Contemporary History Museum

Moscow

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Complete with stone lions, this opulent mansion was built to host the English Club – a venue favoured by Anglophile gentlemen and native Brits in tsarist times. After a stint as the Revolution Museum in the Soviet era, it now houses exhibitions that trace Russian history from the 1905 and 1917 revolutions up to present days.

Reflecting the government's penchant for rewriting history, a popular joke goes that Russia is a country with an unpredictable past. That attitude manifested itself when the main section of the museum, dedicated to the 20th century, was closed for renovation in 2017, the year of the October Revolution's 100th anniversary – a date President Vladimir Putin is very uncomfortable with. Temporary exhibitions, including those dedicated to Putin's reign, were open at the time of writing.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • The crown of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich in the Armoury in the Kremlin, Moscow. 21/06/2003. (Photo by Jeff Overs/BBC News & Current Affairs via Getty Images)

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  • Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts

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  • St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square, Moscow, Russia

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  • Exterior of Water Tower at Kremlin.

    Moscow Kremlin

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    The apex of Russian political power and once the centre of the Orthodox Church, the Kremlin is the kernel of not only Moscow, but of the whole country…

  • Mausoleum on Red Square, Moscow, Russia; Shutterstock ID 64158388; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; Project no. or GL code: 56530; Network activity no. or Cost Centre: Online-Design; Product or Project: 65050/7529/Josh Vogel/LP.com Destination Galleries

    Lenin's Mausoleum

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  • Bridge Over River Against Sky During Sunset

    Gorky Park

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  • Moscow's Red Square

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  • State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, Russia; Shutterstock ID 192471953; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: Digital Content/Sights

    State Tretyakov Gallery Main Branch

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    The exotic boyar (high-ranking noble) castle on a little lane in Zamoskvorechie contains the main branch of the State Tretyakov Gallery, housing the world…

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