Pyatigorsk Museum of Local Lore

Opened June 4, 1903 ^[1] . The museum was founded by the Caucasian Mountain Society in Pyatigorsk , then it was the provincial, city, regional, regional (inter-district) in Kavminvody, municipal and, now, the state cultural institution of the Stavropol Territory .

The first museum exhibition opened in 1905. In 1906, the Caucasian Mountain Society received the right to carry out archaeological excavations in the North Caucasus, which contributed to the filling of the archaeological funds of the museum. At the same time, the museum also included exhibits of the oldest open air museum of antiquities in the North Caucasus (it was founded in 1850) ^[2] .

In the 20s of the XX century, the museum was transferred to the North Caucasian Institute of Local History. During this period, the museum was given the canvases of Russian and foreign artists of the XVIII — XIX centuries: I. I. Shishkin , A. K. Savrasov , A. P. Bogolyubov , K. Troyon ^[2] .

Since the 60s of the XX century, an archeological expedition has been working at the museum. Thanks to her excavations in 1964, rare exhibits ^{[3] appeared in the} museum: a skull and fragments of the skeleton of a southern elephant that lived about a million years ago ^[2] .

For the last 50 years, the museum has been located in a part of a historical building - a monument of the beginning of the XX century of regional significance of the former Mikhailov Hotel - the first sanatorium in the Caucasian Mineral Waters (1904) in the resort part of the city at 25 Kirova Ave. / ul. Brothers Bernardazzi, 2.

In 1961, when the museum entered its current premises, its funds amounted to less than 25 thousand storage units. Now in its more than 130 thousandth collection there are exhibits of the early collection of the KGO, unique stone monuments from the first open-air museum of antiquities in the North Caucasus (1850-1881). It has archaeological, numismatic, mineralogical, paleontological, zoological, botanical, historical, documentary and other collections and exhibits related not only to Pyatigorsk and Kavminvody, but also to other neighboring and remote territories of the North Caucasus , Russia, foreign countries. A lot of personal funds of honored pyatigorchans. Collections of decorative and applied art, ethnographic items of a multinational region — urban, peasant, Cossack and mountain life of the 19th – early 20th centuries, rare samples of cold steel and firearms of the 17th – 20th centuries, art paintings of Russian and foreign artists of the 18–19th centuries are stored and exhibited. centuries., a collection of rare books, postcards, documents and photographs of the XIX - early XXI centuries. and etc.

At the beginning of 2018, the museum collection contained 135638 exhibits, including 99840 units of the main fund ^[4] .

There is a scientific library on Caucasian studies, including more than 17 thousand books and periodicals. The exposition consists of several stationary thematic and exhibition halls: nature and archeology, the history of the resort town, events of the 20th century, and an art gallery. Permanent exhibitions are organized from own funds and attracted meetings (20 or more per year). About 40 museum employees conduct and provide a variety of cultural, educational and scientific activities.