The idea to create a museum, dedicated to the history of urban lighting has existed since the 1930s, when the old pre-revolutionary streetlamps were replaced with new ones on Moscow streets. The engineer of “Mosgorsvet” company, A. Umov, gathered a collection of lights, which has long been lying in the attic of one of the buildings. Y. A. Harkeevich managed to implement his long-standing dream when the “Mosgorsvet” enterprise rented an old building in Armenian pereulok – the stolnik I. Protopopov chambers from the 17th century. After the restoration of this architectural monument, the first exposition of the museum was presented there. However, the exhibits had to be collected again, as someone had secretly handed over the old collection of lanterns for scrap by that time.
In 2004, at the time of the company’s reorganization, the museum staff established a non-profit organization -the “Lights of Moscow” Museum.
In the “Lights of Moscow” Museum you can learn more about the history of urban lighting in the capital from the 18th century to the present day, as well as see a lot of different lighting devices. Visitors to the museum can feel like pedestrians, who travel through the Moscow streets, passing from century to century under the light of ancient lanterns. The museum staff provides sightseeing tours of the exhibition, interactive and festive programs for children, masterclasses, and walking tours of Moscow alleys. You can admire the numerous lights of modern Moscow by booking a bus tour of the city.
The museum has implemented several projects for visitors with special visual needs and mental disabilities. The museum is a member of the Association of scientific and technical museums of IC OM.
