Discover the history of gold embroidery

Although goldwork embroidery is one of Russia’s most ancient crafts – the oldest known pieces date back to 1238 – the goldwork embroidery museum is relatively new: it welcomed first visitors in 1911. The collection documents the history of the celebrated Torzhok Gold Embroidery Factory, which once catered to the Russian tsars and made uniforms for the court and ballroom dresses for members of the Romanov family. The museum was founded by the renowned public figure Dmitry Romanov in the hope of rescuing this precious craft, which was facing extinction at the time. The collection features more than 1,000 objects, including ancient gold embroidery patterns, luxurious historical costumes and the finest modern samples. The highlights include pieces used for the 1912 commission to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Russian victory in the Patriotic War of 1812.