A few years ago, a magical place appeared in the capital of our country - a museum of cocoa and chocolate. It meets modern standards, and the main target audience is children. The museum is equipped with interactive elements, sound effects and 3D screens, making visiting it an exciting experience. We will talk in more detail about the museum and all technical innovations in this article.
Geographic location
Mishka Cocoa and Chocolate Museum is located in the Krasnoselsky district of Moscow and is located at: Malaya Krasnoselskaya street, 7.
How to get there?
Krasnoselskaya metro station is within walking distance from the museum. Also nearby is a ground transport stop called "Factory named after Babayev." Bus routes number 122 and 387, as well as fixed-route taxis depart from it. For owners of private vehicles near the museumparking spaces are provided.
If you purchase an excursion for schoolchildren, the organizers provide transport from the educational institution to the museum and back. All this is included in the purchase of excursion tickets.
History of Creation
The Mishka Chocolate and Cocoa Museum owes its creation to the merger into a holding of such giants of the chocolate industry as the Krasny Oktyabr confectionery factory and the Babaevsky Confectionery Concern OJSC. Both of these enterprises have a rich history that goes back over a hundred years.
Kuznetsova N. V., Advisor to the General Director of United Confectioners LLC, was appointed the Head of the Museum project, and Reiner A. G. was assigned the artistic part of the work on the expositions of the Museum of Chocolate and Cocoa
To create a museum, it was planned to use the latest technologies. In addition, it was necessary to convey the life and customs of the epochs, to combine the richest history of the two enterprises in one place. As a result, in the Museum of the History of Chocolate and Cocoa on Krasnoselskaya, along with multimedia tools, the historical component is qualitatively sustained, which amazes the imagination of visitors and helps to find themselves in the very center of events of the distant past.
An excursion into the history of the origin of the chocolate drink
The first hall of the Museum of Chocolate and Cocoa on Krasnoselskaya brings visitors back to the events of more than three thousand years ago, to the life of the Mayan tribe. They once inhabited the region of Mesoamerica. It is the IndiansThis highly developed civilization was the first to use the fruits of the chocolate tree. They discovered the tonic properties of the drink, and only the leader of the tribe and the strongest warriors were allowed to use it.
At the entrance to the hall of the museum, visitors are greeted by wax figures of the Mayan Indians. There is also a real chocolate tree with cocoa beans. The guide warns that the collection of these fruits is done exclusively by hand. During the tour, visitors are allowed to sit on a small copy of the pyramid built by the ancient people and look through a huge interactive book.
How chocolate got to Europe
Christopher Columbus was the first European to bring the fruit of the chocolate tree to Europe. However, this discovery did not make any furore, besides, the famous navigator was not enthusiastic about the drink of the Indians.
At the beginning of the 16th century, the ancient civilization of the Indians was conquered by the Spanish conquistador - Fernando Cortes. It was he who brought cocoa beans to the Spanish king and taught how to make a drink. It is worth noting that the Spaniards significantly changed the technology of making a chocolate drink. They began to serve it hot, add sugar and spices. Sharing a recipe for a delicacy that quickly became popular, the Spaniards did not want to for several decades.
The second hall of the museum is dedicated to the events mentioned above. It is there that a huge ship is located, transporting the fruits of the chocolate tree from America to Europe. All visitors to the Cocoa and Chocolate Museum are allowed toclimb aboard. The ship is equipped with multimedia effects, such as the sound of the sea overboard, the starry sky, which is visible through the portholes, and the moon path.
Development of the chocolate industry in Russia
The third hall of the museum of the history of chocolate and cocoa "Mishka" tells about the development of the chocolate industry in Tsarist Russia. At that time, two chocolate factories were widely known. One of them belonged to Ferdinand Einem, and the other to Alexei Ivanovich Abrikosov. Who were these people and what success did each of them achieve?
Ferdinand Einem came to Moscow from Germany with the firm intention of developing his own business. To accumulate capital, for some time he was engaged in the production of sawn sugar, and then ordered a modern steam engine from Europe and began building a factory. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Einem factory was renamed Red October.
Aleksey Ivanovich Abrikosov is a Russian entrepreneur who founded a factory that produced chocolate, biscuits, biscuits and caramel. Abrikosov A. I. was an extraordinary person. He and his wife, Agrippina Alexandrovna, had twenty-two children. He often delighted friends and family with unusual and delicious desserts. At present, the factory of Alexei Ivanovich bears the name of the concern "Babaevsky".
In the museum at work you can see the life-size wax figure of Ferdinand Einem. A chocolate machine has also been preserved, which gave out a piece of delicacy for a nominal fee. Interestingly, the first advertisement for the Einem factory appeared on an airship. Further, visitors will be able to view the mansion of Alexei Ivanovich Abrikosov through an interactive screen to appreciate the richness and elegance of the situation.
The next interesting exhibit is a performance from the life of that time, which is a small chocolate shop. Further, during the tour, visitors will be able to trace the history of the development of the chocolate industry up to the present day. The booths feature a variety of promotional booklets, chocolate wrappers, paintings, posters and more.
Chocolate Making Secrets
The Cocoa and Chocolate Museum is located on the territory of a functioning confectionery enterprise. Therefore, after getting acquainted with the history of chocolate, visitors are invited to observe the process of its production. It should be noted that the workshop is equipped with modern equipment. The packaging machine for sweets deserves special attention. The speed and accuracy of receiving the product leaves a lasting impression.
In the chocolate shop it is allowed to taste chocolates at all stages of production, but it is forbidden to take sweets with you. The guide will tell you about the types of chocolate, how they differ from each other and that cocoa beans must be dried in the sun before grinding. It will also teach you how to choose a quality product on store shelves. To do this, you just need to carefully read the information on the labels.
The museum hosts small workshops where visitors canmake your own desserts from chocolate, waffle sheet and nuts.
Museum of the History of Chocolate and Cocoa Reviews
From the very opening, the museum has become popular among local residents and guests of the city. The organizers have done everything to make this place attractive to visitors. The museum is multimedia, information is presented easily, and the tasting of sweets will not leave anyone indifferent.
Many enthusiastic comments from visitors of different ages only confirm the clear success of the enterprise. Special attention was paid to such exhibits of the museum as the ship on which chocolate was delivered to Europe, and the mansion of the businessman A. I. Abrikosov.
Tours
Currently, the chocolate and cocoa museum is in high demand, so you need to sign up in advance to visit it. The main target audience of the museum is children from six years old. Although adults will also be very interested.
Excursions differ in programs that can be viewed on the museum website. There you can choose the one that suits you. It is worth noting that one of the proposed tours is led by the mischievous robot "Alenka".
By visiting this wonderful place, you will learn a lot about chocolate, get a lot of impressions and taste the delicacies of the most famous chocolate factories in our country.
