Russkaya starina, Local museum in Smolensk, Russia.
Russkaya Starina is a local museum in Smolensk that displays Russian handcrafted objects and regional historical pieces. The collection spans multiple galleries filled with decorative arts, household items, and folk-made objects from different periods.
The collection started in the early 1900s when Princess M.K. Tenisheva gathered Russian antiquities from across the country. Her original holdings formed the basis for what became the current museum in Smolensk.
The displays feature folk costumes, pottery, and textiles that reflect the handcraft traditions of the Smolensk region. You can see objects that connect to how local artisans work today and how people in the area live.
The museum is located on Tenishevskaya Street and opens from Tuesday through Sunday. Guided tours in Russian are available, and the building is easy to navigate for visitors.
The collection holds around 3,000 decorative pieces from different Russian regions, and some items were once displayed at the Louvre. These works reveal the breadth of handcraft beyond what the local area alone represents.
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