Artists / Smolensk State Museum Reserve

The Smolensk State Museum-Preserve was found in 1888, and now it’s one of the largest many profiled museum units in Russia. It consists of 12 Smolensk exposition departments in Smolensk and 4 regional branch officers. The museum funds run above 600 thousands exhibits including more than 400 thousands things of the main fund. The most unique things are those collected by the founders of the museum, such as: M.K. Tenisheva, S.P. Pisarev, V.I. Grachyov, I.F. Barshevskiy, G.L. Gravve, and Y.Y. Alekseyev.
The most special pages of the many centuries of the Russian history connected with the Smolensk Region are reflected in its expositions. It’s the ancient history - the first mention of Smolensk in chronicles as "city great and large in people" refers to the year of 863. It’s the heroism and the military valor of thelong suffering defender of the Western borders of Russia. It’s the ancient traditions and the skill of flax growing. It’s the motherland of the composerand the ancestor of the Russian classical music M.I. Glinka, of the outstanding sculpture S.T. Konyonkov, of the traveler and explorer M.N. Przhevalskiy, of the poet A.T. Tvardovskiy. It’s Talashkino - the famous art center of Russia at the edge of the 19th - 20th centuries connected with the studying and the revival of the traditions of the Russian applied arts.