Every city should have a local history museum. Small towns are not always lucky with this. But in large institutions there are definitely. Museum of the history of the resort city of Sochi is one of them. It was created in 1920.
Another name
Earlier, the Caucasian Mountain Club existed in the city. Its head was Vasily Konstantinovich Konstantinov. This man not only loved and studied his native land. In his main profession, Konstantinov was an engineer and was engaged in the design and construction of roads. The most famous of them are the road to Krasnaya Polyana and the settlements of Aibga, Plastunskoye, Azhek. Members of the club, who studied the nature of the Caucasus, archeology and the life of the indigenous population, managed to collect a collection of minerals, household items, herbarium. They kept it in the house of Konstantinov's mother Ekaterina Pavlovna Maikova.
It's all in common
After their death, the collection becomes the property of the state. In 1920, a local history museum was created. A room was found for him - a private house. Subsequently, the Primorskaya Hotel was built in its place. Initially, the museum did not arouse active interest. Visited in a yearonly 712 people. But the museum's collection was not small and consisted of about 1000 exhibits. In addition, it had its own local history library.
For posterity
Preserving the history of the region was very important, so the enthusiasts of this business fought for their "treasures" with all diligence, even when in the mid-20s there was a problem with the premises. It just wasn't there. Therefore, the exhibits migrated to boxes. They had to be collected at the time of the move, then again deploy the exposition. These ordeals continued until 1932, when the museum was finally given permanent premises.
Fortitude and courage
After 9 years, the war began. Museum of the history of the city of Sochi in this difficult time not only did not close, but continued to replenish with new copies. About 3,000 exhibits replenished his collection during the Great Patriotic War. Now, considering the exposition dedicated to this topic, one can imagine in detail what the people of Sochi were doing, how they helped the front, how they worked in the rear. When the war came very close to the city in 1942, the question arose of how to preserve the unique collection. I had to evacuate most of the exhibits far into the mountains and hide them in caves, burying them in the ground.
For the soul
But the Museum of the History of Sochi did not stop its activities. After it became known for sure that the city would not be captured by the enemy, the exposition was reopened to visitors. War-weary peopleless so, they visited the museum of the history of Sochi in these difficult years. Approximately 45 thousand people got acquainted with the history of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus from 1941 to 1945. Excursions for wounded soldiers were regularly held in the museum building. His employees went to the hospitals of the city with lectures.
Grow and develop
After the war, the Museum of the History of Sochi continued its activities. The number of exhibits grew, new expositions were created. Conducted cultural work. Various exhibitions were brought from other cities (Maikop, Sukhumi, Kaluga, Krasnodar, Tbilisi, etc.). Soon it became possible to include separate buildings in the museum of the history of the resort of Sochi. Thus, he had branches of the Ethnographic Department in Lazarevsky and the "Dacha of the singer V. Barsova".
New building
A popular institution that adorns the face of the city, such as the Museum of the History of the city of the resort of Sochi, should be located in a suitable room that meets all modern requirements. Therefore, it was decided to build a new building. The investor quickly ran out of money and, as often happened in the 90s, construction was suspended. In 2000, a building was allocated for the museum along Vorovskogo Street. It was built in 1936 and itself was already an exhibit, according to which it was possible to study the architectural features of the buildings of those years. By the way, the Sochi Art Museum, whose history also dates back to ancient times, also occupies a building in the center of the building built in 1936. So. Immediately open an exhibition in itit was impossible. A long reconstruction was ahead, which, in the end, was completed and the doors for visitors were reopened.
There are more
One of the departments of the Museum of the History of Sochi is located in the village of Lazarevskoye. It was founded in 1985, and the first visitors began to receive five years later. The building in which the branch is located is historical. It was built in 1914 by a merchant named Popandopulo. On the top floor he lived with his family, and on the bottom floor there was a wine cellar. In 1920, the building was nationalized and given over to the department of public education, which first placed a peasant school in it, then a school for collective farm youth. From 1938 to 1980, it housed the Lazarevskaya secondary school.
Crowded, but not offended
After reconstruction, a 100 sq. m. was divided into three halls, which housed the exposition, which tells about the life and culture of the indigenous population of Sochi from ancient times to the beginning of the twentieth century. Initially, the Caucasian coast was inhabited by the Circassians-Shapsugs, but after the end of the Caucasian War in the middle of the 19th century, former subjects of the Russian and Ottoman Empires settled on it. The museum tells about how all this happened and how such different peoples got along on the same land.
Thematic division
The distribution of the halls is as follows. You can learn about indigenous peoples in the first and second. Hereexpositions dedicated to the culture and butu of the Shapsugs are presented. You can see their weapons, household items, national costumes, tools, jewelry. The third hall acquaints visitors with how the settlers settled on the Black Sea coast in the second half of the 19th century. Among them were Russians, Czechs, Belarusians, Moldavians, Estonians, Turks, Ukrainians and others. Culture and life from this period are mixed and national items, for example, clothes of one people, can be found in the wardrobe of another.
Museum-cottage of the singer V. V. Barsovoi
Why this singer's dacha attracts visitors. After all, she lived and sang many years ago? Probably because the talent does not have time and so far her songs are listened to and loved by connoisseurs of real art and music lovers. Hearing the trills and play of the voice of Valeria Barsova, you will not forget them and will not confuse them with another. The easy manner of performance is remembered and touches the soul. In order to see how this unique person lived, people come to her dacha - a museum in Sochi.
Her whole life was shrouded in love for music. Since childhood, she loved to sing. She often did this with her sisters. She especially liked the lingering folk songs, which she also used in her repertoire. She was born in Astrakhan. Studied at the Moscow Conservatory. Then she began to sing in the opera. In 1920 she became a soloist with the Bolshoi Theatre. During her life she traveled widely and found a warm welcome everywhere. The talent of Valeria Barsova was highly appreciated by famous singers and musicians. Since 1947, most of her life has been spent at the dacha inthe city of Sochi. Here she was engaged in vocal and pedagogical activities and received eminent guests.
What to see
The first one of her houses with an area of about 130 square meters is reserved for the museum. m. All items in it are genuine. The feeling of a bygone era covers already at the entrance to the museum. Visitors are greeted by a German piano; a large portrait of Barsova hangs above it. She bequeathed her dacha to the city of Sochi of her own free will. In the museum, the testament itself hangs on the wall, which everyone can read. The singer lived in luxury, now visitors can admire her parquet and antique furniture. Glazed stands hang on the walls, which contain a collection of authentic exhibits. You can say the whole life of the singer at a glance. Not everyone decides to leave behind such a legacy. But apparently V. Barsova had nothing to hide from her descendants. On the contrary, she considered it very important that everything, even the documents from her birth, be preserved and put on public display.
Stands
There are seven stands in total. The first is dedicated to her childhood and youth. You can see photos of Astrakhan, where she was born, the school she graduated from and the theater where she went with her family. On the second stand there are exhibits telling about students and studies at the Moscow Conservatory. The third stand is about how she served as a soloist at the Bolshoi Theatre. Barsova was a People's Artist, laureate of the State Prize. From the information on the stand you can learn about her roles in the theater and see photos in the stageimage. The fourth stand is dedicated to famous people - her partners. The fifth one talks about touring. The sixth is about the social work that she did, despite her busyness. And finally, the seventh. About how her memory was immortalized. She died and was buried in the city of Sochi.
Currently, the Museum of the History of Sochi, whose address is st. Vorovskogo 54/11, keeps up with the times. In its halls there are expositions in modern design. Museum visitors are not bored, but it is very interesting to look at the collection of exhibits (about 4 thousand), learn about the development of the city in the resort direction. Authentic photographs and documents complete the exhibition, experienced guides will share fascinating and useful information about the features of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, including the city itself. If you decide to visit the Museum of the History of Sochi, opening hours:
