National Museum of the Chechen Republic

The National Museum combined the collections of two museums: the Chechen Republican Museum of Fine Arts named after Zakharov and the Chechen State United Museum. Today, the National Museum has five branches in different villages of the Chechen Republic.

History of the Chechen United Museum

In 1924, a museum on history and religion was opened in a small room. The exposition is based on the private collection of Boris Scaliotti. He gave the museum weapons, antique dishes and archaeological finds discovered during the excavations. Initially, there were 150 exhibits.

Collectors-enthusiasts gave the museum ancient coins, jewelry and household items. Gradually, archaeological and numismatic collections, archival documents, a collection of graphics, paintings and sculptures appeared here. The exposition of the museum was supplemented by traditional Chechen dishes, clothing, a collection of cold and firearms. In 1936, the museum received the status of the Chechen-Ingush Museum of Local History.

During the Great Patriotic War, the museum continued to work, but many relics, art crafts and jewelry were lost.

After the restoration of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1957, the museum resumed its exhibitions. There were expositions that promoted the success of the republic in the economy, culture and education.

In 1975, three branches appeared at the local history museum: the Historical and Memorial Museum of Aslanbek Sheripov, the Literary and Memorial Museum of Arbi Mamakaev, the Literary and Ethnographic Museum of Leo Tolstoy.

In the early 90s of the XX century, the collection of the Chechen State United Museum numbered 250 thousand exhibits, most of which were destroyed during the Chechen war of 1994-1996.

History of the Zakharov Museum of Fine Arts

The Chechen-Ingush Republican Museum of Fine Arts opened in 1961. After 12 years, he was named after the Chechen artist Peter Zakharov. Large Leningrad and Moscow museums donated to the collection of the Chechen museum works of art that were thematically related to the Caucasus.

Before the Chechen wars, 3,500 exhibits were collected at the Zakharov Museum of Fine Arts. Among them are graphic works, paintings, sculptures and decorative and applied arts of Chechnya.

History of the National Museum of the Chechen Republic

During the Chechen wars, museum buildings were destroyed, and almost all exhibits were lost. The ethnographic collection was lost in the united local history museum: a collection of cold and firearms of the XVII-XIX centuries; Chechen felt carpets - istangi; unique dishes for the national dish "Zhizhig-galnash", from which Sergo Ordzhonikidze was treated.

In the Museum of Fine Arts, the paintings “Caucasus” by Peter Vereshchagin, “Hungry” by Ilya Repin, the painting by Franz Rubo “Death of Major General Sleptsov in the Gekhin Forest”, “Portrait of a Boy with a Book” by Vasily Tropinin, “Moonscape” by Ivan Aivazovsky disappeared. Seven of the nine paintings by Chechen artist Pyotr Zakharov have disappeared.

In October 1996, all the surviving exhibits were collected in the National Museum of the Chechen Republic. In 2012, the museum moved to a new building, which was built according to the project of Chechen architects in the national style.

Today, the National Museum of the Chechen Republic has six branches: the literary and memorial museums of Abuzar Aydamirov and Arbi Mamakayev, the Literary and Ethnographic Museum of Leo Tolstoy, the Lermontov Literary Museum in the village of Poraboch, the Local History Museum of the village of Makhkety, Vedensky district and the Iles Tataev Gallery.