Museums in cheboksary

The Chuvash National Museum is one of the first scientific establishments which started to study history, culture, economics, daily life and nature of the Chuvash Republic systematically. The Museum was opened 12 February 1921 in Cheboksary. An important role in the opening of the museum was played by N.P. Neverov, a graduate of Warsaw University, who became the first head of the museum.

First, the Chuvash Central Museum was housed in 5 rooms on the first floor of the former mansion of merchant P.E. Yefremov. Lately the address and the name of the museum changed several times: in 1930 the museum moved to the Dormition Church, in 1937 it was called The Chuvash Central Museum, in 1939 on the basis of the museum the Chuvash Art Gallery was opened; in 1940 it was named The Chuvash Republic Museum of Regional Studies.

During the World War II (from autumn 1941 to November 1944) the museum was closed: in its building there was an archive of a military unit. In 1980 the museum moved to the former mansion of merchant M.E. Yefremov. In 1993 it was called The Chuvash National Museum. Now it is situated in the mansions of the Yefremovs family. The Chuvash National Museum is the biggest depository of the natural, historical materials and spiritual culture of the Chuvash Republic. The museum's funds have more than 146,000 exhibits. Permanent exhibition has 3 halls: nature, archaeological and historical studies, and the new history of the region. The Museum has several branches: The Literary Museum; The Chapayev Museum, the Cosmonautics Museum in the village of Shorshely, the Outdoor Ethnographic Museum in Ibresi.

The name of our countryman, Vasily Ivanovich Chapayev, is well-known not only in Chuvashia. He was a legendary hero of the Civil War. He perished at the age of 32 in the Ural River. In 1960 a monument to Chapayev was transferred to Cheboksary from a small town of Mytishchi in the Moscow Region. The monument is situated in the public gardens. There you can also see the Chapayev Museum which opened on 9^th May 1974. Chapayev’s son Alexander Vasilievich took part in the opening ceremony.

The museum is a branch of the Chuvash National Museum; it was designed by the architect Suslov and is a part of the Chapayev Memorial. On the façade of the museum there is a sculptural composition Chapayev’s Cavalry. It is made of brass and was executed by Chuvash sculptors Bryndin and Cherepanov.

The museum has a rich collection of documents, photographs and other exhibits which illustrate Chapayev’s life and military activity. They keep the film Chapayev which was shot by the Vasiliev brothers in 1930s.

About 2 million people have visited the museum since its foundation.

The Literary Museum is located in the centre of Cheboksary, in Leningradskaya Street. Its displays let visitors see the development stages of the Chuvash language and literature. The exhibits are connected with life and creative activity of such famous Chuvash writers and poets as Konstantin Ivanov, Mikhail Sespel, Pyotr Khuzangai, Yakov Ukhsai, etc.