Visitors are invited to see the portrait of the Gorgon Medusa, the diorama with an episode of the Battle of Shumy, the coronation mug of Nicholas II and much more.

One of the largest museums of the South Coast is in the former dacha built in 1912 and named 'Modern'. It moved into this building in 1971. The museum of local lore and history in Alushta was opened much earlier − in 1928. Today, the museum's collection includes more than 13 thousand exhibits. About a thousand of them replenished the museum storage during the renovation works.

We tell you what you can see in the renovated museum.

Interesting exhibits

At the opening of the museum, a new exposition was presented – 'The history of Alushta from ancient times to the Soviet period.' According to the museum spokesperson, the concept of its creation is not just to arrange collections in the halls, but to make each exhibit “speak” without the help of a guide, to immerse visitors in the related epoch.

A carved font is one of the interesting and valuable exhibits of the museum. Its outer surface is decorated with carvings, and a double-headed eagle is depicted in its center. You can also see the coronation mug, ordered on the occasion of the accession of Nicholas II to the throne. That event took place on May 18, 1896. On that day, such mugs, along with other royal gifts, were presented to everyone at a folk festival on the Khodýnka field in Moscow.

Алуштинский историко-краеведческий музей Alushta Museum of Local Lore and History

Visitors can also admire the collection of gold and silver items. For example, a silver foil plate, which, when unfolded, turns out to be a fragment of Gorgon Medusa portrait.

The museum storage also contains a large collection of wooden toys and souvenirs from the Alushta factory, one of the key enterprises in the town in Soviet times. Its products were known not only in our vast Motherland, but also abroad − in the USA, Denmark, France.

The museum's storage was replenished with artifacts found in a "secret" place − a niche that was accidentally discovered during the renovation of the building. Among the finds there was a diorama of one of the episodes of the Great Patriotic War. In the niche the dishes from the Byzantine period were hidden.

The Battle of Shumy

At the opening of the renovated museum, the diorama "The battle of Shumy on August 4, 1774" was presented. The canvas 3x6 meters depicts an episode of the battle in which Field Marshal Mikhail Kutúzov was wounded in the eye. The monumental picture was created by battle painter Igor Dzys.

"The history of the canvas creation is interesting. For a long time it was not known where this battle with the Turkish 8 thousand strong landing force took place. Until Arkády Krótov, Alushta local historian, found a hand-drawn battle plan in one of the archives. It took a lot of work to put this plan on the map and determine the place of the battle. After lengthy research, this place was localized − it is above the present-day Kutuzovsky fountain," said Andrei Malgín, director of the Central Museum of Taurida (of which the Alushta Museum is a part).

The canvas will soon be installed in the exposition and supplemented with interesting artifacts of the Russian-Turkish wars. Visitors will be able to see the diorama in early September.

Алуштинский историко-краеведческий музей Alushta Museum of Local Lore and History

What else to see

Interesting are the showcases that tell the history of the Genoese period. They contain a treasure of 17 silver ingots and imported crockery. Nearby is a hall with traditional Russian samovars, Crimean Tatar basins made of copper for cooking jam, tapestries with intricate stories and much more.

In addition, you can see collections of coins and paper notes, orders, medals and badges, postcards and stamps, photographs and historical documents, household items and personal archives of the inhabitants of Greater Alushta.

Museum workers do not intend to stop there. Their plans include further development of the museum, replenishment of its storage rooms and creation of new amazing collections. So, in the future it is planned to create new expositions:  'Alushta and its inhabitants in the history of wars' and 'Alushta cinematographic', as well as to open the 'Golden Treasury' hall, where the objects made of precious materials will be exposed.

Museum − to children

Today, the museum is also developing as a cultural and educational platform for children. Several interesting programs have been developed for them. So, within the framework of the event 'I am a potter from Aluston', young guests are invited to show their imagination and create their own original product. And the 'Archaeologist and Sherlock Holmes:  what do they have in common?' program introduces children to the work of an archaeologist in a fun way. At the same time, they not only learn a lot of new things, but also reconstruct ceramic products by themselves.

Also, children can plunge into the world of sailors and shipbuilders of the Middle Ages. At the lesson, they will learn how to tie up sailor's knots and create a ship model or postcards from paper parts of various shapes and sizes. All this is available at the event 'May the sky send us the way with the moon and stars.'

Another program – 'Journey to the Stone Age' − is designed for primary school students. It introduces kids to the life of primitive people in a comprehensible form. They will be offered to depict the world of an ancient person in a drawing and even try to “revive” a mammoth.

Алуштинский историко-краеведческий музейAlushta Museum of Local Lore and History

Opening hours and ticket prices

The museum is open six days a week (closed on Tuesday) from 10:00 a.m. to 06:00 p.m. The box office is open until 05:00 p.m.

Excursions are according to the schedule and for groups at least of four people:

  • Monday, Wednesday-Friday − at 10:00 a.m., 12:00 a.m., 02:00 p.m., 04:00 p.m.;
  • Saturday-Sunday − 10:00 a.m., 04:00 p.m.

Ticket price:

  • adults − 200 rubles (about $ 3.5);
  • students and pensioners − 100 rubles (about $ 1.5);
  • visitors under the age of 16 − free of charge.

For a tour in a group, you need to pay an extra 150 rubles (about $ 2.5) per person, for an individual tour − 400-600 rubles (about $ 6.5-10) depending on the category of a visitor.

Address:  Alushta, 8 Lenina, St.

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