Masherov Vitebsk Regional Museum of Local Lore. Vitebsk Regional Museum of Local Lore

The town hall itself is very beautiful, elegant - its building would completely decorate even some ancient European city))
The local history museum in the town hall. At the museum you can buy a single ticket for all exhibitions, or you can buy tickets separately only for a few exhibitions. I was in the weapons exhibition (I really liked it, the exhibits were interesting) and in the archaeological department - a real birch bark letter (found in Vitebsk) was exhibited there, which was especially interesting to me. In general, both exhibitions are educational and interesting, but small.
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It was impossible to go up to the observation deck - it was winter. Apparently it is closed during the cold season.

We didn't go to the museum, but decided to climb the tower. Groups are picked up on a schedule every hour. Issue price - 6 bel. rubles per person (about 180 of ours).
Before the climb, they give you a safety briefing (!), after which they force you to sign in a log!!! A museum employee climbs the tower with the group. He walks ahead, says where the stairs are steep, where is the place to hit your head :)))
The staircase is in good condition, not for birds.....I, but in places it is very steep.
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good view of Vitebsk.

Konstantin ★★★★★

(11-01-2018)

The building is historical and the museum is good. The main exhibition consists of a dozen halls. Single ticket for 6 rubles or individual parts for 1.5 rubles. You can pay by card. Photos are prohibited in some places, allowed in others. The staff is friendly.

Jeny ★★★★★

(16-07-2016)

The museum is very interesting, both permanent exhibition halls and temporary exhibitions. There are a lot of exhibits, beautiful display cases, polite museum workers (we didn’t book a tour, but the workers eagerly answered our questions).
A good selection in the rooms dedicated to the Second World War. Beautiful rooms about nature.
We spent more than two hours in the museum!

Mishkin61 ★★★★★

(9-11-2014)

July 2014. You can go up to the observation deck of the town hall in a group of 20 people and according to a schedule. While we were waiting, my daughter and I looked at old photographs of the town hall, and my wife managed to see a couple of exhibitions. Going up and down the narrow stairs is a bit difficult but interesting, the panorama of the city is amazing.

Irina ★★★★★

(12-05-2014)

We visited on May 9, 2014. After reading the reviews, we decided to go to Ksenia Vasilyevna Druzhkova - first we had to wait 20 minutes, then another 15, then another 40! But it was worth it! Even the children (daughters 7 and 9 years old) listened with interest to the story for an hour and a half and looked at the exhibits on an empty stomach: they did not have time to have lunch on time due to the wait in fits and starts. Which, in principle, was surprising for me!))
We took a sightseeing tour, which gave us a general idea of ​​the history of the city from Princess Olga to the present day. ... continuation src="/jpg/plus.gif">

Lively emotions, interesting information, original presentation - you can’t look for more! Only to Druzhkova KV!)))

pavelkotikov ★★★★★

(27-01-2014)

Ask for a guide: Druzhkova Ksenia Vasilyevna, the excursion is not expensive at all (25,000 rubles ticket + 25,000 rubles excursion - a total of about 200 Russian rubles per person). In 1.5 hours, this unique madam will show and tell everything, and at the same time see her theatrical style and charisma. Feel free to ask her questions.

Without a guide, the museum is less clear and you can walk through it in 20-30 minutes.

Photos cost some money, but IMHO there’s not much to photograph here :)

just a doctor ★☆☆☆☆

(30-07-2013)

As you ascend to the observation deck of the town hall, you are greeted by an eccentric woman with a accent reminiscent of Ukrainian. It was she who ruined the entire pleasant atmosphere of learning about antiquities. A very negative attitude towards Russia.

We visited in January 2013.. The guide - Druzhkova Ksenia Vasilievna - is the main attraction of this museum... For those who want to take a break from the monotony and routine of guides who simply stupidly retell events, list dates and facts from history, naturally you should book a tour with this " unique.". To be honest, the actress died in it...))) It’s interesting to listen... In the hall dedicated to the Great Patriotic War, many people had tears in their eyes when she talked about WHAT the residents of Vitebsk had to endure when they were trapped into the occupation... THANK YOU!!!
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In the foyer., before the start of all exhibitions, there is a bas-relief of Jesus Christ, made in profile.. You can whisper in his ear and make a wish... This has already become like a tradition of this museum..)))

Larisa ★★★★★

(8-01-2013)

On January 4, 2013, I visited the Vitebsk Museum of Local Lore. The group consisted of 19 people. The guide was Druzhkova Ksenia Vasilievna. This excursion was like a one-man show. Amazing intonation, change in voice timbre, excellent conduct of the excursion, extensive information, information does not always coincide with generally accepted information. After completion After reviewing the museum, the tourists, without saying a word, applauded unanimously as a sign of gratitude for a very interesting excursion.

Alexander ★★★★☆

(22-07-2012)

The exhibition is quite fragmentary: local history, antiquities, 1812, the Great Patriotic War. Where is the rest of Vitebsk? The exhibition about 1812 has a French twist: it ends in the last room with a bust of Napoleon against the background of the French flag. In general, Belarusians have a complex identity regarding 1812, but in Vitebsk I expected that they were completely on the side of Russia. But it turned out that here too they experience ambivalent feelings.

Each department of the museum is interesting in its own way. In the nature department, in addition to traditional stuffed animals, there will be interesting skeletons of a turtle, mole and snake. Particularly memorable was the exhibition located in two halls - the Masonic collection. This exhibition is extraordinary, telling about the structure and about famous members of society. The only drawback of the museum is that photography is prohibited in almost all the halls.

It was difficult to find out from the girl selling tickets what was what and how. We spent a long time trying to figure out what we should do and decided to simply limit ourselves to going up to the town hall. We found a wonderful tour guide. In addition, at the beginning of the ascent to the town hall, they announced safety precautions to us and during the ascent they warned us where there were low ceilings or other misfortunes, for which we were very grateful - because it was timely :). The guide showed views of the city, lovingly talked about the history and recommended sights to visit, taking into account the places where we had already been. ... continuation src="/jpg/plus.gif">

A very friendly person and of course loves his city, his Vitebsk :), Thank you.

You should start your acquaintance with the city with this museum. At first we were unlucky - the aunt at the ticket office could not clearly explain what was included in the ticket price and in what order and quantity what could be seen (climbing groups to the tower are limited). I was very surprised when we asked to go up to the town hall and all the halls with a guided tour - apparently it was expensive. It turned out that we needed to arrange an excursion, so we signed up for the next morning. For two adults and a child it cost a little more than 500 Russian rubles, which we never regretted. ... continuation src="/jpg/plus.gif">

January 2011. We visited almost all the collections of the town hall. A charming guide with the appropriate surname Ksenia Druzhkova will tell you amazingly about all the halls. She also gave a sightseeing tour of the city, etc. to the SD basements...
The observation deck is not open in winter.

Vitebsk Regional Museum of Local Lore created on the basis of the first museum founded in 1868 at the provincial statistical committee. In 1918, the Vitebsk Provincial Museum was created on the basis of the private collection of A. R. Brodovsky. In 1924, the Vitebsk branch of the Belarusian State Museum was opened, the basis of which was the collections of previously existing museums: church-archaeological, Vitebsk Scientific Archival Commission, Museum of Antiquities at the Vitebsk Provincial Statistical Committee, private collections of V. Fedorovich and A. Brodovsky. Since that time, the museum has been located in the city hall, an architectural monument of the 18th century. The museum has 14 exhibition halls. The display area of ​​the museum halls is 6964 m2. There are 6 permanent exhibitions. The total number of museum items is more than 250,000 units, of which the main fund is 200,000 units, and the scientific and auxiliary fund is more than 50,000 units. Among the exhibits are archaeological finds, collections: numismatics, edged weapons from European and Eastern countries, Masonic paraphernalia, tapestries, glassware, porcelain, birch bark letters, natural science collections. The museum organizes rotating exhibitions from its own collections and museums of the Republic of Belarus, near and far abroad, meetings with cultural and artistic figures, lectures, museum-pedagogical classes, theme evenings and other events on local history topics.

Photo - Vitebsk Regional Museum of Local Lore

Expositions - Vitebsk Regional Museum of Local Lore

“Nature of Vitebsk region” The exhibition is dedicated to the nature of our native land. Collections of mollusks, insects, butterflies, paleontological materials, dioramas with representatives of the diverse fauna of the Vitebsk region (fish, birds, animals) are presented. Animals are presented in their natural habitat at different times of the year.“Ancient Vitebsk IX-XIV centuries.” The exhibition includes coins, tools, weapons, chess pieces, fragments of ancient treasures, products of Vitebsk artisans, and ancient religious objects.“Vitebsk region during the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945” an independent exhibition located in the basements of the Vitebsk Theological School.“In memory of the patriots of the Vitebsk region 1941-1944.” exhibits about the activities of the Vitebsk underground regional committee of the CPB, Vitebsk, Orsha, Lepel underground, Obolskaya, Proshkavskaya, Osintorfskaya underground organizations, about the liberation of the region from the Nazi invaders in 1944, about the partisan movement in the Vitebsk region - partisan leaflets, newspapers, weapons, awards and personal belongings of Minai Shmyrev, Vladimir Lobank, Danila Raitsev, Alexey Danukalov.

Opening hours Vitebsk Regional Museum of Local Lore

• Administration 09:00 - 17:00 weekend Saturday, Sunday
• Ticket office 10:00 - 17:30 seven days a week
• Exhibitions 10:00 - 18:00 seven days a week

Gallery

Description

History of the museum - history of Vitebsk

The Vitebsk Museum of Local Lore can be considered a museum in a square. Not only the exhibition is important here, but also the building itself in which the museum is located. After all, this is the building of the city hall - one of the main symbols of Vitebsk.

Symbol of self-government

The first town hall in Vitebsk was built in 1597, when the Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund III Vasa granted the city Magdeburg law. The residents of Vitebsk very quickly built a wooden town hall - a symbol of self-government. In the 20s of the 15th century, persecution of Orthodox residents began in the city; they were unleashed by the Uniate Archbishop Josaphat Kuntsevich. The Orthodox population could not stand this and rebelled, Kuntsevich was killed. Because of this, the city was deprived of the right to self-government, and the town hall was destroyed.

True, in 1644 Vitebsk again received Magdeburg rights, and the town hall returned to its place. It was a two-story rectangular building with a high roof. The ground and first floors were made of stone, the second floor and roof were made of wood. About four times the town hall burned down and was then rebuilt again. This continued until 1775, when a brick town hall was built on the same site. This building has survived to this day, although it has gone through several reconstructions.

In the 19th century, there was a city government, a court, a bank, a police station and a fire yard here. The town hall tower served as a fire tower. Sometimes in the city you can still hear the tower being called a “tower.”

In 1833, the upper tier of the tower was decorated with a clock and a spire. Another large-scale reconstruction awaited the town hall in 1911, when a third floor was added to it. The building became more massive and impressive. In addition, a portico was added to the main entrance, and the rectangular windows were made semi-circular.

In 1924, the town hall building was given to the local history museum. Since the beginning of the 20th century, it has been restored more than once. During the Great Patriotic War, there was a gallows in front of the town hall, where many Vitebsk partisans and underground fighters were executed. Now a memorial sign has been erected at this place.

Another significant event in the life of the town hall occurred in July 1997. On July 12, townspeople celebrated the 400th anniversary of the town hall; in honor of this, a two-meter coat of arms of Vitebsk was installed on its facade. True, in the early 2000s another reconstruction began, during which the coat of arms was removed. It is now located in the foyer of the town hall.

By the way, fragments of masonry from the main façade of the town hall from the 17th century were found in the basement of the building. It is assumed that this is the foundation of the building shown in the drawing of Vitebsk in 1644.

Vitebsk Town Hall is an example of a mixture of different architectural styles. The tower shows us the Vilna Baroque, and the main building shows features of classicism. The tower has four tiers. On the third tier there is a large clock with a dial, and on the fourth there is an observation deck.

Museum affairs

The Vitebsk Museum of Local Lore is rightfully considered one of the oldest and richest museums in Belarus. It has five branches, which store more than 200 thousand exhibits.

The local history museum in Vitebsk was founded in 1918. The basis of the museum collection was the collection of antiquities of the collector A. R. Brodovsky. Before the revolution, he had a private museum in Vilna (now Vilnius), which was called the “Museum of Antiquities and Art Industry.” In 1915, Brodovsky moved his collection to Vitebsk. He received the post of director of the Vitebsk Provincial Museum. This museum is located in the building of a former theological seminary.

Ten thousand exhibits were included in forty thematic collections. The collection of numismatics was considered the most valuable. The museum's funds were replenished not only by Brodovsky, but also the private collection of V. P. Fedorovich, the funds of the museum of the Vilna Officers' Association (military assembly), evacuated to Vitebsk during the First World War, the collections of the Church Archaeological Museum and the Vitebsk Archival Scientific Commission. After the death of the patriarch of Vitebsk local history A.P. Sapunov (1924), his archive and personal belongings were transferred to the provincial museum.

In 1924, the museum became owned by the Belarusian State Museum, and I. I. Vasilevich became its director. In the same year, the museum moved to the town hall building.

Three whole years were spent preparing the exhibitions; only in 1927 were the first visitors able to tour the museum. There were six departments - archaeological, historical, ethnographic, church and modern industry. They contained about 30 thousand exhibits.

In 1929, the museum (by this time it was no longer part of the Belarusian State Museum) began to be called the Vitebsk Belarusian State Cultural and Historical Museum. There were many valuable exhibits here. For example, in the art department one could admire a collection of Ural gems, French engravings, Chinese, German and English porcelain. There were works by such masters as Aivazovsky, Minin, Chagall, Yudovin and others.

True, the very next year (1930) difficult times began. All museum employees were fired, the reason being their “low ideological level.” The new personnel were more ideologically savvy. Originals in collections began to be replaced by copies, and a large number of posters and photographs appeared. In 1932 the museum became a socio-historical museum. The new exhibition opened only in 1938, and it consisted of only three departments: ancient history, medieval history and the department of socialist construction and the Stalinist Constitution.

In 1940, the museum opened a branch in the building of the former Church of St. Antonia. It was an anti-religious museum.

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the museum was evacuated to Saratov, but they did not have time to remove all the funds. About 31% of the exhibits disappeared without a trace.

The museum began to be restored immediately after the liberation of Vitebsk; already in July 1945, the first exhibition “Vitebsk Region during the Great Patriotic War” was held here.

In the 50s of the 20th century, in the museum one could view exhibits from four departments - nature, the pre-Soviet period, the Soviet period (until 1945) and post-war socialist construction. In 1960, an art department was also opened. At the same time, the museum opened three branches: a former SD prison, exhibitions dedicated to the underground group “Young Avengers” in Obol, and an exhibition dedicated to General Lev Dovator in Ulla.

In 1988, two more branches were added to the three: the museum-estate of I.E. Repin "Zdravnevo" and the Literary Museum. Later, two more branches were opened: an art museum located in the building of the former district court, and a museum of private collections, created on the basis of the collection of I.D. Galkevich.

Now the local history museum has five branches: an art museum, a museum of private collections, a literary museum, a museum-estate of I. E. Repin “Zdravnevo” and a museum in memory of patriots of the Vitebsk region (former SD prison).

It would be logical for the first acquaintance to start with Museum of Local Lore, where, as if by strings, the difficult historical path of the city is collected and woven into a single fabric. Created at the beginning of the 20th century, it is still a keeper, amazing visitors with its unique exhibits - by the way, they are in museum more than 200,000.

To find out, it’s not enough to wander around, admiring the unusual landscapes and modern urban development. After all, the fact is that each building has its own history, its own remarkableness, which not every resident of the city knows about. Therefore, do not be lazy to look into, which captures the fleeting breath of the city in rapidly changing eras.

Take, for example, Museum of Local Lore, which is located in . Thanks to ancient and rich funds, it has become a legendary place not only in Belarus, but throughout Belarus.

Since opening museum More than 700 exhibitions have been held here. And these were not only stock exhibitions, but also imported ones, which delighted visitors every time. museum. By the way, during work Museum of Local Lore managed to collect a rich collection of exhibits. These are tools of labor and everyday life of peasants, examples of arts and crafts, as well as numerous objects found during archaeological excavations on the territory of the Upper and Lower Castles. Storage museum contains no less interesting exhibits from the times of the Great Patriotic War, reflecting the activities of Soviet soldiers, underground fighters, and partisans during the war years. The exhibits include documents, photographs, military awards, weapons, etc.

But let's get back to history. Museum of Local Lore was created on November 12, 1918, but it was opened to visitors only closer to the summer of 1919. Then it was called Vitebsk provincial museum and was located in the building of the former theological seminary. Its collections are based on exhibits Museum antiquities and art industry of A.R. Brodovsky, which were of particular value to culture of Vitebsk. The collection consisted of more than 10,000 exhibits, united in 40 thematic exhibitions. Archeology, natural history, numismatics, seals, faleristics, watches, icons, religious medals, embroidery, porcelain, etc. were widely represented.

After some time the funds Museum of Local Lore were replenished with the collections of V.P. Fedorovich, the Church and Archaeological Museum, the Archival Scientific Commission, as well as the Vilna Officers' Association, evacuated during the First World War. And in 1924, the archive and personal belongings of the historian A.P. Sapunov were transferred to the museum.

1924 in culture of Vitebsk has special significance - it was from this time that the provincial museum becomes a branch of the Belarusian State Museum, and in November of the same year it was decided to transfer Museum of Local Lore building .

With the move to the new building, it was decided to begin intensive preparations for the new exhibition, which opened on April 27, 1927. Then, visitors were presented with exhibits collected in six areas: history, archaeology, ethnography, church and modern industry. A year later the provincial museum leaves the structure of the Belarusian State Museum and begins an independent existence. And in 1929 the name also changed - now it is the Vitebsk Belarusian State Cultural and Historical museum.

But in 1932 another transformation took place. In order to effectively solve the problems of the Soviet government, museum was renamed socio-historical, and the collections on display were replaced by propaganda posters, models and photographs. Designed exhibition in Museum of Local Lore appeared only in 1938. Then three sections were presented to the attention of visitors - ancient history, the Middle Ages, the construction department and the Stalinist Constitution.

As evidenced, with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War museum They were hastily evacuated first to Kuibyshev, and later to Saratov. Unfortunately, it was not possible to transport the entire collection, so more than 31% of the exhibits were destroyed and stolen during the years of German occupation.

With the liberation, active restoration of the museum began. Then, in July 1945, the exhibition “Vitebsk Region during the Great Patriotic War” opened. And in 1951 museum received its modern name - Vitebsk Regional Museum of Local Lore.

By the mid-50s, the number of open exhibitions increased: there were departments of nature, pre-Soviet and Soviet periods, as well as a department of post-war socialist construction.

In the late 1970s, restoration began on the building, and soon Museum of Local Lore had to close. Only in 1992 museum received its first visitors, and

Photo: Vitebsk Regional Museum of Local Lore