Embracing the unembraceable in a single lesson: first visitors share their impressions of the new exposition at the National Centre RUSSIA
Attend a lecture at a school desk, explore an antique globe, see an authentic tsar’s carriage displayed alongside a high-speed train of the future, take part in an engaging interactive quest, and even visit a real planetarium. During the spring holidays, the "Geography Lessons" exposition opened at the National Centre RUSSIA, and its first visitors have already discovered that it is possible to embrace the vast and experience the impossible within the time of a single school lesson.
Teacher Darya Ivanova from the Moscow Region received an invitation to the exposition after taking part in the "Pedagogical Debut" contest. She noted that time flows differently here.
"The exposition was truly impressive. It is bright and highly interactive. Time flew by unnoticed. I even felt a sense of regret when we were told we were approaching the end — I could have continued exploring for much longer," admitted Darya Ivanova.
The young teacher was especially impressed by the area featuring the train and the news that it will soon be possible to reach Tver in just a few dozen minutes. She also highlighted the interactive boards, the hall with precious stones, and the opportunity to study various maps. She was particularly struck by learning how long it would take to travel across Russia on the Little Humpbacked Horse.
Young Margarita Ivanova came to the exposition on the recommendation of her aunt, who lives in Moscow — and did not regret it: "I really liked it here. I learned that there are many different types of maps and that sledges are not just for fun, but for travelling where there are no roads."
The schoolgirl plans to tell her friends that entry to the exposition is free and that there is so much to see that it could easily take a whole day.
Nikolai Yemelyanov, a student from a Moscow school, is passionate about history and came to the exposition in search of facts — but found much more. He was particularly impressed by the "Power. Battles for Geography" hall and a separate area where visitors can take photos in different historical eras. He expressed a desire to bring his classmates so that they too could experience the scale of the country.
"I really liked it — there is so much interactive content, so many maps and objects to explore. Some of them you can even touch!" the boy said enthusiastically.
Teacher Sofya Guseva travelled to Moscow from Novokuznetsk. According to her, the exposition is deeply moving: "Here I feel pride, a sense of belonging and love for our vast country. The installations are magnificent. And that map of rivers… I have never seen anything like it. It is a very creative approach — to show such vivid, beautiful rivers that we admire and travel along."
The "Geography Lessons" exposition is a true journey through the centuries — from ancient scrolls to digital maps, from the first geographical discoveries to space exploration. Each of the eight themed halls presents engaging stories of discoveries, expeditions, scientific achievements and the development of territories. Schoolchildren can imagine themselves as explorers, learn to read maps and truly grasp the scale of the country — not only intellectually, but emotionally.
At the heart of the exposition are rare cartographic materials from the collections of the Russian State Library, the State Historical Museum, the Central Naval Library, the Polytechnic Museum, as well as leading Russian archives, universities and research centres. These include historical maps and atlases, educational publications, globes of Earth and other planets, and books that shaped the understanding of the world for several generations of explorers.
The new exposition at the National Centre RUSSIA is designed for families and schoolchildren aged 9–16. Admission is free with prior registration on the website russia.ru.
Its future concept was presented on 4 April on the NTV programme "Today in Moscow".
A series of open lectures as part of the "Space Odyssey" project will launch at the National Centre RUSSIA on 12 April, Cosmonautics Day.
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