Museum of Water

It's easy to see where the concept for this museum came from. According to Peter the Great's plans for the city, it was specifically water that would join the city of St. Petersburg with Europe and, by filling its canals, turn this marshy site into the 'Venice of the North'.

St. Petersburg's Museum of Water is located in a former water-tower, and was presented to the city by local water monopoly Vodokanal as part of the 300^th Anniversary celebrations. The water-tower, built in 1860 by Ivan Merts and Ernest Shuberskiy, was the first in St. Petersburg and marked the start of a proper water supply to the city, and now it houses a unique museum that uses the latest in exhibition technology.

The exhibition is modern, hi-tech and hands-on. Visitors can, among other things, try their hand at assembling a plumbing system, operate pumps and learn about the workings of the dam and steam engine which pumps the water in the tower. Here you can see everything to do with the provision and processing of water in the city, from its founding to the present day, including antique toilets and state-of-the-art purification systems.

The Museum of Water and was opened 28 May 2003, and the exhibition itself was designed by the Russian Museum and architect Evgeny Podgornov, who equipped the tower with a glass elevator and smart exterior lighting which has made the tower a distinctive feature on the Neva Embankment. The tower also has an observation platform with excellent views over the river, and a pretty garden, both of which have already become extremely popular with the city's inhabitants and visitors. The tower also houses temporary exhibitions, conferences and seminars.