The oldest state museum in Russia, the Kunstkamera recognises its founder Peter the Great, who decreed its foundation in 1704, a year after St Petersburg was founded. An avid collector, Peter personally contributed to the museum's weird and wonderful collection.
Part of Peter I's campaign to educate and 'civilise' the Russian people, the Kunstkamera contains an astounding array of exhibits. Now unified with the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, the Kunstkamera displays artefacts of tribal and traditional life from Russia and across the world.
However, perhaps the most celebrated - or infamous - part of the museum is the room housing a collection of malformed animal and human foetuses, which Peter put together to encourage scientific research in these areas.