10 SWEETEST museums in Russia (PHOTOS)
It’s impossible to live without desserts: How can you do without spicy pretzels, delicate ‘pastila’ or honey ‘chak-chak’? We’ve put together a listicle of museums, where everyone knows about these and other candies and sweet foods.
1. Museum of Russian Dessert, Zvenigorod
A real sweet kingdom is hidden in one of the old houses of the city. The museum, which was created by artist Tatyana Feina, does not look like a serious scientific institution. Rather, it looks like the workshop of an absent-minded wizard, where real treasures are collected in each room. There is a collection of antique buffets and kitchen utensils, a battery of pot-bellied ‘samovars’ and a real Russian stove, where pies and gingerbread are baked.
You can explore the museum on your own or on a tour and learn all about old Russian desserts, like oatmeal jelly and apple bread. And the local teahouse also makes a fragrant and sweet drink from bird cherry (a flowering plant in the rose family).
Address: Frunze Street, 23/2
Website: https://rusdessertmuseum.ru/
2. Pretzel Museum, Vyborg
It’s believed that the pretzel is shaped like hands folded in prayer. This version is quite plausible, considering that, according to legend, the recipe for this pastry was brought to Vyborg 700 years ago by Franciscan monks. They made pretzels with herbs that they grew themselves and did not share the recipe with anyone, since they brought them a good income. Only in the 16th century did the monks decide to sell it and then pretzels began to appear not only in Vyborg bakeries, but even on the table of Peter I. The recipe has survived to this day – you can try it for yourself in the Pretzel Museum.
Address: Krasnoflotskaya Street, 11
Website: www.vyborg-gid.ru
3. Kolomna Pastila Museum, Kolomna
This city near Moscow has two museums dedicated to this locally invented dessert – loose apple ‘pastila’. Getting to know it takes you back to the 19th century: theatrical excursions will tell you about the appearance of ‘pastila’, its features (for instance, it is mainly made from Antonovka apples), as well as pre-revolutionary life. And, of course, you can try the fresh dessert with some tea.
Address: Posadskaya Street, 13A
Website: kolomnapastila.ru
4. ‘Kalachnaya’, Kolomna
The other Kolomna museum for those with a sweet tooth is called ‘Kalachnaya’, where you can learn about the production process of this pastry by taking a tour. It’s baked according to old recipes from the 14th century in a special ‘kalach’ oven.
Address: Zaitseva Street, 14
Website: https://kolomnakalach.ru/
5. ‘Chak-chak’ Museum, Kazan
In an old house that used to belong to a local merchant, time seems to have stood still – once you cross the threshold of the front door, you will find yourself at the end of the 19th century. Chintz curtains on the windows, carpets on the floor, sofas and chests covered with colorful bedspreads and pillows, as well as a pot-bellied teapot with fresh tea is already waiting on the table.
Visitors are not just regular tourists, but dear guests who are greeted by hospitable hosts who tell them about their lives. And, at the same time, they introduce the most famous Tatar candy – ‘chak-chak’ (deep-fried pieces of dough covered in honey syrup).
Address: Parizhskoy Kommuny Street, 18A
Website: https://chak-chak.museum/
6. Marzipan Museum, Kaliningrad
Marzipan is a cure for all diseases. That's what they'll tell you in Kaliningrad and there they know a thing or two about this confection. It first appeared in Königsberg (as the city was called then) in the 16th century. At first, it was sold in pharmacies and only after some time did marzipan migrate to proper confectionery stores. The local marzipan was distinguished by its rich color and piquant taste – rose water and bitter almonds were added. And, in the 19th century, the first marzipan factory appeared in the city.
The Marzipan Museum not only tells the history of this chocolate confection, but also shows how to make a miniature painting out of it.
Address: Azovskaya Street, 4
Website: https://www.marzipanmuseum.ru/
8. Einem Rose Museum, Moscow
It seems that the aromas of cocoa beans and vanilla still float there: The museum is located on the historical territory of the Einem factory. It was founded in 1849 by Theodor Einem: his products were incredibly popular not only with ordinary people, but were also supplied to the imperial court. After the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, the factory was renamed ‘Krasny Oktyabr’ (‘Red October’). Its chocolates and confections – ‘Alenka’, ‘Kara-kum’, ‘Mishka Kosolapy’ and many others – were and are sold today throughout the country.
In 2007, the factory was moved from the city center and a museum was opened in the factory buildings on Bersenevskaya Embankment. They tell you all about the history of production and, after the tour, they treat you to a cup of rich, hot chocolate!
Address: Bersenevskaya Embankment, 6, building 1
Website: https://rozaeinema.ru/
8. Gingerbread Museum, Moscow
This museum reveals the history and secrets of making ‘honey bread’, as gingerbread is also sometimes referred to as. The staff share recipes and help you to create and bake the dessert with your own hands. A bonus is the opportunity to look at the amazingly beautiful 17th-century Yusupov chambers, in which the museum is located.
Address: Bolshoy Kozlovsky Lane, 13/17
Website: https://gingerbread-msk.ru/museum
9. Museum of the History of Chocolate & Cocoa (MISHKA), Moscow
The museum's exposition is like a kaleidoscope: In it, you can travel to the birthplace of cocoa, which is, of course, South America, visit Russian chocolate king Alexei Abrikosov and get acquainted with the production of the famous brown confection.
Address: Malaya Krasnoselskaya Street, 7
Website: https://chokomuseum.ru/
10. Gingerbread Museum, Tula
Is all gingerbread the same? No, it’s not. In Tula, the gingerbread capital of Russia, everyone knows about it – it’s been made there since the 17th century. This locally produced confection thundered not only throughout the country, but was also known abroad. Moreover, the delicacy was not cheap. And the original recipe is prepared without pepper and ginger! In Soviet times, the confection did not disappear: several local factories were merged together and they continued to delight sweet tooths. The museum will also tell you why gingerbread is ‘printed’ and what boards are used to apply patterns to it, as well as show you the smallest and largest confection!
Address: Oktyabrskaya Street, 45A
Website: https://www.oldtula.ru/museum/ekskursii/
