The magical realm of light and color… Would you like to move to the future in the blink of an eye? To get acquainted with the technologies that humanity will use? To become part of an optical illusion? To tame a rainbow, draw with light and play a melody on the laser harp?

The Optics Museum on the basis of the ITMO University, Saint Petersburg, is the place where optical phenomena appear in front of the audience in a clear way. It is located in the Merchant Eliseyevs’ House on the Vasilievsky Island, where the laboratories of the State Optical Institute were located until 2003.

Inside the museum there are 11 halls, each of them holding exhibits that illustrate a particular optical phenomenon. Visitors interact with most of the museum's exhibits directly: for example, here you can freeze your own shadow, become the lord of particles and even fly a little. The optocouplers of Faberge creations, holograms and one of the world’s largest glass collections illustrate the application of optical technologies in various spheres of human activity. The interactive format gives all visitors the opportunity to study science with interest. Free tours that start every 20 minutes add up to this interest.

The ITMO University and the Greek Institute of Holography have held three successful exhibitions at the museum - Magic of Light, Magic Light of Light and Live Light. Some objects have turned to be so popular with the public that have been included in the permanent exhibition.

On the territory of the modern educational and interactive space of the Optics Museum, optical laws and technologies become not only understandable, but also fascinatingly beautiful: there are lots of places for unusual photographs here.

The Optics Museum is inviting to the hologram exhibition "Light Alive"

Optics is an entertaining science. You can make sure of this at Light Alive, where holograms, a mirror labyrinth, Leonardo da Vinci's room and a light pool are waiting for you.

One of the most unusual museums in St. Petersburg, the Optimus Optics Museum, is currently holding the exhibition Light Alive, or Living Light. Its exhibits convincingly prove that science is fun and interesting, and optics is one of the most entertaining sections of physics. The project organizers have focused on holography. Enthusiastic guides will tell a lot of interesting facts about the development history of this scientific branch. Here visitors will crack open the door to the real magic of light and learn the simplest spells. For example, how to distinguish a hologram from other optical illusions. Among the exhibits there are a lot of unusual volumetric images created with the help of photons. By the way, thirteen optical clones of the Faberge eggs from the same-name museum have been made specifically for Light Alive.

The interactive part of the exhibition is represented by Da Vinci Room. This is where you will learn the method of decoding records with the help of reflections and try to find a way out of the mirror labyrinth. Children will enjoy swimming in the light pool, which will leave them absolutely dry. The exhibition runs till  August 31, 2017.

Where: the Optics Museum of the ITMO University is located at the address: 14, Birzhevaya Line, next to Vasileostrovskaya metro station.

Open hours: from 11 am to 8 pm on Tuesday through Thursday and from 11 am to 9 pm on Friday through Sunday