The collection of avant-garde rarities and contemporary art got its permanent home in a three-story building channeling medieval architecture
MYRA Museum is situated on the high shore of the river overlooking the picturesque landscapes of the ancient town Suzdal.
The work on this project started in 2020, since then 15 specialists have taken part in its development, including architects, curators and museum experts.
Architectural image of MYRA Museum was inspired by Suzdal. Despite its position as an open-air museum of cultural heritage, this town has many faces: medieval monuments are intertwined with vernacular buildings and some contemporary add-ons. We are looking into this play of opposites: the patterns of façade’s masonry channel the very essence of the town, its archeological findings hidden in cultural layers as well as the personal story of the refurbished building.
According to these connections, surrounding landscapes become the part of museum’s exhibition: the windows are planned according to the views of Suzdal — sometimes these viewpoints show the town from a new perspective.
Total area of the museum is 1230 m2, with 800 m2 of exhibition spaces. Thirteen halls are located in two wings of the building, which are connected by a transparent passage with panoramic windows. Uninterrupted movement of the visitors through all three floors of the museum is directed by a rhythmical sequence of spaces, varied in their area and heights.
In this project I was searching for a formula, which would connect Suzdal’s landscape, heritage, architecture with MYRA art collection. The crossing of these elements creates this fleeting genius loci — the magic of the place, which encourages a person to return there again and again. This formula is behind every stage of the project development: from its program and concept towards the interior solutions of the future museum
Olga Treivas, the founder of Treivas Architecture Bureau
