History of Moscow

The history of the city — from the earliest Dyakovo culture settlements on the banks of the Moscow River (1st millennium BCE) to the start of the Great Patriotic War — is presented here for the first time in these halls.

Visitors learn about the lives of the first Slavs in the Moscow region, medieval craftsmen, Moscow’s nobility and merchants, peasants, and, of course, residents who moved into communal apartments in the 1920s.

The lighting concept is designed to reflect all these themes and meanings. The main technique is the combination of ambient and accent lighting which creates spatial depth and guides visitors through the halls, leading their attention from object to object. Color accents serve as visual boundaries between exhibition sections, adding both artistic meaning and navigation. In the central nave, soft, muted lighting is used due to the nature of the exhibits and lighting regulations.