If you have penchant for communist history and Red Tourism then it does not get much more interesting and important than the Stalin Museum in his brith town of Gori, Georgie.
Is it worth going though? To a degree that depends greatly on how important you think Stalin is! Obviously the Stalin museum is not as grand, nor promoted as it once was in Soviet times, but it does offer a real glimpse into the Gergian relationship with their former strongman leader.
And in fairness Gori also has a whole heap of other non Red Tourism stuff to offer regular people too.
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What the Gori?
Gori is a small town of 45,000 people around 85 km of the capital city of Tbilisi. This means that if there is no traffic the cray drivers of Bolt can get you here in under an hour. I am not joking on this point.
Asaide from the Stalin museum there is the Gori fortress, while looms beautifully above the city, the cave city of Uplistsikhe, as well as a small town that just oozes charm. We do not suggest going up and exploring the border with South Ossetia, at least if you don’t want to Gert nicked!
Food here like all of Georgia is extremely good. We are big fans of Old Marani, and Black Stars, not so much KE&RA.
And then there’s Stalin….
Stalin and Gori
Joseph Stalin was born in Gori in 1878 and spent the first 15 years of his life here before leaving in 1894 to study at the theological seminary in Tiflis. Back then he was simply Ioseb Jughashvili, a bright local lad who did well enough at the Gori Church School to earn himself a scholarship.
And despite being Gori’s most famous son it is believed that he never came back here and that he pretty much did not like the family’s that stayed here. Despite this though and in line with communist leaders it became a pilgrimage site after its opening, to a degree something that it has remained today.
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History of The Stalin Museum
The museum was opened in 1957 to showcase the achievements of Joseph Stalin. This was despite de-Stalinization, with locals as well as Georgians in general actually protesting after Khrushchev dissed their boy. Despite this though Stalin retained importance within the USSR and the museum continued to be renovated up until the fall of the Soviet Union, with his train carriage for example only being added in the 1980’s.
Amazingly it has also survived not just the fall of the USSR, but civil war and war Russia. Yes there have been changes and even the moving of the Stalin statue within “Stalin Park”, as well as lots of debate about if it should stay. Stay through it very much has.
Whats it like visiting the Stalin Museum today?
The Stalin Museum is as stated located in Stalin Park. It is a fairly respectful, but nice building on two floors that costs about 15 GEL, or $4 or so to get in. Technically it is split into the following areas;
- Childhood and Revolutionary Years – Covers Stalin’s early life in Gori, his time at the seminary in Tiflis and how young Ioseb Jughashvili ended up becoming one of the leading Bolsheviks.
- Building the Soviet Union – Dedicated to the industrialisation of the USSR, collectivisation and how Stalin turned the Soviet Union into a global superpower.
- The Great Patriotic War AKA WW2 – Looks at the Soviet victory in World War II, with photos, documents and material from the Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam conferences.
- Death Hall – Probably the most surreal room in the museum, featuring Stalin’s death mask alongside artwork commemorating his passing, as well as pictures of his grave in Red Square. No Kumsusan, but again pretty cool.
- Gifts to Stalin – Packed with everything from diplomatic gifts and artwork to souvenirs presented by communist parties and admirers from around the world. No IFE, but still pretty cool.
- Personal Office and Belongings – Features Stalin’s furniture, personal effects and a reconstruction of one of his working offices.
- Hall of Repressions – Added in 2010, this newer exhibition focuses on the victims of the purges and political repression under Stalin. This was not open when we were there.
Outside the museum there are two more attractions that are included with your ticket.
- Stalin’s Birthplace – The modest two room house where Stalin was born in 1878, now enclosed beneath a huge marble pavilion. Not open during our visit on this occasion.
- Stalin’s Armoured Railway Carriage – The heavily protected railway carriage that Stalin used to travel to conferences such as Tehran and Yalta. What is is with communist leaders and a good train carriage!
And of course perhaps the most controversial part of it all! The Statue of Stalin. This has been moved to enclosed part of Stalin Park (previously being much prominent) as a compromise to those who want it removed completely.
To be fair it is far from huge, is relatively respectable and depending on your take on history and red tourism does make a fairly decent photo.
Where the Stalin Museum?
So, yeah in case we have not been crystal cleat we feel it is well worth visiting the Stalin Museum in Gori. This can be done on our group and independent tours to Georgia.
Address: 32 Stalin Avenue, Gori 1400, Georgia
Telephone: +995 370 27 26 81
Email: stalinmuseum@yahoo.com
Opening Hours: Daily 10:00 am to 6:00 pm (April to October) / Daily 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (November to March) Stalin Museum.
