Museum of our childhood

The author of the idea is Gleb Pivovarov. The House of Science and Technology, where the museum is located, was founded in the 1970s as a venue for exhibitions of the achievements of the national economy, and for a long time it was a platform for inventors and innovators to showcase cutting-edge technology. Since then, the House of Science and Technology has preserved an archive of examples of technology, archive photos and documents of inventions. The new team at the House of Science and Technology has put the technology collection and archives in order. The initial idea was to show the development of technology from the simple to the complex stage, but as the museum developed, the project evolved and the focus shifted from technology to the history of its use in a family or design bureau. The tour programme thus consists not only of facts about technology and engineering, but also of family stories and legends about how our lives have been changed by the everyday objects that surround us.

The museum aims to showcase the technology, toys and everyday objects used by the last ‘tube’ generation before the internet age. The activities of the museum include themed evenings / interactive lectures with listening to vinyl records, watching films and cartoons, festivals of backyard games, etc.

A special feature of the museum is its interactivity and accessibility for visitors of all ages and levels of development. There is a robot-guide working via Telegram or via the museum’s website that allows explore the exposition independently.

The museum consists of three main themed stylized zones: a living room (household items), a study (special items and equipment) and a leisure and recreation zone.

In the living room there are a variety of household clocks, two televisions, a radio, several wired radio versions, an Ion humidifier, a fan, furniture, toys, a sewing machine, a washing machine, hoovers, carpets (floor/wall), badges, personal items, books, magazines, etc.

In the study there are furniture, computing equipment: calculators, arithmetic meters, logarithmic rulers and calculators; insignia, medals, orders and medal books, insignia (epaulets, cockades); wall clocks, floor clocks, decorative and souvenir elements of interior; typewriters, electronic translator; lecture equipment, etc.

The leisure and recreation Zone contains elements of Soviet cinema theatre (film projectors, projection booth, audio equipment, etc.); a darkroom (cameras, magnifier, tubs, films, paper, fixers, etc.); telephones; musical instruments; thematic postcards; television, audio and video equipment; elements of a “typical Soviet kitchen”, etc. The museum was created with the support of the Presidential Grants Fund.