The Toy Museum is an exhibition space in Nizhny Novgorod that has operated since 2011 on Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street, 8 (third floor). After 2020 it was incorporated into the network of the Nizhny Novgorod State Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve.[1]
History and collection
In 2011 Nizhny Novgorod artist Alexander Lavrov organized an exhibition called the "Toy Museum," gathering exhibits over several years. Initially the exhibition was supplemented by four Soviet arcade machines: "Sea Battle," "Torpedo Attack," "Repka" (Turnip), and "Rocket Rocking Chair." In two rooms on the third floor, dolls, toy soldiers, board games, and other items of pre-digital-era children's leisure were displayed. Soviet school uniforms and Pioneer and Little Octobrist regalia were exhibited on the walls; in one of the rooms Soviet cartoons were shown.[1]
The arcade machines, which drew the first visitors, eventually broke down and, according to museum staff, cannot be restored. During visits in the mid-2010s, a large aquarium with pacu fish — relatives of piranhas — stood in their place in one of the halls.[1]
Current state
After the renovation that followed 2020, the museum became part of the network of the Nizhny Novgorod State Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve. Most of the exhibits were preserved in the process. The museum receives visitors daily except Mondays, from 10:00 to 17:00. Address: 8 Bolshaya Pokrovskaya St. Payment via the "Pushkin Card" is accepted.[1]
Sources
- aboutnizhnynovgorod.ru — Toy Museum in Nizhny Novgorod — About Nizhny Novgorod and not only (archive)