The Gardenin House Museum has opened in one of the oldest stone buildings in Voronezh
Following its restoration, the 18th-century building has become part of the Petrovsky Ostrov museum complex, bringing together historical exhibits, architecture and modern digital technology. As Kommersant reports, the Gardenin House was officially opened in Voronezh on 16 September. The historic building, dating from the first half of the 18th century, is associated with the Gardenin merchant family and the era of Peter I, when the city became one of the centres of Russian fleet construction. The museum opened to visitors on 22 September.
The house was built on the grounds of the Gardenin family estate. Its founder, Potap Gardenin, was a contemporary of Peter I and established the local cloth manufactory. Extensive restoration work on the monument began in 2023. The building now houses the exhibition “Peter I and His Associates in the Voronezh Region”, which explores the history of the city during the Petrine era and the daily life of its merchants.
The exhibition occupies eight themed halls. It features paintings and objects from the collections of the I.N. Kramskoy Voronezh Regional Art Museum and the Voronezh Regional Museum of Local Lore. These are complemented by material from Russia’s largest museum collections, including the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery and the State Historical Museum.
What distinguishes the new space is its combination of historical material with modern technology. The Kandinsky neural network was used to design the exhibition, animating historical portraits and creating a themed cartoon.
The project forms part of the development of an area associated with the Petrine era. Together with other sites on Petrovsky Island, Gardening House creates a new route through Voronezh’s history linked to the founding of Russia’s regular navy. Sberbank was the principal partner in creating the exhibition.
A historic house that was still in a dilapidated state just a few years ago is now becoming a new focal point for residents and visitors to Voronezh. Here, the city’s history is presented not only through its architecture and museum objects, but also through contemporary formats that offer a fresh perspective on the era of Peter the Great.
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