The Aleksei Bakhrushin Central Theatre Museum

This museum, founded in the late 19^th Century by a wealthy amateur enthusiast, has an enormous collection of paraphernalia from the rich history of Russian theater, including costumes, set designs, billboard posters etc.

From portraits of the earliest Russian actors through to the extraordinary and justifiably celebrated avant garde costumes and sets from the 1920s - including works by Rodchenko for the great Soviet director Vsevolod Meyerhold, this museum is essential viewing for the true theater buff.

For the average tourist, however, the fact that there is no English-language labeling of the material on display may cause frustration. That said, the glorious puppet theater upstairs is almost worth the effort alone.

Opening hours: Daily from 12:00 to 19:00, closed Tuesdays and the last Monday of each month.

The museum was founded in 1894 by Aleksei Bakhrushin, a wealthy industrialist and theater fan who came from a family of collectors. History relates that his enthusiasm considerably outweighed his expertise, and his early efforts were something of a joke in Moscow intellectual circles.

Nonetheless, in 1913 he presented his home and his collection to the Imperial Academy of Sciences. The building was later completely reconstructed, so that only the pseudo-gothic vestibule remains from architect Konstantic Gippius' original.

The Museum is now probably the most important center of theatrical history in Russia, and also operates various other museums including the Ostrovsky House Museum and the Meyerhold Appartment Museum.

Address: 31/12, Bakhrushina Ulitsa, Moscow, 113184, Russia
Telephone: +7 (495) 953-4470, +7 (495) 953-3977
Transport: Paveletskaya metro station