The house of Yuri and Valentina Gagarin in Orenburg, after reconstruction, reopened to visitors. The second life of the museum began on Cosmonautics Day, April 12, 2021. For a long time, the dilapidated building threatened to collapse. Then, for many years in a row, there were repairs in it, for the completion of which there were not enough funds. The money for the repair work was found after the pilot-cosmonaut, State Duma deputy from the Orenburg region, Roman Romanenko, intervened in the situation. The Hero of Russia helped the city authorities to attract funding for construction work and complete the reconstruction on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the first manned flight into space. This became known on April 19 during the broadcast of the “Museum of Cosmonautics Live” channel, whose guest was Roman Romanenko.
The pilot-cosmonaut said that the museum building was closed in 2016 due to the threat of destruction. Residents of Orenburg asked Romanenko to influence the situation with the protracted repairs. After the appeal of his fellow countrymen, the cosmonaut took the situation under his personal control.
– We met with experts, formed a common idea of how exactly it is necessary to organize the restoration work. The city administration actively supported the initiative, and together we found the necessary funds. The history was very complicated and long, but today the museum has been restored, – said Romanenko during a live broadcast.
The cosmonaut himself comes from the Orenburg region. His father, a Soviet cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Yuri Viktorovich Romanenko was born and raised in the Buzuluk region.
– As Yuri Gagarin often said: “Orenburg gave me a lot – both my family and the power over the plane,” said Roman Romanenko.
During the broadcast, viewers saw the restored premises of the House of the Gagarin family. Museum employee Timur Kapshanov conducted a virtual tour of the building and said that its opening was one of the most anticipated events in the city.
– Many people dreamed of getting into the museum even before the opening. Since the opening of the museum on April 12, 2021, more than 40 excursions have been conducted, in which about 1600 people have taken part, – Timur Kapshanov said.
