georgian national museum

Soviet Occupation Exhibition was the only one which I was interested in, so my experience is about it - great, modern style of presenting the history, but please, more! One room is definitely not enough for history lovers!

This is a great museum, and definitely worth the visit. Staff is friendly and very helpful, and the gift shop a great place to pick up souvenirs. The collection of Persian paintings on the 4th floor was especially impressive.

This review is just on the Soviet Occupation Exhibit, as it was late in the day and really did not have a chance to see other parts of the museum ( I had just come over from the icon museum across the square down the street). Because I don't know much about Georgian history, the details were all new to me. If accurate, and I don't have any reason to doubt it (other that anecdotal conversations with Georgians I met,) it sounds like the Russian occupation was very oppressive and thousands upon thousands died to get their country back. For some reason there is a nagging question in the back of my mind that this is not a complete story, but I could be wrong. Be that as it may, the pictures, the initial diorama, and the documentation exhibit of the occupation were pretty impressive. The space works well for its purpose. Descriptions of exhibits are in English and Georgian.

You can not help but be struck by the airy clean spaces in this museum, which is the backdrop for the archeology, history, culture, and the artifacts. Wonderful. Of course the gold and silver is a dazzling highpoint. And especially a lot of thought went into the Soviet Occupation exhibit on the top floor. Isn't it odd, how wrong it all went? Most everyone knows that Stalin was a Georgian, began his political life of revolution here, robbing banks and printing inflammatory pamphlets. And even while he was oppressing the people and country, he maintained a sentimental connection with them,in the abstract. He frequented his summer home in Georgia, maintaining contacts until he died with a few comrades from the old days. Well,at least the ones who didn't know his secrets,because those he pretty much had already had executed.

I overall liked the museum, especially the older parts of it. I liked the varied and interesting displays, the collections are thoughtful and well put together. The museum has been reorganized recently, the third storey being devoted to the Russian occupation, the topic presented in a different, more emotional way to the rest of the displays.

I went there with my boyfriend to see exhibition and AC was not working. We almost fainted. At registry they dont give you any information about museum or sections they have. Its very beutiful and interesting place, but needs more attention from Mayor!!!

It is a nice Museum and offeres free entry for students :) You can see a lot of Georgian culture but also learnabout the Egyptian and Chinese culture.

Fascinating museum, the Treasury show has incredible artefacts found during digs. The Occupation exhibition is beautifully put together.

The Museum newly organised is not to be missed. In the main building on Rustaveli you can see (1) The Treasury containing artifacts from Georgia's distant past. The existence oif gold and silver accounts for the FANTASTIC assortment of jewellery from ancient Cholkis, fabulous in design. Just think of Medea wearing those ear rings and diadems. Any modern designer's dream. (2) Collection of archeological discoveries(3) The Museum of thre Soviet Occupation. Marvel of theatrical design, the museum starts with a long narrow carpet leading to a Stalin type desk, with low green lamp, teacup with Lenin's face, spectacles etc. Absolutely CHILLING. The news items show the massacre of the aristocratic and officer class by Stalin's brutal dictatorship, the intellectuals and priests shot or exiled. This proud nation subjugated for so long. Do not forget that the Russians took over Georgia at the end of the 18th century. So the Georgians had to put up with almost 200 years of Russian colonialism.There is agood museum shop in the National Museum on Rustaveli..In the building which used to house the seminary where Stalin studied you can see the Treasury of the Georgian Kingdom from 6th century onwards - rich in jewelley and icons. You must visit with a guide. My guide spoke excellent English.Higher up Rustaveli on the right is the art museum. Entrance is on the parallel street. Do not miss the two rooms holding the work of Pirosmani ( or Pirosmanashvili), half naive, half surreal.

Spent an hour walking through the Georgian National Museum - the displays of ancient gold artifacts from the archeological digs in Georgia are impressive and worth checking out. Also a good display of the Russian occupation of Georgia during Soviet times.

Many museums make up the Kartveli/Georgian National Museum system. Visit them all and win a prize. Magaria!

If you are serious about having a good understanding of Georgia, and thus paid for the guided tour, make sure you check at the reception what is included in the tour. The lady guide (with silver hair) we had terminated the guiding service after just going through the archaelogical collection. We later checked at the reception that the guiding service should cover more than the archaelogical collection including the Soviet occupation. What a disappointment! We never thought we would be cheated at a national museum.

I could spend a long time in this place. The one piece of advice I have is spend some time listening to the guide before you hire them. I have been there twice and the first time the woman who was my guide had a passion for the subject and I learned quite a lot. The second time , I might as well have just read the cards beside the displays. That having been said , the archeological treasures of Gold and Silver that are displayed are amazing and they are arranged so that you can learn a great deal about what they mean what they tell us about the societies that created them , what they contributes tend to us and how they related to the greater World around them.

From the fascinating and very well curated exhibitions of Georgia's ancient past to the gallery that examines the Soviet occupation (1921/91), this is a terrific museum, and fine explanation of this fascinating country

It is has lots of beautiful things and interesting history to tell, but I missed more information in English. I found the part which told about the Soviet period in Georgia on the top floor most interesting.