Karachay-Cherkess Historical, Cultural and Natural Museum-Reserve

Karachay-Cherkess historical, cultural and natural museum-reserve arose on the basis of a small local history society, which began its history in the village of Batalpashinskaya. The first collections, which were exhibited in the local museum, belonged to local residents, schoolchildren, doctors, civil servants who came from other regions and teachers. Exhibitions were often held in schools, where minerals, rare photographs, plants and other interesting objects were exhibited, the history of which goes back several hundred years. This is why the museum was originally called a school museum. In the 1930s, the museum had a joyous event - it acquired its own building. By 1941, the museum had grown to include three departments: nature, history and building a socialist society. Also, a zoo was organized in this building, where the main exhibits of the Caucasian fauna were presented. During the Great Patriotic War, all the accumulated collections died, and the museum building was burned down. After the war, the museum began its restoration and by 1947 the existing departments were opened. Today, the State Karachay-Cherkess Historical, Cultural and Natural Museum-Reserve includes several branches located throughout the Karachay-Cherkess Republic. In 1967, the museum again received its own building, which is an architectural monument.