Published on: 2026-09-05
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
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For City Day, the Main Archive of Moscow opened a new exhibition “Moscow and its inhabitants. On the history of Moscow holidays and everyday life from the 19th to the early 20th century”. Archival documents, photographs, and other exhibits will introduce you to the everyday and festive life of city residents, as well as help you learn about the customs and occupations of Muscovites from various social classes over nearly a century and a half.
Many materials are exhibited for the first time. They tell about the significant events of golden-domed Moscow: the coronation of Russian tsars, festivities and weddings, the celebration of Christmas and Easter. The celebrations were accompanied by illuminations and fireworks, performances by military bands, displays of magic acts and living pictures, as well as the customary serving of coffee and tea with buns. In the photographs of the famous photographer Petr Pavlov, one can see historical places and notable events of the city.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, palaces in the Moscow Empire style were built in the city, as well as private and public buildings in the Art Nouveau style. During this period, factories and trading offices appeared in Taganka and Zamoskvorechye, and luxurious fashion stores on Kuznetsky Most and Tverskaya Street. New water supply, electricity, and telephone entered the daily life of Muscovites. The city transitioned from cab drivers and horse-drawn trams to trams and automobiles. These technological breakthroughs fundamentally changed life in Moscow.
An important theme of the exhibition is landscaping and providing social assistance to the population. Thanks to the proactive policy of the Moscow authorities and donations from major entrepreneurs, such as the benefactors and patrons Solodovnikovs, Tretyakovs, Morozovs, and many others, projects have been implemented in the city across various fields — from medicine to education and art. In Moscow, vocational schools and schools, shelters, apartments and canteens for workers, free public reading rooms, as well as hospitals and clinics equipped with modern equipment have appeared.
During this time, the education system was actively developing. At the exhibition, you can see the class schedules, photographs of teachers and students of gymnasiums and higher educational institutions.
The Moscow public attended opera and ballet performances at the Bolshoi Theatre, as well as watched plays at the Maly Theatre — one of the oldest drama theaters in our country. Performances by artists of the Moscow Art Theatre, founded by stage reformers Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, were popular. The unveiling of the monument to Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky in 1818, and to Nikolai Gogol in 1909, caused significant public resonance.
The exhibition features posters for concerts, lectures, and sporting events, as well as performances by artists from the famous Nikitin Brothers Circus. Visitors will be able to see advertising samples from various manufacturers: perfumes and bicycles, medicines and nails, as well as packaging for confectionery products from the merchant dynasty of the Abrikosovs, and menus from well-known restaurants and clubs of that era. Anyone interested will also be able to explore attributes of Moscow balls: ladies’ accessories and jewelry, perfume bottles, and small notebooks for recording invitations to dances.
Household items occupy a central place at the exhibition. Dishes, cutlery, children’s books, and toys convey the atmosphere of a long-past time. Of particular interest is the stereoscope — an optical device that allows you to see a two-dimensional image. Visitors will also be able to see amateur photographs and works by photo studio artists.
The exhibition can be visited until November 20 at the exhibition hall of the Moscow Main Archive at the address: 82 Profsoyuznaya Street, Building 1. It is open from Monday to Friday from 11:00 to 20:00. You need to bring your passport. Additionally, the exhibition can be seen online in the virtual museum “Moscow — Caring for History.”
A large-scale feature has appeared on the mos.ru portal special project, dedicated to the development of key areas of Moscow. These include transport, industry, healthcare, education, sports, and the construction sector. The special project helps to learn how the capital has changed in recent years, which initiatives aimed at making the lives of city residents even more comfortable are currently being implemented, and what awaits Moscow and its inhabitants in the near future.
On the project page “Culture, Heritage and Leisure Industry” you can learn about how architectural monuments are preserved in the capital.
Moscow is the center of the country’s cultural life and ranks among the leading metropolises in terms of the number of museums and exhibition halls. The city has created a film cluster that unites the Moskino film factory on Ryazansky Prospekt, the Gorky Film Studio, and the Moskino film park.
Get the latest news quickly on the official Moscow city channels in messengers “Max” and “Telegram”.
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