Old Belarusian History Museum
Old Belarusian History Museum in Minsk, Belarus, was founded in 1977 to study and promote Belarusian cultural heritage. The collection mainly comes from the Institute of Art History, Ethnography and Folklore named after K. Krapiva, built up through art criticism and ethnographic trips across Belarus.
The museum covers about 1,200 square meters, with 600 square meters for exhibitions. By 2000 it displayed more than 17,000 items, including:
- 600 icons and paintings
- 4,500 arts and crafts
- 170 sculptures
- about 1,000 pieces of traditional weaving
Exhibits are organized into sections such as:
- Archaeology (finds from Belarusian cities and other sites)
- Art (16th–18th century icons, 16th–19th century sculptures, Slutsk belts)
- 18th-century fabrics
- Old prints and book engravings (16th–18th centuries)
- Carvings and metalwork
- Ethnography, weaving, and folk costumes from the late 19th to early 20th centuries
- Ceramics, folk musical instruments, tools, and household items
- Straw products
There is also a section dedicated to ethnography and folk art from the Chernobyl zone.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:51 (CET).