The former metropolis of the Tsarist empire still is a treasure trove of cultural history boasting rich textile collections and architectural heritage. Moreover, the town and its surroundings are an important location of the textile industry, with huge factory buildings, trading companies and fashion studios. At the same time, St. Petersburg is one of the most important Russian centres of textile research and education. More than anywhere else in the world, its museums play an important role in educational schemes for students.
Museums are also favourite places of information and further education for the population.
It is the central point of a network of regional museum collections that stretches across the whole of Russia. The Museum Route through St. Petersburg promises to become a route through an urban environment with a wealth of historical and contemporary links to the textile culture of a whole sub-continent. In addition, the REM's museum network will provide visitors with insights into the diversity of ethnographical centres in the Russian Federation, since parallel to the project described here, the St. Petersburg museum is preparing its own virtual Internet presentation of more than 100 regional museums.