President of Russia
  • Events
  • Structure
  • Videos and Photos
  • Documents
  • Contacts
  • Search
  • Search this website
President of Russia
Mobile version

President's
website
sections

  • Events
  • Structure
  • Videos and Photos
  • Documents
  • Contacts
  • Search
  • Search
  • For the Media
  • Subscribe
  • Directory
  • Version for People with Disabilities
  • Русский

President's
website
resources

  • President of RussiaCurrent resource
  • The Constitution of Russia
  • State Insignia
  • Address an appeal to the President
  • Vladimir Putin’s Personal Website

Official Internet Resources
of the President of Russia

  • Telegram Channel
  • Rutube Channel
  • YouTube Channel

Legal
and technical
information

  • About website
  • Using website content
  • Personal data of website users
  • Contact website team

All content on this site is licensed under

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Presidential Executive Office2025
Events

Vladimir Putin visited the Armoury at the Moscow Kremlin State Historical and Cultural Museum

Director of the Moscow Kremlin museums Yelena Gagarina gave the President a tour of the Armoury’s halls and items in storage, and told him about the particularities of taking care of museum collections. 

June 29, 2012
15:30
The Kremlin, Moscow
With Director of the Moscow Kremlin museums Yelena Gagarina.
With Director of the Moscow Kremlin museums Yelena Gagarina.
With Director of the Moscow Kremlin museums Yelena Gagarina.
With Director of the Moscow Kremlin museums Yelena Gagarina.
With Director of the Moscow Kremlin museums Yelena Gagarina.

The Moscow Kremlin museums’ collections total 160,000 unique exhibits, including masterpieces of weaponry, jewellery, and fine arts, as well as archaeological finds discovered at various moments on the Kremlin’s territory. The unique ensemble of Kremlin museums includes old cathedrals, architectural ensembles, and the Armoury’s treasure trove of exhibits. More than 1 million people visit the museums every year.

* * *

Excerpts from conversation with Director of the Moscow Kremlin museums Yelena Gagarina

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: A decision on building a separate building for the Moscow Kremlin museums was made twice and concerned two different sites in Moscow. One of them was close by, between the Kremlin and the Pashkov House. The approvals process went on for 15 years, and at the end of 2010 it was finally decided to abandon this proposal. Public opinion was in opposition and people felt that it would not be right to fit a new building into the existing architectural ensemble that had already taken shape here.

As you know, we are now looking at the question of reconstructing the buildings at No.5 Red Square, the Middle Trade Rows, as the complex was called. There is quite a lot of space there, more than 40,000 square metres, and if an atrium is built this would make even more space.

I know the issue has been raised on many occasions of the need to ensure proper conditions for the Moscow Kremlin museums’ operation, give the public better access, expand the opportunities for exhibiting the collections, build decent storage facilities, and ensure proper conditions for restoration work. This would all be possible in the premises we have in mind.

Let’s agree as follows. We will entrust this work to the Presidential Property Management Directorate and other services (presidential and government), and discuss the matter with the public, including with the museum community. I think we could establish new premises for the Moscow Kremlin museums at No. 5 Red Square and this will free up the premises here for other purposes. The only thing is, we are to get a clear idea first of whether the space there will be enough for you to fit everything that is here at the moment, whether you think it necessary or not, and whether you think something should remain here. After all, the Moscow Kremlin museums include, I think, eight different buildings.

Director of the Moscow Kremlin Museums Yelena Gagarina: You are quite right. Of course we need to free up all of the wonderful [architectural] monuments here in the Kremlin of functions not properly theirs, so that we can open these historical premises to the public, who want to see as much of the Kremlin as possible, want to see all of the marvellous works of architecture that our forebears created here over the centuries. 

The Kremlin is not just museum collections, but is a monument in itself. It would be wonderful, therefore, if we could free these premises of all that should not be here – storage rooms, restoration workshops and office space. Visitors to the Kremlin want to see as much of the historic buildings as they can. 

Vladimir Putin: So, you think it is the right decision to transfer the main stocks of items to another site.

Yelena Gagarina: Of course. This is not just my opinion. I discussed it with Sergei Ivanov [Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office], as he is the head of our board of trustees, and with Mikhail Piotrovsky, who is Chairman of the Union of Russian Museums. The building that will house our collections should be in close proximity to the Kremlin, and so there is probably no other option than the building at No. 5 Red Square.

Vladimir Putin: It is also a historic building and, fortunately, there will be no need to demolish anything and build anything new in Moscow’s historic centre. 

As for the other sites, there are eight in total, and the Kremlin itself, and they will be open for the public, for our citizens and for visitors coming from abroad, so that everyone will be able to enjoy them.

Yelena Gagarina: Thank you very much, Mr President. You have resolved a huge problem that we have faced for many years now and that has complicated life not only for those working here, but above all, for people who want to visit the Kremlin and see as much as possible here.

Vladimir Putin: Excellent.

Topics

  • Culture

Publication status

Published in sections: News, Transcripts

Publication date: June 29, 2012, 15:30

Direct link: en.kremlin.ru/d/15809

Text version

Text
5
Photo

Share
Direct link
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/15809
Share
  • VK
  • Telegram
  • Ok
  • Send by email
  • Print
Send by email

Official Website of the President of Russia:

Vladimir Putin visited the Armoury at the Moscow Kremlin State Historical and Cultural Museum

http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/15809

Last updated at March 20, 2015, 18:01

Официальные сетевые ресурсы

Президента России

Official Internet Resources

of the President of Russia

Русский Английский
  • For the Media
  • Version for People with Disabilities
  • Telegram Channel
  • Rutube Channel
  • YouTube Channel
  • Website of the President of Russia
  • State Insignia
  • Address an appeal to the President
  • Vladimir Putin’s Personal Website
  • Putin. 20 years

Presidential Executive Office
2025