A museum dedicated to bread sounds rather unusual, and in some ways it is. The bread museum in St. Petersburg is the only one of its kind in Russia and one of just thirteen in the world. This unique museum showcases the importance of bread throughout history, something that many people have nowadays forgotten. Bread was not simply a snack: it was in many ways a symbol of harmony between humans and nature. In Russia particularly, bread was considered as something valuable, if not a necessity of life. Rituals practised in old Russia often included bread and it was heralded as a sign of hospitality.
The museum focuses on the role of bread in St. Petersburg, showing a wide range of baked products commonly prepared by bakers and confectioners in the nineteenth century. In more recent history, the importance of bread is magnified in a small corner showing the rations during the time of World War II and the siege of Leningrad. This will certainly make you feel lucky the next time you sink your teeth into a sandwich. The bread museum is relatively small, so it is the perfect venue to visit if you have some spare time and do not feel like loafing around. Be sure to ask for English information at the cash register, since the exhibition itself barely has any.
