The Sakharov Center museum and cultural center in Moscow devoted to protection of human rights in Russia preserving the legacy of Andrei Sakharov.

© Nina Alizada/Shutterstock

Sakharov Centre


South of Kursky vokzal, by the Yauza River, is a small park with a two-storey house containing a human-rights centre named after Russia's most famous dissident. Inside is a museum recounting the life of Sakharov, the nuclear-physicist-turned-human-rights-advocate, detailing the years of repression in Russia and providing a history of the courage shown by the dissident movement. Free English-language tours are available on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; book in advance.

The centre holds numerous presentations and debates on contemporary political and human-rights issues.

The park is dotted with unusual sculptures, most built from weapons and other military-industrial waste. Look out for a piece of the Berlin Wall that has been repurposed into a poignant display. Temporary exhibitions cover current human-rights issues and contemporary art.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. ArtPlay

0.36 MILES

A 'design centre', ArtPlay occupies the buildings of the former Manometer factory and is home to firms specialising in urban planning and architectural…

2. Winzavod Center for Contemporary Art

0.38 MILES

Formerly a wine-bottling factory, this facility was converted into exhibit and studio space for Moscow artists in 2007. The post-industrial complex is now…

4. Vysotsky Cultural Centre

0.52 MILES

Part museum, part performance space, part art exhibit, this cultural centre pays tribute to local legend Vladimir Vysotsky (1938–80). Singer and…

5. Museum of the Russian Icon

0.6 MILES

This museum houses the private collection of Russian art patron Mikhail Abramov. He has personally amassed a collection of more than 4000 pieces of…

6. Kotelnicheskaya Apartment Block

0.67 MILES

Completed in 1940, this 176m Stalinist skyscraper towers over the south of the city, at the confluence of the Moscow and Yauza Rivers.

7. Bunker-42 Cold War Museum

0.75 MILES

On a quiet side street near Taganskaya pl, a nondescript neoclassical building is the gateway to the secret Cold War–era communications centre. The…

8. Chistye Prudy

0.85 MILES

Clean Ponds is the lovely little pond that graces the Boulevard Ring at the ul Pokrovka intersection. The Boulevard Ring is always a prime location for…