About the project

Museum of Telephone History was established at the initiative of the management of Mastertel, a telecom service provider, on the basis of a private collection. At the moment, the Museum's assets are the largest European collection of rare telephone sets and accessories from the late 19th – mid 20th centuries. These exhibits show how the design and functionality of telephones changed over the years and, how a phone turned from a luxury item into one of the most necessary personal things in the 21st century. 

Museum of Telephone History is located in a separate building in the very centre of Moscow, close to the key sights of the capital between Mayakovskaya and Barrikadnaya metro stations. Museum premises are divided into several zones: exposition, artistic and presentation. The exposition zone is where artefacts from the Museum collection are displayed and interactive tours are given. Thematic workshops are held in the creative zone. The presentation zone is used as a site for press conferences, seminars and other business events with leading IT companies. There is a cozy cafe in the Museum building, where you enjoy a cup of coffee or tea of premium ProCoffeeV kind, and a gift shop with lots of MTH branded souvenirs.

Rare telephones, communication devices and telecom accessories from late XIX - mid XX centuries are on display in the exposition zone. Excursions go beyond the classic information overview format and include interactive elements: visitors of the Museum can actually use the operating switchboard, which «telephone ladies» had used over a century ago to connected callers. Guests can also call any mobile or city number from a dial-up telephone connected to the city network and figure out empirically ancient communication devices worked.

The project does not only overlook the past, depicting the history of telecom development; it also helps look forward to the future. Visitors have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of modern technologies: showcases with key exhibits are provided with QR codes, a mobile audio guide app is under development, that will enable each visitor to listen to the tour via his/her smartphone. Website of the project provides access to information about the Museum and its collection in 6 languages: Russian, English, German, French, Spanish and Chinese.

By developing the project we strive to preserve and popularize the cultural heritage, transferring the cumulative knowledge to new generations, thus making a contribution to the spiritual growth of our society.