Museum of Military Equipment

In various cities of Russia, you can visit museums dedicated to the WWII, where there are expositions of military equipment. However, over the past 20 years, several very interesting specialized museums have appeared in Russia, where you can see various samples of military equipment. In this review you can read about the largest Museums of military equipment in Russia:

1.    Patriot Park in Alabino (Moscow reg)
2.    Patriot Park in Kronstadt (St.Petersburg)
3.    Museum of the Urals Military Glory (Ekaterinburg)
4.    V.Zadorozhny’s Museum of Technics (Moscow reg)
5.    Museum of the Motovilikhinsky Plant (Perm)
6.    Museum of Weapons (Tula)

Click on the hyperlinks to read in detail about each museum and see a large number of photos

Patriot Park in Moscow region

Patriot Park in Moscow region is the largest museum complex in Russia dedicated to military equipment and weapons. It was established in 2014 and has gone the way of development from the museum of military equipment to the spiritual center of the Armed Forces of Russia, where emphasis is placed on military-patriotic education of young people. Patriot Park is located 50 kilometers southwest of Moscow.

In 2014, pavilions appeared in Patriot Park, where the exhibition "The Army of Russia" was held. It takes place every year in August. Then museum complexes of military equipment were built here, which work all year round. In 2020, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ was built in Patriot Park. It became the main temple of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. A Memorial Road Museum dedicated to the events of the Great Patriotic War was built around it.

Park Patriot in Kronstadt

Patriot Park in the Dock Admiralty of Kronstadt is gradually turning into a huge open-air museum complex. You can enter it from the Anchor Square, where the Naval St. Nicholas Cathedral towers. The Admiralty territory reconstruction program is designed until 2030. 

Patriot Park in Kronstadt continues the traditions laid down after the creation of the first Patriot Park in Alabino near Moscow. It was established in 2014 and has gone the way from the museum of military equipment to the spiritual center of the Armed Forces of Russia, where the emphasis is on military-patriotic education of young people. Patriot Park in Alabino is dedicated to the Ground and Air Forces of Russia. Patriot Park in Kronstadt is dedicated to the Russian Navy. 

Near the entrance to Patriot Park there is a Chapel of Peter and Paul and a Memorial to the participants of the Kronstadt Uprising. Then the path goes along the Peter dry dock. In the far part of Patriot Park there is an Alley with busts of admirals of the Russian Fleet. On the right side of the entrance to Patriot Park, you can see a large exhibition of anchors and military equipment. Anchor Square has been a storage place for anchors for centuries, so the exhibition of anchors in Patriot Park looks natural. There are more than 50 anchors made in the 18th and 20th centuries. The heaviest of them weighs 15 tons. 

The Museum of the Military Glory of the Urals

The Museum of the Military Glory of the Urals is located in the northern suburb of Yekaterinburg, Verkhnyaya Pyshma. This is one of the largest museums of military equipment in Russia, as well as retro cars. The Museum of the Military Glory of the Urals is located in front of the main entrance of the Elektromed plant, part of the UMMC holding. It was founded in 2005.

By 2020, the territory of the Museum of Military Equipment has increased to several hectares; here you can see more than 500 samples of Soviet and Russian military equipment. The equipment of other countries is not represented in the museum. Currently, several expositions can be seen here: the Museum of Military Equipment, the Museum of Automotive Technology, the Wings of Victory Aviation Museum, and the Parade Platoon Exhibition Center.

Vadim Zadorozhny Museum of Technics 

Near the Arkhangelskoe estate in the Moscow region there is a Museum of military equipment of Vadim Zadorozhny. There you can see a large exposition of military equipment on the street, as well as an interesting collection of retro cars and weapons inside the museum building. The private museum of Military equipment was created by Vadim Zadorozhny in 2001.

On the second floor of the museum of military equipment there are a lot of Soviet and German equipment from the period of WWII: cannons, machine guns and submachine guns, armored personnel carriers, as well as various models of BMW motorcycles. Of particular interest is the Messerschmitt Bf.109 aircraft. At the outdoor exhibition, you can see different types of weapons: airplanes, tanks, guns, MLRS, missiles and air defense systems. Basically, Soviet samples are exhibited here, but there are also models that Russia received from America under the lend-lease system.

Museum of the Motovilikhinsky Plant

The Museum of Military Equipment of the Motovilikhinsky Plant in Perm is located near the workshops of the famous Motovilikhinsky plant. This is a large enterprise specialized in the production of special grades of steel, as well as military equipment. The plant was founded in 1736, and the Museum of military equipment appeared in 1976. 

The main specialization of the plant is artillery. In recent decades, multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS – Grad, Hurricane, Tornado) have become a very important production area. They are produced together with design bureaus from Tula. On the open site of the museum of the Motovilikhinsky plant, you can see a variety of exhibits - from cannons of the WWI, to modern MLRS. There are also air defense systems here: from the first S-125 Pechora, to modern S-300 complexes.

Tula Museum of Weapons

The Tula Museum of Weapons is one of the famous museums of military equipment in Russia, as the arms production has always been one of the main specializations of Tula craftsmen. Since the 17th century Tula, located on the southern borders of Moscow, has been one of the main centers of Russia for the manufacture of weapons.

In 2012, a new building of the Tula Museum of Weapons was opened, which houses not only firearms. Samples of heavy weapons that were developed at Tula Design bureaus are installed on the street: multiple launch rocket systems (Hail, Hurricane and Tornado), Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, Kub-M1 anti-aircraft missile system and many others.