fbpx

Museum of Communications


Museum of Communications them. A.S.Popova, St. Petersburg

Central Museum of Communications them. A.S.Popova in St. Petersburg is an interesting technical museum, which has a huge exhibition and is able to captivate adults and children. It is one of the oldest technical museums in the world. Founded in September 1872, it was originally called the Telegraph Museum.

The exposition occupies 2 floors of the beautiful historic building of the architect D. Quarenghi - the palace of Chancellor A.A. Bezborodko in the Postal District near St. Isaac's Cathedral. The museum has a total of 7,000 storage units.

Inspection of the museum starts from the 2nd floor. At the entrance to the museum at the counter you can take a brief guide with a map of the museum and expositions for free - it will greatly facilitate navigation through the museum exhibits.

In the “Mail service” hall, there are collections of mailboxes, mailing supplies of the 18th-19th centuries, mock-ups of postal transport of the 18th-20th centuries, uniforms and weapons of postal employees, and means of automating mail correspondence.

Central Museum of Communications named after Popov is an interactive museum, in every hall of which there is sure to be something that you can experience, try and understand. And the hall of postal service is not an exception. Here, visitors will be able to make a souvenir for themselves by using a punching machine and rejoice sincerely by sending a letter to the other end of the hall by sending mail to themselves or their friends.

Between, perhaps, the most fascinating “Physical Foundations of Telecommunications” hall and the “Postal Communications” hall is a small historical hall, which tells about the building itself, where the museum is located, and about the post district of St. Petersburg.

The postal quarter was formed around the building of the St. Petersburg Post Office (nowadays the Main Post Office/Glavpochtamt) located at ulitsa Pochtamtskaya, 9. The quarter where the post office buildings were located is limited to Konnogvardeysky Bulvar, Konnogvardeysky Pereulok, Isaakievskaya Ploshchad and ulitsa Bolshaya Morskaya .

There are also screens in the historic hall that broadcast films about the history of communications, the museum and the post office quarter.

The scientific and educational exposition “Physical Basics of Radioelectronics” is a combination of interactive exhibits and text explanations that help to understand and see in action certain laws of physics used in electrical radio communications. Sections of the exposition are devoted to dielectrics and semiconductors, electromagnetism, electrostatics. On the experiments one can see electromagnetic phenomena, optical and acoustic effects.

Every exhibit of this hall is of interest: “Zootrop”, “Jumping ring”, “Manual battery”, Bicycle dynamo, Statistical electricity generator, Light guide, Electromagnet.

On the second tier of the hall, you can practice transferring messages to Morse code, understand how the telegraph and radio are arranged, see the image through the Nipkov disc, estimate how far the video link has gone over the last decade, and even be a TV presenter - this video studio is organized at the very end.

Hall "Telegraph and telephone" - the next, which you get. He is much calmer, but no less informative.

The telegraph, first electric and then semaphore, appeared in the XIX century. Scientists from Europe and Russia worked on devices with this type of communication. A large number of various designs were invented. Some of them have remained single copies, and some have gained worldwide fame, such as the Morse telegraph apparatus, which has been used for more than 100 years.

This hall contains not only telegraphs and everything related to the work of telegraph operators, but also telephones - from the very first models to modern telephones that every visitor will remember except perhaps the smallest ones.

The average hall of the 2nd floor can be called the “heart” of the museum - it is dedicated to the life and discoveries of Alexander Stepanovich Popov. The museum of communications bearing his name holds the original evidence of the invention of the radio as a wireless means of communication.

The exposition of the hall presents authentic instruments that A.S. Popov used in his research activities. The exhibits are arranged in chronological order, so that you can track the scientific path of the inventor.

A.S. Popov is an outstanding experimental physicist, author of the first practical radio communications system. He laid the foundations of such industries as domestic radio engineering, military and civil radio communications, radio engineering production, radio engineering education, scientific radio engineering school.

In 1900, under the leadership of A.S. Popov, the first military radio-telegraph line in Russia was built.

The following 2 halls “Radio. Late XIX and Radio. Beginning of the 20th century "mainly in photographs tell about the beginning of the production of radio equipment and radio tubes.

Next is the hall, which logically continues the theme of the development of radio communications, but having an interesting exhibit - the existing amateur radio station RK1A.

The Mobile Communication Hall will tell you about the history of the development of mobile communications in Russia, which originated in the 1960s.

In the same room you will find the phone models that you most likely had. Models that you have already forgotten, but a meeting with which will cause you a lot of warm memories.

The first floor is represented by two large bright atriums and the Treasury of postage stamps. His exposition is devoted to the latest achievements in information technology and communications.

All exhibits telling about the connection with extraterrestrial civilizations are interesting. On the one hand, it is informative, but on the other - very intricate. Several multimedia stands allow you to travel in space, and scales that show your weight on different planets (recall that p = mg, where g is the acceleration due to gravity, depending on the gravity of each planet).

It is a mistake to believe that this museum is interesting to people of only technical specialties and adolescent boys. It is useful for everyone to know about the various types of communication and the physical phenomena that provide them!

Read more


Special offers

Visit SPb Tram Museum and have a memorable ride on a vintage tram through the historical attractions.
(more…)

Enlarge your War and Peace knowledge by joining Guide For You on the War and Peace Trail. (more…)

If you are looking for something unique to do in Saint Petersburg, experience Russian Blacksmith mastership!

(more…)

Moderate 2 Day Shore Excursion St. Petersburg, Russia from 241$ Reserve Now & Pay Later