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Outside the museum stands Stalin’s train. It is heavily armored and has eight pairs of wheels to because of its heavy weight !It was in this train that he went to the famous meetings in Yalta and Potsdam. You must pay an additional fee to visit the train. As I felt that I had already enough of Stalin, I skipped the visit of the inside of his train!
Written Oct 25, 2011
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At first, I felt that this was Stalin’s grave but actually, it is standing in Moscow. The impressive display shows only Stalin’s death mask, on a small pedestal. It represents Stalin as a shining sun, with beams standing all around, kind of center of the world.
Written Oct 25, 2011
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The ground level of the museum is not open for visits and seems to host the administration of the museum. At the first level three very large rooms allow to displays various items.
In the first room, documents from the youth of Joseph Djugachvili and of his early political activities. Photo 2 shows the young Joseph Djugachvili (20 years old or so) that looks like some hooligan or even a local gang leader !
The second room displays gifts from comrades from allover the world
The third room displays the part taken by Stalin in WW2 and opens into a spiral ramp winding around Stalin’s death mask
Stalin’s museum is by far not a modern museum but it is a must see for those that visit Gori as it gives a fair example of what were museums under Stalin.
Written Oct 25, 2011
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Inside, the feeling of grandeur is even greater with a straight staircase that leads to the first level with a statue of the Great Man about twice actual size ! Since it is on top of the staircase and that visitors come from downstairs, it looks even bigger ! Sure that visitors feel that they are worms compared with the Great Man ! That was the goal !
Written Oct 25, 2011
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Stalin’s museum itself is a massive two levels building framed by a vaulted gallery with pillars standing in an almost Romanesque style. It looks somehow like the cloister of a seminar, may be a reminding that Stalin was taught several years in a seminar. It was built in 1957, after his death in a genuine Stalin period style!
The entrance into the museum costs 10 lari (1 lari for Georgians)
Written Oct 25, 2011
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Actually, the Greek mausoleum is a shelter for a one story poor brick and wood house. It is not allowed to walk into the porch but two posts, one in Georgian (and in Georgian script), the other in Russian (and in Cyrillic script) tell that this is the house where Stalin was born in 1879.
The house stood among numerous other small houses of the same type, making a poor district of Gori. Under the lead of Beria, all other houses around were putdown in order to let it alone, in the middle of nothing. The mausoleum was built in 1939, again by Beria to protect the house and to enhance it’s importance while Stalin was still living.
Written Oct 25, 2011
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Stalin’s statue was standing in front of the town hall. After the beginning of the destalinization process, there was a lot of controversy: should it be removed, as it was everywhere in the USSR or left as he was a “local”. Finally, in June 2010 the Georgian government decided to remove it from the town hall square but to move it in front of Stalin’s museum. Therefore, when we visited, in March 2011, it was there.
The people in Gori are proud of Stalin, without any political meaning: he was born in the city and died as a world leader. No other citizen of Gori had such a destiny.
Written Oct 25, 2011
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The park in front of Stalin’s museum is a long stretch of what looks more like a meadow than a lawn. In the middle, a ditch seems to have been designed to receive water but though it was raining, there was none inside. It was obvious that the place had been in better condition some time in the past. This is not really a big surprise!
Written Oct 25, 2011
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In Gori there is the only museum for Stalin.
History of the museum: An old general wrote in his testament that his heritage should be spent to built up a museum for Stalin!
There are many nice pictures and personal possessions.
The wagon in which Stalin travelled to "Potsdamer Konferenz" stands in front of the museum. Next to it there is a reconstruction of Stalins birth house.
Some things are very funny.
Some things are very interesting.
The historical things are demonstated in an interesting way.
German frontlines are painted with a small pencial.
Russian are painted with a big red marker!
Don't expect neutral or objective facts.
The whole museum is a glorification for Stalin!
You can get real good impression about the mythos ...
Updated Apr 4, 2011
Address: 32, Stalin St
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This is the birthplace of the other mass murder of the 20th century. But other than in Braunau am Inn the memory is still kept alive in an almost quasi-religious manner, reminding more of Napoleon or Tamerlan than of Hitler.
Some details even on the website of the Georgian parliament!
Updated Apr 4, 2011
Address: Right in the centre of Gori
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Reviews and photos of Gori attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Gori sightseeing.
This is the birthplace of the other mass murder of the 20th century. But other than in Braunau am Inn the memory is still kept alive in an almost...
Q: Can you tell me date of opening of the museum: was it opened at same time as birthplace and railway car exhibit? Thank you.
A: well i do not know for sure, but what I remember once the guide at the museum telling me was that the railway car was brought there years later, after some director or an...
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1
Gori, more than Stalin’s birthplace?
Gori is a 60,000 inhabitants city of eastern Georgia, in Shida Karti province. It has a long history as it was founded in the Xith century by king David IV. However, the name of Gori evokes...
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I've got some interesting experiences in Gori. I'd love to share with you the 7 tips I've written, the 12 photos uploaded, and 0 travelogues I've created.
3
Gori is a small city near Tblisi. You have to visit this city! You must have been there! What is so special about this town? It is the birth town of Stalin. The only existant statues of Stalin......
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Gori: It's a rough ride, but worth it for those who aren't afraid of dealing with hardship and seeing some anachronisms and odd history
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When I was in Georgia in Soviet time I passed also the tiny town of Gori, most famous as the place of birth of Josip Vyssaronovich Dzhugashvili, better known as Stalin. When I was there the Soviet......
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