Avtovaz Technics Museum

Avtovaz technic museum is a unique and is the biggest museum in Russia in terms of numbers of exhibits and total space occupied. At the moment, Avtovaz technic museum has more than 460 exhibits and occupies territory of 38 hectares, thus, the museum established in Tolyatti, homeland of VAZ, can be considered one of the biggest park-museums in the Russian Federation.

It has all begun in 1998 with the AVTOVAZ vice-president’s initiative to establish the parkland and on 7 September, 2001, the grand opening took place. In the meantime the museum already had more than 300 exhibits indicating development of automotive, armored, aircraft, engineering, radar engineering and railway technics as well as artillery missile and marine weapons.

In the museum’s collection gathered specimens of military inventory back from the first and the second World Wars. Over here you can see stronghold cannons, 122mm howitzers back from 1910 and 1930, T-34-85, T-70, IS-3, PzKpfw 38t and Prague tanks, a legendary multiple launch rocket system ‘Katyusha,’ SP gun mount ISU-152, Swedish antiaircraft cannon ‘Bophors’ and so on.

One of the main exhibits is a diesel-driven submarine B-307 (project 641) with its length more than 90 meters (300 feet) and as high as a five-story building (14 meters or 47 feet); moreover, it weights 2,000 tonnes. The submarine was built at Gorkov ship-building yard in 1979. Altogether Russia had 18 submarines like this one. B-307 is the biggest diesel-driven submarine on the strength of Russia’s Navy.

Here displayed such prototype models of technics as MI-24 helicopter, Pchela-1TM remote-controlled flying machine, 152mm self-propelled howitzer Akatsiya 2C3M, self-propelled guns 2C5 Giatsint and 2C7 Pion, tank T-80U, self-propelled antiaircraft gun Shilka, aircraft MIG-29 and MIG-31, airborne combat vehicles and so forth.

In 2004 the museum’s collection has been topped up with the highest exhibit (24 meters or 80 feet.) This is a low altitude detecting device and a target illuminator that are a part of mid-range air defence missile system C-300.

Apparently, in the museum’s collection displayed many technic specimens that Russia can boast of. Try to guess, which kind of equipment the museum is devoid of?

Heavy road machinery.

In 2003 the museum was honourably mentioned as ‘the best sightseeing place in the region.

Capsule for launch of UAV with vehicular chassis.

As well as transporting chassis.

Mobile radar station.

Landing troops display. The same room has moon and mars rovers exhibited.

In railway technics display exhibited such locomotives as L, ER, T, SO-17, EA, diesel-powered loco TEM-1, three armored platforms and railmotor car.

Photos and story via victorprofessor