380654 394947 Day off: Monday, Tuesday from October to June 10:00-17:00

The Livadia State Palace-Museum Livadia Palace was the former summer residence of the Russian Tsars. In February 1945 the Palace was the venue of the world famous Crimean (Yalta) Conference. As a museum it was opened for the public in 1974. The museum complex consists of 60 entries and is, in particular, comprised by the Great Palace (1910-11, architect M.Krasnov); Exaltation of the Cross Church (1864, architect Monigetti); the Palace of Frederix (architect Bibber, 1916) and the park laid out by botanist Heckerle, gardeners Delilger and Pater in 1895-early 20th century. The Livadia Park is one of the oldest and best-laid landscape parks of Crimea. It covers the territory of more than 40 hectares. +380654 315581 Day off: Wednesday, from October to June Monday 10:00-17:00

Massandra Palace The Massandra Palace stands in beautiful parkland several kilometers out of Yalta. It was designed by French architect Bouchart to emulate the style of some of the castles of the Loire valley. Originally built for Prince C.M.Vorontsov, it was acquired by Tsar Alexander III as his summer palace in 1889. 380654 321728/235347 Day off: Monday, from October to May Tuesday 09:00-17:00

Alupka Vorontsov Palace And Park The palace and the park complex (1830-1846, total territory 40 hectares) is one of the most beautiful spots in Ukraine. Ai-Petri - one of the peaks in the Crimean mountains looms over the green terraces of the park and the sea. The artificial fascinating landscapes of the park are in full harmony with the palace built for the governor-general of the Novorosiyskyi Krai (a Southern administrative unit in Russian Empire) M.Vorontsov in 1828-48. The palace was designed by architect E.Blore and represents synthesis of Late English Gothic style and Moorish motives. +380654 722281 Day off: from October to May Monday 09.00-16.30