Ivane Machabeli House Museum
(South Ossetia)


Basic information
Description:

Ivane Machabeli (1854-1898) was a famous Georgian public figure, writer, journalist, financier and translator of Shakespeare’s works. 

(See his biography)

Ivane Machabeli House-museum is situated in a XIX c. historical building - a residence of ruler princes Machabelis. They were princes of so-called historical Samachablo (since 1922 it was called as South Ossetia autonomous region). 
Location: in the village Tamarasheni, north of Tskhinvali
History: After establishing Soviet authority and Stalin’s repression (after 1920-1930) in Georgia, Ivane Machabeli’s heirs were confiscated. The building at first was turned into an orphanage, and then there had been Agrarian technical school for years.

On Georgian Ministry of Culture’s and Ivane Machabeli’s heirs initiative there was opened Ivane Machaebli house-museum in 1990.

This museum was allegedly bombed by Ossetian separatists in 1997 (historical marani – wine store especially was damaged). The building of house-museum was renovated and restored by Georgian Ministry of Culture in 2003.
Collection: 2000 items.
In the museum are housed things related to Ivane Machabeli: manuscripts, photo-material of Ivane Machabeli’s life and activities and cultural-political situation by XIX century, memorial things of personal use and material of historical Samachablo region’s ethnographical life (XIX-XX).
Exhibition: 450 sq m
Under control of:

under legal authority of the Ministry of Culture, Monuments Protection and Sport of Georgia
Director:
Address:
 Village Tamarasheni, 7300, Tskhinvali
Tel/Fax: +995 - 99 - 98 21 22 (mob.) 
E-mail:
Web: Museum: http://georgianmuseums.ge/MuseumEn/Musums/shidakartli/i_machabeli.html
Biography: http://drfm.info/georgia/sos-machabeli-bio.html
Pictures: http://www.drfm.info/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=105
Disaster related information
 
Please, keep in mind that - due to the circumstances -
all information are only reported and not proven.
Location:
 The village was bombed at the beginning of the war and (including the director's house) burned down on August 16.
Staff: The staff had been evacuated to Tbilisi

The museums director in an interview with a German TV team:

After the invasion by Russian army, the museum director Elguia Gagnidze escaped - as many other Georgians - to Tbilisi. Today, he lives there in an emergency accomodation.

"Until now, I don't understand what happened. A gigantic trauma. The place, where I was borne and brought up, has been razed to the ground. When I watched the pictures of Tamaresheni on TV, I didn't recognize my village."
Building:
The museum has been bombed at the beginning of the war.

UNOSAT ID 2:
"possible damage to roof of northern section (uncertain)"
Collection: ?
Other:
Report
Perspective:


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This temporary website is provided by  the
 
International Council of Museums (ICOM)


 
It is based on information provided by  
    ICOM Georgia,
a German TV report (channel: ARD; culture magazin: ttt)
and UNOSAT