View source for State Historical Museum

{{Short description|National museum in Moscow, Russia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox museum
 |name          = State Historical Museum
 |native_name   = {{lang|ru|Государственный исторический музей}}
 |image         = Museo Estatal de Historia, Moscú, Rusia, 2016-10-03, DD 49.jpg
 |caption       = State Historical Museum, as seen from the Red Square.
|mapframe=yes
|mapframe-caption=Interactive fullscreen map
|mapframe-zoom=13
|mapframe-marker=museum
|mapframe-wikidata=yes
|coordinates={{WikidataCoord|display=it}}
 |established   = {{start date and age|1872}}
 |location      = [[Moscow]], Russia
 |type          = Historical
 |website       = {{official URL}}
}}
The '''State Historical Museum''' ({{langx|ru|Государственный исторический музей, ГИМ|Gosudarstvennyy istoricheskiy muzey, GIM}}) of Russia is a museum of [[History of Russia|Russian history]] located between [[Red Square]] and [[Manezhnaya Square, Moscow|Manege Square]] in [[Moscow]]. The museum's exhibitions range from relics of prehistoric tribes that lived in the territory of present-day Russia, to priceless artworks acquired by members of the [[House of Romanov|Romanov dynasty]]. The total number of objects in the museum's collection numbers in the millions.

== Description ==
The place where the museum now stands was formerly occupied by the [[Principal Medicine Store]], built by order of [[Peter I of Russia|Peter the Great]] in the [[Moscow Baroque]] style. 

The museum was founded in 1872 by [[Ivan Zabelin]], [[Aleksey Uvarov]] and several other [[Slavophiles]] interested in promoting Russian history and national self-awareness. The board of trustees, composed of [[Sergey Solovyov (historian)|Sergey Solovyov]], [[Vasily Klyuchevsky]], Uvarov, and other leading historians, presided over the construction of the museum building. After a prolonged competition, the project was handed over to [[Vladimir Osipovich Shervud]] (or Sherwood, 1833–97).<ref>[http://www.russianmuseums.info/M414 The State Historical Museum]</ref>

The present structure was built based on Sherwood's [[Russian Revival|neo-Russian]] design between 1875 and 1881. The first 11 exhibit halls officially opened in 1883 during a visit from the tsar and his wife.<ref>[http://www.shm.ru/hist1_3.html Хронологический указатель] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110104014312/http://www.shm.ru/hist1_3.html |date=4 January 2011 }}</ref> Then in 1894, Tsar [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander III]] became the honorary president of the museum and the following year, 1895, the museum was renamed the Tsar Alexander III Imperial Russian History Museum.<ref>[http://www.shm.ru/hist1_7.html Хронологический указатель – ГИМ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102164239/http://www.shm.ru/hist1_7.html |date=2 January 2011 }}</ref> Its interiors were intricately decorated in the [[Romantic Nationalism|Russian Revival]] style by such artists as [[Viktor Vasnetsov]], [[Henryk Siemiradzki]], and [[Ivan Aivazovsky]]. During the Soviet period, the murals were proclaimed gaudy and were plastered over.

== Current activities ==
Since spring 2007, for the first time in the history of The State Historical Museum, all 40 halls have been open to the public.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Razgonov|first1=Sergeĭ.|title=Orly na bashni︠a︡kh : Gosudarstvennyĭ istoricheskiĭ muzeĭ : li︠u︡di i gody|last2=Разгонов|first2=Сергей.|date=2008|publisher=ROSSPĖN|isbn=978-5-8243-0997-3|location=Moskva|oclc=236113935}}</ref> The museum covers the period from ancient times to the early 20th century and over 1.2 million people visit its exhibitions.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Datieva|first1=Natalʹi︠a︡|title=Istoricheskiĭ muzeĭ : arkhitektura, interʹery|last2=Датиева|first2=Наталья|date=2015|isbn=978-5-89076-299-3|location=Moskva|oclc=928631279}}</ref> The museum is also a major centre for research, science and education. The department's host lectures and seminars, internships, and awards in research and restoration activities.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Премия имени И.Е. Забелина в Государственном историческом музее|url=https://shm.ru/issledovatelyam/premii-zabelina/|access-date=2021-09-20|website=shm.ru|language=ru}}</ref>

Since the end of 2016, it has been possible to view the exhibition through a virtual tour, which is accessible on the museum's official website.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-04-14|title=Виртуальные туры по Историческому музею на Красной площади запустят в этом году|url=https://www.mos.ru/news/item/9894073/|access-date=2021-09-20|website=Сайт Москвы|language=ru}}</ref>

About 30-40 exhibition projects are held annually based on exhibits from the museum's collection throughout Russia. For the 500th anniversary of the [[Novodevichy Convent]], the museum plans to open an exhibition dedicated to the Russian Orthodox Church. For 2018–2023, a series of exhibitions of the project "National Museums of the World to the Historical Museum" is planned, in which European museums will take part.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Депозитарно-выставочный центр ГИМ откроют в "новой" Москве к 150-летию музея|url=https://realty.interfax.ru/ru/news/articles/77990/|access-date=2021-09-20|website=realty.interfax.ru}}</ref>

From March to July 2020, the museum was closed to the public due to quarantine amid the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Государственный исторический музей открылся для посетителей|url=https://tass.ru/kultura/8860223|access-date=2021-09-20|website=ТАСС}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140">
File:Вид на Исторический музей в сторону Красной площади.jpg|Night View
File:Moscow July 2011-13a.jpg|View from the northwest
File:Государственный исторический музей 2018 01.jpg
File:2014 Moscow State Historical Lenin Museum.JPG
File:Moscow SHM asv2019-06 img11.jpg|One of the exposition halls
File:Военный парад на Красной площади 9 мая 2016 г. (29).jpg|An [[Order of the Patriotic War]] being displayed on the museum at Victory Day Parade 2016.
File:030529-Moscow-IMG 0819-2.jpg|State Historical Museum, [[Red Square]], [[Moscow]], [[Russia]]
File:030524-Moscow-IMG 9879-2.jpg|State Historical Museum, [[Red Square]], [[Moscow]], [[Russia]]
File:030522-Moscow-IMG 8738-2.jpg|State Historical Museum, [[Red Square]], [[Moscow]], [[Russia]]
File:030524-Moscow-IMG 9873-2.jpg|State Historical Museum, [[Red Square]], [[Moscow]], [[Russia]]
File:030522-Moscow-IMG 8780-2.jpg|State Historical Museum, [[Red Square]], [[Moscow]], [[Russia]]
File:030524-Moscow-IMG 9872-2.jpg|State Historical Museum, [[Red Square]], [[Moscow]], [[Russia]]
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{official|en.shm.ru/museum/gim}} {{in lang|en}}
* WorldWalk.info: {{URL|worldwalk.info/en/catalog/15|State Historical Museum (Moscow)}} {{in lang|en}}
*{{commons category-inline}}

{{Museums and galleries in Moscow}}
{{Kremlin}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Museums established in 1872]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1881]]
[[Category:Museums in Moscow]]
[[Category:National (federal) museums in Russia]]
[[Category:History museums in Russia]]
[[Category:Red Square]]
[[Category:Russian Revival architecture]]
[[Category:1872 establishments in the Russian Empire]]
[[Category:Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Moscow]]