The Central Naval Museum in St. Petersburg is one of the world`s largest naval museums. It is located in a long three-story building on the Kryukov Canal, opposite the New Holland Park. The huge collection of the museum is interesting not only for history lovers, but also for ordinary tourists who visit St. Petersburg.
The Naval Museum of St. Petersburg is called one of the oldest museums in Russia, although this is not entirely correct. The first museum opened in 1718 on the initiative of Tsar Peter I was the Kunstkamera on Vasilievsky Island. In 1709, at the Admiralty, Peter I created a model-camera where models of warships were exhibited, as well as drawings.
In 1709, the model camera could not be called a museum, since these models and drawings were used to build a real military fleet, which was needed by Peter I in the Northern War with Sweden. In 1805, the models of ships in the Admiralty model-chamber lost their practical significance and became the basis of the collection of the Naval Museum of St. Petersburg.
The museum has changed its location more than once. Since 1939, the Naval Museum has been located in the building of the St. Petersburg Stock Exchange on the Spit of Vasilievsky Island. In 2012, the museum`s exposition opened the Kryukov Naval Barracks building.
These barracks were built by order of Nicholas I in 1844-1852 by architect Ivan Chernik. He built a huge triangular building at the intersection of the Moyka River and the Kryukov Canal in an eclectic style. Kryukov Barracks was also called the Barracks of the Naval Crew.
The collection of the Naval Museum of St. Petersburg has more than 700 thousand exhibits, including more than 2000 models of ships. In the halls of the museum, you can see several expositions: models of ships, weapons of ships, paintings on naval themes, banners and heraldry, drawings of ships, original documents from the time of Peter I, photographs and postcards from the mid-19th century.
One of the most valuable exhibits of the museum is the original Boat of Peter I. It was built in England in 1640, and in 1688 young Peter sailed on it in the Izmailovo Estate near Moscow. There is a Peter I Boat Museum in Pereslavl-Zalessky. This is a different boat, but also original. Tsar Peter I studied naval skills on it at Pleshchevo Lake.
The Central Naval Museum has 6 branches. The Cruiser Aurora, the submarine Narodovolets, the Museum in Kronstadt, and the Museum of the Road of Life on Lake Ladoga are located in St. Petersburg. In Novorossiysk, you can see the Cruiser Mikhail Kutuzov. In Baltiysk, Kaliningrad region, is located the Museum of the Baltic Fleet.
