Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
OFFLINE MAP
(
Геологический музей
; Sredny pr 74; admission free; 10am-4pm Mon-Fri;
Vasileostrovskaya)
Located in the upper floors of the All-Russian Geological Science
and Research Institute, this huge museum contains thousands of fossils, rocks and
gems. The precious and semiprecious stones alone are dazzling: sparkling amethyst
crystals (including one from the Altai mountains that is 1.5m long); huge chunks of
malachite from the Urals; and a gorgeous gypsum 'rose' from Astrakhan. Also on dis-
play are prehistoric rocks and fossils, dinosaur fragments, animal skulls and mam-
moth tusks. The centrepiece of the museum is a huge map of the Soviet Union made
entirely of precious gems, which won the Paris World Exposition Grand Prix in 1937.
On entering the building, you'll have to call 7446 on the in-house phone, and
say you'd like to visit the museum
('ya hachoo pasyeteet moozáy')
and someone will
come down to escort you.
MMUSSEUUM
CENTRAL NAVAL MUSEUM
adult/student R400/200; 11am-6pm Wed-Sun; Admiralteyskaya)
Housed in the Old
Stock Exchange, the Central Naval Museum is a grand, expansive museum full of
maps, model ships, flags and photos. It covers the history of the Russian navy up to
the present, though sadly it's hard to recommend to anyone other than die-hard naval
enthusiasts, as the foreigner price means it costs as much as the Hermitage, and it's by
no way as interesting. The highlight of the display is
Botik,
Peter's first boat and, in
his own words, the 'grandfather of the Russian Navy'.
MMUSSEUUM
PUSHKIN HOUSE
OFFLINE MAP
tour R120; 11am-4pm Mon-Fri; Vasileostrovskaya)
The old customs house, topped
with statues and a dome, is now home to the Institute of Russian Literature. Fondly
called Pushkin House, the handsome building contains a small literary museum with
dusty exhibits on Tolstoy, Gogol, Lermontov and Turgenev, as well as a room dedic-
ated to the writers of the Silver Age. Call in advance for an English-language tour.
