Museums and galleries in Alexandrov

Museums and galleries in Alexandrov

1. See

   Bell-tower of the Crucifixion

   Распятская колокольня

   An unusual building from the middle of 16th century, the time of Ivan the Terrible. This bell-tower is an example of advanced hip-roof architecture with a pointed hip and numerous semi-round kokoshniki below it (yet the tower is just 40 years younger than the church of the Intercession). The adjoining stone building is known as Marfa's Chambers, the place of imprisonment of princess Marfa, the daughter of Tsar Alexey Michailovich. The museum ticket allows to climb the bell-tower and enjoy panoramic views of Alexandrov.

2. See

   Church of the Assumption

   Успенская церковь

   A regular building in the style of 16th–17th centuries. The church was originally constructed around 1525. However, the reconstructions in 1570s and in the 17th century modified the galleries and added the bell-tower. This church is now a part of the museum.

3. See

   Church of the Intercession

   Покровская церковь

   The hip-roof church was built in 16th century. It is the first hip-roof church in Russia. You will hardly feel its beauty from the outside, because this church was the very first attempt to incorporate the hip, a new element in 16th century Russian architecture. Moreover, later annexes, the refectory chamber and the bell tower, also changed the appearance of the building. Still, its interior remains unique due to the wall paintings (frescos) inside the hip. Hips instead of domes are a distinctive, but not very common, feature in Russian architecture. Hips were popular in 16th and 17th centuries, while later traditions restricted the hips to only bell towers. Painting the hips from inside was uncommon even for the medieval tradition. The frescos are painted in dark color and converge to the image of Our Lord in the apex. Overall, they look mystical and awesome. The church used to be attached to the prince palace as an in-house church. The present building of the refectory chamber stands on the spot of the former palace, so in the basement you can still see carved portals and original stone-work from 16th century. The Church of the Intercession is a part of the museum. Tickets are sold at the entrance.

4. See

   Museum of artificial stone

   Музей рукотворного камня

   The museum is attached to the institute of synthetic crystals where artificial crystals of diamond, sapphire, quartz and other minerals are produced. The exhibition includes natural and artificial stones, the production technology, and the resulting jewelry. The museum shop offers stones produced in the institute.

   Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00; excursions can also be booked for the weekend

5. See

   Pervushin's house

   Усадьба купца Первушина

   The museum reconstructs the old merchant's life. The museum staff act as the family of Pervushin, the 19th century Russian merchant originating from Alexandrov. They will tell you about Russian traditions and the history of the house, offer tea and local drinks. The interior is not original. This is however compensated by an unofficial (non-museum) atmosphere, the chance to see things in detail and to touch them. Art exhibition (another branch of the museum) can be found in the neighboring building (Советская ул. 5). The building is also of interest; a remarkable classicism-style building from the middle of 19th century. It is composed of two parts, which are made of different material (stone in the right and wood in the left), yet decorated in a very similar way.

   Daily 10:00–18:00

6. See

   State History Architecture and Art Conservation Museum

   музей-заповедник

   The museum includes seven basic exhibitions. Additionally, it offers a number of scenic "interactive excursions" that reconstruct the medieval atmosphere and show some old Russian traditions, however, in a very imitation way.

   T–Sun, 09:00–17:00 (on Fri, till 16:00)·Entrance fee: RUB 15-30 for each exhibition, about RUB 150 for the whole museum

7. See Not mapped

   Museum of Marina and Anastasia Tsvetaeva

   Александровский литературно-художественный музей Марины и Анастасии Цветаевой

   The museum occupies the original wooden building where Anastasiya Tsvetaeva, a Russian writer, lived in 1915-1917. Her sister Marina Tsvetaeva, a famous poetess, visited this house and wrote some of her well-known poems here. The managers of the museum do their best to guide every visitor. In fact, visiting the museum without a guide is just impossible, because there are no exhibits to watch. The whole museum is an elegantly furnished room with photos on the walls and an imitation of the footbridge in the middle. The guide will readily tell you about the Tsvetaevas family and also show an exhibition "Alexandrov – the center of 101st kilometer" about people who were prohibited to live in Moscow during the Soviet times and stayed in Alexandrov. The museum is a local cultural center: it hosts musical and poetical performances, books about Marina Tsvetaeva are also sold here.

   Wed–Sun, 08:30–17:00·Entrance fee: RUB 60

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Alexandrov (CC BY-SA 4.0).