The Giorgi Chitaia Open Air Museum of Ethnography, often simply called the Ethnographic Museum, offers a unique opportunity to experience the diverse historical and geographical regions of Georgia without leaving Tbilisi. Located west of Turtle Lake on a hill overlooking the Vake district, this museum showcases examples of folk architecture and craftwork from various parts of the country.
The museum is named after Giorgi Chitaia, a prominent Georgian ethnographer who laid the foundation for Georgian ethnology in the 1930s. His vision for an open-air museum began to materialize in the 1960s, and it officially opened on April 27, 1966. Since December 30, 2004, the museum has been administered as part of the Georgian National Museum.
Spanning over 52 hectares, the museum is arranged into 11 or 14 ethnographic zones, representing regions such as Kartli, Samegrelo, Adjara, Abkhazia, Svaneti, Khevsureti, Kakheti, Meskheti, Javakheti, Guria, Imereti, Racha, Lechkhumi, and Ossetia. Visitors can explore around 70 original buildings that have been brought and reassembled here from all main territorial subdivisions of Georgia.
The exhibits include traditional darbazi-type and flat-roofed stone houses from eastern Georgia, openwork wooden houses with gable roofs of straw or boards from western Georgia, watchtowers from the mountainous provinces of Khevsureti, Pshavi, and Svaneti, and Kakhetian wineries (Marani). Megrelian and Imeretian wattle maize storages are also featured.
Beyond architecture, the museum displays objects of traditional crafts, including carpets, rugs, traditional clothes, metalwork, ceramics, and wooden items. Visitors can also see real village yards with wine cellars, sheds, corn silos, and horse stables. Ancient monuments are also part of the collection, such as a 2nd-millennium BCE tomb from Abkhazia and the 5th-6th-century Sioni Basilica from Tianeti.
The Giorgi Chitaia Open Air Museum offers a fascinating glimpse into Georgia’s diverse cultures and history. Visitors can explore the lifestyle of Georgians across different epochs, from 16th-century furniture to the history of traditional winemaking.2 Each house often has a guide providing information about the specific building, unique aspects of life in that region, and the purpose of the objects within.
The museum is located on a hill above Vake Park and close to Turtle Lake, making it a potential starting point for a hike to the lake. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended due to the expansive area.
The museum is a significant cultural institution that preserves and showcases the ethnographic heritage of Georgia. It represents a kind of Georgian village where each house and estate reflects different eras of Georgian history. Since 2004, the museum has hosted the annual Art Gene Festival, which focuses on traditional art culture.
The museum is open every day except Monday, from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM or 6:00 PM, with varying hours depending on the season. The admission fee is 5 GEL for adults, with discounts for schoolchildren and students.
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