Description of the attraction
Museum "Underground Printing House 1905 - 1906" is a branch of the State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia. The museum was opened in Moscow in 1924 and is located on the first floor, in the left wing of a three-story building. The house was built at the end of the 19th century and belonged to the merchant Kolupaev.
An illegal, secret printing house was located here during the 1905 revolution. The printing house was organized to publish illegal literature, newspapers and leaflets. The initiators were the leaders of the RSDLP - Krasin and Yenukidze. For this purpose, they found a house on the outskirts of Moscow, near the Gruzinskaya Sloboda. To cover the printing house, a shop was opened in the house, selling Caucasian fruits and cheese. The printing house was located in a room dug under the warehouse. There was a small American printing press.
The printing house was well undercover and operated successfully, although the Butyrka police station and the Butyrka prison castle were located nearby. Nevertheless, the underground workers successfully distributed the Rabochy newspaper. In 1906, the underground printing house was mothballed. The machine was moved to Rozhdestvensky Boulevard, to a new building.
The museum was opened in 1924 at the suggestion of Sokolov, known by his party nickname "Miron". The founders of the museum were former underground workers who worked in this printing house.
The museum includes: a shop premises, a shop basement, two living rooms and a kitchen. The furnishings of the premises have been completely restored and are typical for the life and life of the Moscow bourgeois class. The Russian stove is well preserved. Furniture, dishes and household utensils of that time were used in the design of the interiors. There are numerous photographs on the walls.
The basement, under which the printing house was located, is designed in the form of a warehouse: boxes with fruit, barrels of cheese. Illegal leaflets and newspapers are stacked at the bottom. The printing house itself is located below the basement level. It can be seen through a special viewing window in the wall. It contains a genuine printing press. In the museum you can see photocopies of documents and get acquainted with a detailed description of the history of the printing house and the activities of the underground workers.
