A US$50m (39m euro, £31m) Jewish museum has been launched in Moscow, Russia.

The 90,000sq ft (8,361sq m) Jewish Museum and Tolerance Centre was funded by private donations including a donation from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Architects Ralph Appelbaum Associates and designers The Hettema Group worked together to create an interactive museum using the latest media technology and education concepts.

The project, which aims to display what it means to be both Jewish and Russian consists of two parts the Museum and the Tolerance Center - dealing with different aspects.

Housed in a former bus terminal, the museum is broken into 12 pavilions providing bringing visitors on a journey from the beginning of Judaism to the present day.

Different methods of interactivity are used through out the experience. The biblical story is told using a 4D cinema with special effects such as vibration chairs, wind, sound and water.

Additional rooms feature artifacts, including documents, photographs and letters charting the life of Jews in Russia since the end of the 1800’s to the present.

The Tolerance Centre aims to educate school groups and adults on the importance of tolerance. Films are displayed at the centre raising questions about tolerance for ethnic, religious discrimination and tolerance to people with disabilities.

Architect Ralph Appelbaum said: "This museum for the first time will give a historical look at how the Jews lived in Russia.

"This is not the only goal of the project: the museum was created, and in order to help the modern democratic Russia in its efforts to support the diversity of cultures and nations that exist within it.”