Cultural and Exhibition Center “Vologda Museum of Childhood”
Vologda Oblast
Contact information
Operating hours
Wed-Fri: from 10:00 to 18:00
Mon, Tue – weekend
Ticket price
children under 5 years old – free of charge,
children 5-14 years old – 50 rubles,
adults – 150 rubles,
exhibition ticket – 50 rubles
Excursion service:
group of 1-5 people: ticket price + 500 rubles per group
group of more than 5 people: ticket price + 100 rubles per person
group of schoolchildren from 20 people + 2 escorts: by appointment
Museum founder
Alexander Metelkin
Museum Director
Irina Metelkina
Founded
2019
The history of the Vologda Museum of Childhood sends us to the beginning of the 1990s, when a boy named Sasha (not acting his age) had toys, and instead of giving the soldiers to his younger brother, he asked his dad to make a shelf above the desk for his toy army.
This shelf was the beginning of the collection, which today has 9,000 exhibits and includes not only soldiers, but also a variety of toys from the USSR period.
Separate places in the collection are occupied by Christmas items: Christmas decorations, coasters for little figures, Grandfathers Frost and Snow Maidens, carnival masks, etc.
In 2019, the collection “grew up” to the status of a “museum”, which opened its doors to visitors on the eve of the New Year holidays.
Currently, the museum uses 4 thematic halls:
– Common hall (toys of the Soviet period, divided by a time period and thematic principle)
There are two showcases with toys in the hall, which since the 1920s were produced in the Artel “Vologda Toymaker”, and later by the Vologda Toy Factory.
Museum employees pay special attention.
At present, you can see toys made at different times in the city of Vologda, and you can find out their history only in the Vologda Museum of Childhood.
– New Year’s toys (exhibition of Grandfathers Frost and New Year’s paraphernalia)
The Vologda region is the birthplace of the winter wizard, Grandfather Frost. The road to The Great Ustyug begins in Vologda. The Vologda Museum of Childhood did not disregard the children’s best friend.
A separate exhibition in the museum is dedicated to Grandfather Frost, which includes more than 160 figurines that were usually placed under the Christmas tree. In addition, you can see masks made from papier-mâché, packages from New Year’s gifts, Kremlin trees, serpentine, Christmas crackers, and USSR period Christmas lights.
– Boys’ toys
– Girls’ toys
The halls are decorated on the principle of an open fund, where guests will find their favorite doll, toy car or a teddy bear.
Two photo zones are organized in the museums, where you can take pictures in the interiors of rooms for girls and boys, which date from the period of 60-70s and 80-90s of the 20th century, respectively.
