Each museum has its own birthday. The Navy Museum in Saint Petersburg that occupies the building of the former Exchange has even three of them. On January 13 (under the Julian calendar), 1709, Peter the Great ordered to found under the Admiralty a “model chamber” – a storage of drawings and dummy-ships. In 1805, this “chamber” was transformed into the Maritime Museum. Finally, on February 6, 1941 the Navy Museum was opened on the spit of Vasilievsky Island in the building of the former Exchange. Along with the history of Russian Navy, it introduces art to the visitors. Wonderful collections of dummy-ships, arms, and naval insignia are demonstrated here along with beautiful paintings, and not only sea pieces by Aivazovsky.