Lenin’s Tomb

Once a major attraction, largely ignored in the last decade, Lenin’s Tomb is once again an extremely popular site and the long forgotten lineups of yesterday are here again, with the real possibility that one might not even get in! Vladimir Lenin was born in 1870, died in 1924. Historical intrigue centers around the question of how someone who had an active state role for a mere 5 years (1917-1922) so changed the world of the 20th c. The Tomb’s architecture follows simple yet elegant lines and there is talk that it may be closed to the public soon.

Romanovs’ Dynasty Museum

This very Russian, very medieval, very authentic museum is just off Red Square and can be hard to find unless you know where to go. This is the house where Michael, the grandfather of Peter the Great, the first of the Romanov dynasty was born.

WWII Museum

The biggest museum of its kind in the world. WWII or the Great Patriotic War (as it is called in Russia) is a very important period of the 20th c, and is forever ingrained into the Russian psyche as not a single family survived without the loss of at least one member.

Victory Park

It surrounds the WWII Museum and has its own display of cannons, tanks and planes. The Museum of Holocaust is also located in the park.

Red Army Museum

Continues with the theme of Russian wars, heroism of Russian soldiers and the courage of the people who loved their motherland, and gave up their lives in times of trouble. On display are photos, personal belongings, orders, and documents of the War.

The Museum of Armored Vehicles

The museum is located in the suburban military town of Kubinka, 15km from Moscow. It has one of the world’s largest collections of armoured vehicles representing 11 countries. The 290 items on display include self-propelled guns, armoured cars, reconnaissance and command vehicles, and a variety of technical and engineer support vehicles. Many of the Russian items are prototypes that were never mass-produced.

Russian Air Force Museum

The Museum is located in Monino, approximately 38 km from Moscow. The museum opened in 1960 at a former air base (which operated from 1932 to 1956). Many of the Russian aviation designers (Tupolev, Ilyushin, Antonov, Mikoyan, etc.) have contributed exhibits and resources to the museum.

Leninskie Gorky Estate

This former aristocratic estate is 60km to the south of Moscow. Vladimir Lenin spent his last years here. You can visit four museums: the Museum of Political History which is a typical 70’s soviet style building; the Side Wing where Lenin’s relatives lived; the Main House, where he lived and died, and Lenin’s Apartment which was relocated to this site from the Kremlin some 10 years ago.