The museum is located in the central part of Vologda, in the Zasodimsky House, built in the mid-19th century. The wooden house was erected in the traditions of late classicism. The building with a mezzanine has four pediments with original windows. In the yard of the house there is a carriage house that was completely rebuilt using new materials during the restoration of the mansion. The last owner of the mansion was the well-known Vologda merchant of the 2nd guild and owner of a haberdashery shop, Dmitry Panteleev. After the Revolution the mansion was converted into communal housing. The house is a cultural heritage site and since 1991 has been under the authority of the local history museum.
View of the Zasodimsky (Panteleev) House from Leningrad Street. Photo: Yandex
The main exhibition of the 'World of Forgotten Things' museum occupies the first floor and tells the story of the everyday life of Vologda townspeople at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Visitors enter a residential house with authentic interiors; they can walk through the parlor and dining room, visit the study and the children's room, and feel the atmosphere of pre-revolutionary life. The collection includes items used in everyday life and leisure: music players, exquisite furniture and tableware, and accessories.
Museum exhibition. Photo: Yandex
On the second floor there is a portrait exhibition-gallery 'The History of the Vologda Portrait of the 18th–19th Centuries' from the noble estates of the Vologda Governorate. Here you can see portraits of famous Vologda nobles and society ladies, representatives of the church, and even several portraits of emperors. This is the history of Vologda in faces. The collection consists of works by local and unknown artists.
Exhibition 'The History of the Vologda Portrait of the 18th–19th Centuries'. Photo: Yandex
Also on the second floor is a music parlor where literary and musical evenings and other cultural events are regularly held. The gem of the exhibition is an antique musical instrument — a fisgarmonia (a type of harmonium), which in the past was found in every wealthy noble household. The third floor houses two halls allocated for temporary exhibitions and displays. A visit to the museum with a guided tour takes about 1–1.5 hours. The museum is well worth visiting and, through the world of forgotten things, immerses visitors in a bygone era.
Porcelain figurines. Photo: Yandex
