Museum of Chocolate (Moscow)

The Moscow Museum of the History of Russian Chocolate is located on Triumfalnaya Square , in the house that previously occupied the cinema of Alexander Khanzhonkov ^[2] . Opened in March 2014 ^{[3] [4]} . Until 2014, there was an exhibition "Chocolate & Cacao" on the basis of the Museum of Modern History of Russia ^[5] . To date, the exhibition has more than 15 thousand exhibits, more than 10 thousand are in the storerooms of the museum. More than 50,000 people visit the museum annually. Tours (by appointment) ^[6] are conducted in three languages: Russian, English, French. ^[7]

The museum exposition is represented by three halls with a total area of ​​more than six hundred square meters, in the framework of which the whole history of the use of cocoa beans by man, dating back to ancient times, is revealed ^[8] .

Hall One

The first hall is devoted to the history of chocolate, dating back to the Aztecs , for which a cocoa bean drink fairly seasoned with pepper was a sacred drink, ending already with the modern stage: here are the oldest vessels, and illustrative examples of the fact that grains of cocoa beans in the old days were actually equated to the monetary unit, and antique porcelain , and posters of the XVIII-XIX centuries, and the products of already well-known contemporary concerns of world renown ^[9] .

Second Hall

Until 1917, the Russian Empire was one of the world leaders in the production of chocolate. According to the data of 1914, only in Moscow and Petrograd there were 383 confectionery enterprises, but also in all large provincial cities there were many of their manufactures. This exposition of the Museum of the History of Russian Chocolate tells about real Russian pride - the best chocolate factories of the late XIX - early XX centuries. The collection of wrappers, boxes, caskets presented in the hall reveals many secrets about the world that was lost. Historically, in the Empire, graphic design and packaging development fell on the shoulders of the best artists ^[9] .

“The largest artists of that time - Benoit , Vasnetsov , Zvorykin , Shemyakin, Bilibin - all of them, in addition to their main work, were noted in the creation of chocolate packaging ...” - says the founder of the museum Evgeny Trostentsov ^[8] .

One of the most valuable exhibits of the museum is chocolate eggs of the Pasta, Confectionery and Chocolate Factory I.L. Dinga (after 1917 it was nationalized , in 1921 it was transformed into the First State Baking Plant , since 1931 - Moscow Pasta Factory No. 1 , and since 1992 - Extra M OJSC ) ^[9] .

Hall Three

The third hall tells about the Soviet era in the confectionery industry. Here you can already meet well-known names: "Bear-toed", "Alyonka", "Come on, take it away", " Squirrel ", " Kara-Kum ", New Year's sets with sweet gifts, etc. In addition, this last one the hall tells about the work of two main illustrators of the Soviet era, in fact, Manuil Andreev and Leonid Chelnokov , although the first had a chance to work before the 1917 Revolution ^[9] .

Mini-production

The obligatory program of visiting the museum also includes a demonstration of the creation of chocolate ^[10] , from roasting cocoa beans to the final tile. In front of visitors, the cocoa beans are fried, ground, then the resulting nibs are slightly heated, after which the melted cocoa mass is poured into molds and allowed to cool.

Tastings

As part of the museum and exhibition program, all visitors are offered a series of historical tastings ^[11] (the sacred drink of the ancients, the chocolate that Didro loved, the first pralines , and modern natural chocolate) ^[9] .

Workshops

The museum’s program also includes a master class on the manufacture of chocolate figures or tiles under the supervision of chocolatiers ^[12] .

The Museum of the History of Russian Chocolate in October 2014 took part in the Paris Salon du Chocolat ^{[13] [14]} , in the framework of which a conference was devoted to pre-revolutionary Russian production. In March 2015, the museum was one of the initiators of the international Salon du Chocolat in Moscow ^[15] , where, among other things, the chocolate eggs of the I. L. Ding factory, now included in the main exhibition of the museum, were first presented.

The Salon du Chocolat, as well as the creation of the Chocolate Museum, “is an integral part of a large program to revive the traditions of Russian chocolate production, a unique platform for the exchange of experience between the best European masters and beginners of chocolatiers in our country” ^[16] . The Russian history of chocolate has seen many examples of success. So at the beginning of the 20th century it was the Russian manufacturers who took leading positions at international exhibitions ^[17] , so the Chocolate Museum’s entrance to international positions is a logical and historically correct step.

Official site of the Museum of the History of Russian Chocolate