As homebound residents of the Vologda Region scramble for activities to fill their waking hours, cultural institutions are looking for ways to keep eyes pointed their way.

Our much-loved museums and art galleries may be closing their doors due to the coronavirus outbreak, but tech-savvy curators are getting creative with how the public can access their collections, and many are catering to an online audience with good virtual tours and at-home activity for families.

Virtual hangouts, photo-sharing contests and other themed activities can keep Vologda Region’s audience creatively busy while feeling connected to something larger.

Take a trip through some of the region’s greatest collections on these virtual museum and gallery tours:

Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Preserve

The Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Preserve of History, Architecture and Decorative Arts was established in 1924 and comprises monuments of stone architecture - the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery (1397), Ferapontov monastery (1398), Goritsky Nunnery (1544) and a wooden Prophet Elijah Church (1775). This opened new prospects for study, restoration and display of its treasures. It is a wonderful architectural monument containing a multitude of art works. It has long been acknowledged as one of Russia's major cultural centres.

Vologda State Museum-Preserve

It is one of the largest museums of Russia's North. The ensemble of monuments was built during four centuries (XVI- XIX). The museum fund includes 461 473 items. The most valuable collections are the collection of Russian Ancient Art (icons), sculpture, numismatics, Old Russian books and others. The museum is annually visited by 200 thousand people.

Vologda Picture Gallery

Vologda holds a place of its own in the history of the North and its artistic culture. Splendid collections of works of art were collected in the churches and the monasteries, and then in the local museums. The Vologda Picture Gallery plays an important role in the cultural life of the city. Set up in 1952 it has about 30.000 exhibits of painting, graphic arts, sculpture and applied art.

Belozersk Museum of Local Lore

The Belozersk museum of local lore has natural-science, historical, and art exhibition halls, which contain pieces of art, including ancient stamps (10-12th centuries), icons (17th century), manuscripts, early printed books, sculptures, graphic arts, ceramics, and articles crafted by Belozersk artisans.

Veliky Ustyug State Historical Art and Architecture Museum

The Veliky Ustyug State Historical Art and Architecture Museum established on November 8, 1918 stands out for its rich collections of niello, decorations, kitchen utensils, hand-made goods made of birch bark. The museum collections of works of art (over 100,000 items) present the development of the region culture and art from the Stone Age to the 21st century. The largest collections are those of icons, archaeology, wooden sculpture, decorative and applied art (Northern niello, coloured enamels with gold and silver veneer, carving on birch bark, the original technique of "tinplate frosting"), coins, rare books and documents.

Cherepovets Museum Association

The Cherepovets museum association is one of the oldest museums in Russia's North. The museum was founded by the city's mayor Ivan Milyutin (1829-1907) and a Cherepovets-born Elpidifor Barsov (1836-1917), the well known folklore scholar who donated his private collection to the city. Initially the museum included about 4,000 works of art. In its first decades the museum's collection was increased from different sources, including archeological, historical and ethnographic expeditions and private donations. Today the Cherepovets museum association houses 1/3 of the museum stock of Vologda Oblast (400,000 exhibits).

Tot'ma Museum Association

Vologda Oblast official website