Opening of Mykolaiv Olast Ethnographic Museum “Old Fleet Barracks” was timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Mykolaiv Oblast. Museum consists of 28 rooms, which represent the history of the region from ancient times to the present. The stock of the museum includes over 170,000 exhibits.
The date of official opening of the Mykolaiv Oblast Ethnographic Museum is considered December 15, 1913. According to the eyewitnesses, who visited the museum in the early 20th century, apart from ancient archeological exhibits it displayed minerals, shells, stuffed animals, and ethnographic exhibits. It also presented maps, plans of cities, buildings, and ship models. “With each year the collection of the museum grew bigger while the building which contained it all remained the same. Moving to a new location was necessary because many of the museum’s exhibits suffered due to poor conditions and small area of the previous premises of the museum,” said Mykola Kruhlov, head of Mykolaiv Oblast State Administration, at the opening ceremony. It should be stressed that the whole Ethnographic Museum for many years found refuge in the building of the Catholic Church. “Unfortunately, we have never had a spiritual and cultural center. This museum can become such kind of a center. Now it has the area of 4,000 square meters instead of the 150 it used to have. I think in about two weeks we will see the completion of the European Public Garden construction,” said Kruhlov. One of the museum’s visitors Anzor Inshkhneli, director of Mykolaiv Bread-baking Plant No. 1 shared with us his impressions: “In my life I have been to many museums of the former Soviet Union. But I have never seen such beauty and materials in our native land. The work that has been done is worth respect and it still continues. It is very important for our history, for our city, and for our oblast.” The construction works on the museum campus have not been completed yet. Only the first building of the project has been reconstructed. The second building will be opened next year. The full completion of the project is scheduled for 2015.
