Greetings from Georgia
The Stalin Museum, Gori
Most people remember Joseph Stalin as a merciless dictator, responsible for the deaths of millions of people. But to the residents of Gori, the Georgian town where he was born, he is a man worth commemorating, whom they are proud to acknowledge. His childhood home is carefully preserved in the grounds of the museum that ‘celebrates’ his life. Inside the displays focus on his childhood, rebellion against seminary life (his parents wanted him to become a priest), involvement in the spread of communist ideals through the printing of banned material, relationship with Lenin and rise to power. His achievements as a leader of the Soviet Union are given prominence, including the growth of industry and victory in WWII.
Just one small room, easily overlooked, acknowledges the dark sides of his rule, with a mock-up of a gulag prison cell and some quotations from historians. There’s also a hint in my header photo which shows the museum’s reconstruction (with original furniture etc.) of his office. Note the two telephones on the desk. The white one was for regular use, the black for giving the order for someone’s death.
But as Wikipedia concludes, ‘The overall impression is that of a shrine to a secular saint’.
2 Comments
Anonymous
We looked at the house and walked through the train but I gave the museum a miss.
Sarah Wilkie
We looked around the museum with our own guide who gave a pretty balanced description of everything, but I gather the local ones present him as something of a hero which I would have found hard to swallow.