How did the idea to create the 'House of Angels' come about, and why is it called the kindest museum in the Kaliningrad Region?
The collection of the 'House of Angels' Museum is a private exhibition that numbers more than one and a half thousand items. The display features various depictions of angels and angel-like beings. The exhibition itself is not religious, although there are references to the image of angels in religion. The building for the museum was chosen deliberately. Once, from the observation deck of our Cat Museum 'MURARIUM', we saw that a small house next to the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral was for sale. The choice of this place for a museum dedicated to angels was influenced by its miniature size, its proximity to a religious architectural monument, and its walking distance to other facilities of the Hospitality and Entertainment Center 'PARADOX' (of which our museum became a part). The 'House of Angels' opened on January 7, 2017, on the eve of Orthodox Christmas, so from the very beginning we worked hard to create a kind, gentle and touching atmosphere. Later, delighted visitors began leaving reviews in which they called us 'the Kindest Museum in the Kaliningrad Region'.
What is the museum's concept?
The museum's exhibition is devoted to images of angels in the history and culture of various peoples. We also believe that each person's life is actually guarded by several guardian angels, but the most important of them is MOM. Therefore, the collection originally appeared as a token of gratitude from the museum's owner to her mother. And, of course, the museum's main mission is to spread the idea that one should continuously do good, making the world kinder and brighter.
How was the museum's collection assembled?
For ten years the collection was gathered out of an interest in collecting. After the decision to open the museum was made, the collection began to be actively expanded by the owners, staff and other kind people who to this day donate exhibits dedicated to heavenly beings. The art objects are very diverse: from author’s books about angels to exclusive handmade dolls created as unique pieces.
Tell us about several of the most unusual exhibits, in your opinion?
One of the brightest and most unusual exhibits is located on the second floor, under the museum's dome. It is a mechanical doll made to our sketch on commission. She speaks to guests and recites a very touching text.
Mechanical angel doll
Of course, like any mechanical items, she has had breakdowns, but we always restore her and give her a new life. Many people assume that our exhibition contains only dolls, but that is not the case. Here you can see paintings and even money — genuine Macedonian dinars with images of angels. We also have models of flowers whose appearance and names are connected to heavenly themes: 'Angelonia' and 'Angel's Trumpets'. The angelic theme has even touched culinary arts. We have models of a surprising and easy-to-make cake called 'Tears of an Angel' and a salad called 'Heart of an Angel'. In addition, there is an interesting phenomenon in winemaking called the 'Angel's Share'. It is believed that beverages that are aged a long time in barrels and cellars lose about 2–3% of their total volume over time. Winemakers say that angels descend into the cellars, taste the wine from each barrel, and in return give it their divine intoxicating aroma, which cellar visitors can sense.
Another interesting exhibit is located on the museum's outdoor grounds — an interactive art object aptly named 'Angel Swings'. It looks like real swings on which an angel sculpture sits. The exhibit-photo spot was made to order from our sketch by fourth-generation blacksmiths Igor and Alexander Romashenko. It was created in Simferopol and assembled on site by us. Anyone wishing can swing with an angel under blue skies and take beautiful commemorative photos. The same craftsmen, working from our commission, made the interactive Monument to the Zelenograd Cats, the sculpture in front of the Museum of Skulls and Skeletons, and an owl sculpture that was first installed in front of the Museum of Owls and Eagle-Owls and is now located in the territory of the Curonian Spit National Park.
'Angel Swings'. Authors: Igor and Alexander Romashenko
The Curonian Spit National Park is one of the main natural landmarks of the Kaliningrad Region. The park was established by a decree of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR on November 6, 1987, No. 423, on the southern half of the spit, administratively belonging to the Zelenogradsky District of the Kaliningrad Region of the RSFSR. It is one of the oldest national parks in the country. The natural uniqueness of the park's territory lies in the fact that it is the largest sandy spit in the world. The dune landscapes of the spit are distinguished by exceptional beauty and aesthetic impact on a person and constitute a unique site for the development of ecological tourism. The territory of the Curonian Spit is officially protected under the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage dated 16.11.1972, which Russia ratified on 12.10.1988.
What excursion programs and events are held at the museum?
We offer the usual classic guided tours of the museum's exhibition, and we also organize Christmas outdoor fairs. In 2023, under the auspices of our museum and with the support of the Hospitality and Entertainment Center 'PARADOX', a Family Club 'Moms, Dads and Their Little Angels' was opened, within which useful and interesting events for parents and children of various ages are periodically held. For example, there have already been joint art-therapy sessions for parents and children, lectures with a psychologist on how to put babies to sleep properly, how to help a child with homework, as well as how to teach a child independence and wean them off gadgets. Despite the coronavirus pandemic and various economic difficulties, the museum's attendance has been increasing every year.
In the museum's history there have been fairly large-scale events. In 2018, together with the Siberian project 'Angels of the World' we held an exhibition of tactile paintings made from soft materials at the Kaliningrad Regional Museum of History and Art. The project's goal was to collect 365 paintings by different artists measuring 1x1 m for subsequent presentation of a kind exhibition to the general public.
Our museum donated a painting titled 'Angel-Mom' to the 'Angels of the World' project, created by a Zelenograd artist on special commission. Now 'Angel-Mom' travels around Russia as part of a permanent exhibition, and a second such painting remained as a keepsake in our museum. This exhibition opened in a charitable format: the funds raised from the sale of the paintings went to the Kaliningrad Region charitable foundation 'Shore of Hope', which helps children with various illnesses.
