Telavi History Museum: King Erekle II and Collections

City Telavi became the capital of the Kingdom of Kakheti-Hereti in the 1020s. The city center is represented by the architectural complex of the Telavi Palace, called the "Lord's Fortress", which was the residence of the kings of Kakheti in the 17th–18th centuries, including King Erekle II. The museum was founded in 1927 as a local history museum and was first housed in a 19th-century treasury building. In front of the museum complex stands an equestrian monument to King Erekle II by sculptor Merab Merabishvili (1971). The museum is located in several halls of the palace of King Erekle II.

The museum complex, called "The Lord's Fortress", includes: "The Palace of the King of the Kakhs" (built in 1884-1886), churches of the royal court, the remains of the building of the philosophical and theological school founded by Erekle II in the 50s of the 18th century, the royal bath and a tunnel built on the territory of the palace, unique gates on the eastern and western sides. In addition to the memorial items of King Erekle II, the museum houses numismatic material, a sarcophagus from the early feudal era, collections of small household utensils from the 17th to the 19th centuries, military weapons, and collections of Khevsur clothing.

The art gallery houses 187 exhibits donated to the museum from the personal collection of Ketevan Iashvili. Among them are works of fine art from the Dutch, French, German, and Russian schools (I. Aivazovsky, A. Kramskoy, and works by other artists of the "Wanderers" period), examples of small sculpture, as well as works by Georgian artists (E. Akhvlediani, L. Gudiashvili, J. Khutsishvili, and others). In addition to collections on archeology, ethnography, numismatics, textiles, manuscripts and fine art, the museum has a scientific library with a book fund of more than 5,000 books, as well as a photo fund (Alexander Roinashvili, Dmitry Ermakov, Barkanov, Barkalaya, Sosnov, Tor, Simonov and other photo artists), reflecting the beautiful views of the city of Telavi, as well as the life of people, in the amount of more than 7,000 photos.

The city of Telavi is a true pearl of Georgia, famous for its beautiful architectural monuments and rich history. One of the most iconic objects – Telavi History Museum, which houses a rich collection of memorial items of King Erekle II. This famous museum is housed in the palace of King Erekle II, which was the residence of the kings of Kakheti in the 17th-18th centuries. The museum complex, which includes the palace, is called Batonis Tsikhe ("Lord's Fortress") and is one of the main architectural complexes of the city.

In the museum you can see not only memorial items of King Erekle II, but also numismatic material, a sarcophagus of the early feudal era, collections of small household utensils of the 17th-19th centuries, military weapons, collections of Khevsur clothing, as well as works by Georgian and foreign artists. Particularly worth paying attention to is the art gallery, where you can find works by I. Aivazovsky, A. Kramskoy and other masters of the "Wanderers" period, as well as works by Georgian artists.

But this is not all that the Telavi History Museum has to offer. In addition to archaeological and ethnographic collections, a library and a photo collection, there is also a unique tunnel, which was built on the territory of the palace of King Erekle II. It is a secret tunnel dating from the 18th century.

In addition, in the museum you can see the remains of the building of the philosophical and theological school founded by King Erekle II in the 50s of the 18th century, as well as the church of the royal court, the royal bath and unique gates on the eastern and western walls.

But this is not all that can be seen in this amazing museum. Its collection also contains many other items related to the history and culture of Georgia.

The museum also holds archaeological finds from excavations at Ikalto, Gurjaani, Vanta and Zuzumbo Hill in Telavi. The museum also keeps household items, icons and manuscripts.

In general, the Telavi History Museum is a must-see for anyone interested in the history and culture of Georgia. Here you can learn a lot of new things and see a lot of interesting things, as well as get unforgettable impressions of this amazing country and its people.

REVIEWS AND COMMENTS

We will be glad to hear your opinion about our article and answer your questions! Please feel free to leave comments below the article - your feedback will help us become better and write more interesting articles in the future.

Read also

• Archaeological Museum-Reserve of Greater Mtskheta: Collections
• Kvareli Money Museum: 26 Centuries of Georgian and World Currency