The majority of people in Russia have long associated the industrial city of Tolyatti of Samara Oblast with the AvtoVAZ car factory. Local tourist industry periodically tries to remind to the general public that Tolyatti has the Volga River, yachting, classical music festivals and much more. However, the image of the motherland of “Zhiguli” cars has taken deep roots in the public consciousness.
You cannot visit the factory on a tour - Avtovaz is not ready to let the curious people in to the production site. Instead, a museum of art in the open air was opened in Tolyatti by the forces of the car-maker. Konstantin Grigoryevich Sakharov whose name was given to the museum was one of its founders and the Vice President for Technical Development of AvtoVAZ. The exposition is not limited to the products of the car-maker, the most important task of the museum is to show the history of Soviet and Russian technology “alive”.
The most part of the exhibits have no relation to AvtoVAZ: there are old sewing machines and howitzers, as well as a parachute tower. More than 460 samples of civil and military technology are gathered on the area of 38 hectares. These are: tanks from the honored T-34-85 to the modern T-80 and T-90, “Andryusha” multiple rocket launcher, engineering machines of different purposes and surprising types, like a trencher bristling with fangs.
Armored cars and all-terrain vehicles, armored personnel carriers and trucks. A separate hangar with experimental cars. And it is only the beginning. The exposition is not limited to land-based cars - the museum has an impressive collection of helicopters and airplanes, including such distinguished veterans as Mi-24, MiG-21, Su-27 and MiG-29. The most unexpected exhibit is a real submarine. And it is not just a submarine, but B-307, the largest diesel submarine in the world.
The museum regularly hosts:
- “Avtorodeo” – the show of professional stuntmen on motorcycles and domestic cars;
- “Prince’s Tournament” – the festival for the fans of historical fencing, cold arms of all kinds and role-playing games;
- Festival of re-enactors “Russia. XXI Century” where staged battles of both world wars of the last century are organized.
Tickets for adults: a single exposition (there are a total of two of them) - 60 roubles without a tour or 80 roubles with a guided tour; a single ticket for both exhibitions - 100 roubles or 130 roubles.
Children, school students, higher school students, veterans, disabled persons and army conscripts - 30 roubles and 40 roubles or 50 roubles and 65 roubles, respectively. The additional exhibition “Experimental Cars” - only with a guided tour - costs 45 roubles for adults and 30 roubles for other categories of visitors.
Author: Anna Dorozhkina