The Moscow Transport Museum continues its exploration of the Moscow River’s history and evolving role at the Northern River Station. Like the river’s dynamic currents, its significance to the city has shifted over time. This exhibition highlights the river’s modern identity, forged in the 1930s when it became a critical freight artery and earned the title “Port of the Five Seas” — a nod to its canals linking Moscow to five major bodies of water.

Ever wondered what goods traversed the Moscow River on barges and freighters? Who received them, and why by river? The answers unfold through eight narratives spanning five key cargo categories:
• Foodstuffs (e.g., grain, dairy)
• Construction Materials
• Fuel and Energy Resources
• Industrial Goods
• Passenger Transport

Each story acts as a portal into the river’s logistical “backstage,” revealing how its cargo routes reshaped Moscow’s infrastructure and daily life.

The exhibition’s industrial aesthetic echoes port architecture:
• Archival Footage: Rare photos/videos of 20th-century docks and shipyards.
• Ship Models: Miniature replicas of Soviet-era freighters and tankers.
• Spatial Design: Structures mimicking cargo containers, pallets, and loading cranes.

The centerpiece is Milk River — an immersive installation by Nizhny Novgorod artist Alexander Lavrov. Inspired by a 1950s milk tanker spill on the river, the work’s ethereal glow evokes the folkloric "rivers of milk and shores of jelly," a fleeting fairy tale witnessed by nearby villagers.

As the Moscow River undergoes another transformation — shifting from freight corridor to leisure destination — this retrospective doesn’t just bid farewell to a bygone era. It challenges visitors to reimagine the river’s role in a post-industrial city, balancing ecological stewardship with cultural memory.