Main treasury of the space era -
The Baikonur Museum of History is a leading cultural, educational, scientific, and historical center of the city of Baikonur, where a unique collection of evidence of humanity's greatest triumphs in space exploration is gathered. Located on the second floor of the city Palace of Culture, the museum carefully preserves authentic artifacts, documents, rocket models, spacesuits, and personal belongings of the pioneers of rocket and space technology. One should not confuse this facility with the Baikonur Cosmodrome Museum which is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome itself at Pad No. 2.
The museum began its chronicle on November 7, 1968, when enthusiasts opened the first room of combat and labor glory of military builders. Today, the fund numbers more than 15,000 inventory items, and the annual number of visitors reaches 10,000 people. Also in the city, one can visit the Yuri Gagarin Monument in Baikonur and Cosmonauts Alley, where trees are planted. The Syr Darya River flows nearby, close to which the observation deck at the end of the alley is located.
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How to get there and visit -
The Baikonur Museum of History is located in the southern part of the city of Baikonur in the building of the city Palace of Culture at the address: 16 (or 18) Pionerskaya Street, Kyzylorda region, Republic of Kazakhstan.
GPS geographical coordinates: 45°36'45"N 63°18'20"E
Visiting the museum is organized within official excursion programs around the city of Baikonur, conducted by accredited tour operators in compliance with access control requirements. Also, visiting the entire complex is closely linked to the space launch schedule from the cosmodrome.
Opening hours: daily from 9:00 to 18:00 (lunch break from 13:00 to 14:00).
Day off – Sunday (Monday may be regulated by the internal schedule).
Contacts: +7 33622 5 06 20
E-mail: spacemuseum@rambler.ru
Official website of the museum
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History
The history of the museum began on November 7, 1968, with a small room of combat and labor glory of the builders of Baikonur. Gradually, the funds expanded, the exposition grew, and the museum moved to its current building in the Palace of Culture. Today, its fund numbers more than 15,000 inventory items, and the annual number of visitors reaches 10,000 people.
The museum tells about the tasks facing the creators regarding the launch of multi-stage intercontinental ballistic missiles and the exploration of outer space. Such work required titanic efforts, and today the museum carefully preserves the memory of how the courage, engineering genius, and unprecedented labor of builders, many of whom were veterans of the Great Patriotic War, turned the harsh steppe into the main space harbor of the planet.
The museum regularly receives honored guests, including cosmonauts and international space crews (for example, the backup crew of the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft), leaves commemorative entries in the visitor log, and conducts electronic exhibitions ("Ticket to Weightlessness," dedicated to space tourism and the flight of Dennis Tito), as well as patriotic lectures for youth.
Information
The modern museum represents a large-scale exhibition complex consisting of four halls and an exhibition gallery. Unique exhibits are presented here: meteorite fragments from all over the world, parts of portholes and real rockets from the sites of their fall, the cabin in which dogs flew into space, as well as various samples of space food (the cosmonauts' menu numbers about 200 dishes). The museum conducts active educational work, organizes themed exhibitions and educational programs for school children and guests of the city.
Detailed description of the venue
• Hall of labor and combat glory of builders: The first exposition telling about the creation of the testing ground in the mid-1950s under the leadership of S. P. Korolev and M. I. Nedelin, as well as about the combat and labor feats of builders who were veterans of the Great Patriotic War.
• Ethnographic hall: A section dedicated to the history of the region before the appearance of the cosmodrome, local flora, fauna, and archaeological finds of the Kazakh steppes.
• Hall of space and astronomy: Information about the nature of the planets of the Solar System, models of orbital stations (including the Mir station and the ISS), and a collection of meteorites.
• Hall of rocket production: The most extensive part of the museum with models of launch vehicles (Soyuz, Proton, Tsiklon, Zenit), elements of fallen stages, and a model of the International Space Station.
Architecture
The architectural appearance of the Palace of Culture, where the museum is housed, is designed in the traditions of Soviet urban planning and modernism. The spacious halls of the second floor were designed specifically to accommodate large-scale models, panoramic stands, and exhibition galleries, creating a solemn atmosphere for visitors of involvement in great technological victories.
Legend
Among the museum staff and city residents, many stories circulate that exhibits that have been in real space flights or have experienced the harsh breath of steppe winds store a special energy. Visitors believe that if you make a wish next to the models of spacecraft, it will surely come true for anyone who is dedicated to the romance of stellar roads.
Conclusion
The Baikonur Museum of History in the city is an essential point of attraction for everyone interested in the history of outer space exploration. Visiting the museum allows one not only to touch the authentic relics of the rocket and space era, but also to feel the entire depth of the human feat that turned the harsh Kazakh steppe into the gateway to the Universe.
Interesting sights nearby:
• Gagarin's Start Pad No. 1 and Pad No. 31;
• Buran Spacecraft;
• Houses of Gagarin and Korolev;
• Energia Command Post;
• Pad No. 110;
• Baikonur Cosmodrome Museum;
• Saturn Radio Complex;
• Yubileyniy Airfield;
• Attractions at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
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