Description of the attraction
In 1918, the first steps were taken in Porkhov to create a county museum, which collected various values related to the former noble estates. The creation of the museum was initiated by local public organizations and enthusiasts. The first museum - the house of the merchant Zatsky - opened in Porkhov in November 1919 and was named the "Proletarian Museum named after the October Revolution". The permanence of the museum was laid by the historical-revolutionary exhibition in honor of the second anniversary of the October Revolution. From the moment of its opening and up to 1924 the head of the museum was V. I. Kronberg, who was the first to formulate and generalize the vision of this institution, its purpose and structure. Until the beginning of 1941, exhibits were often taken out of the museum to various cities, and the museum itself moved from one place to another.
During 1941-1944, the Porkhov Museum was mercilessly plundered, after which even the documents were not preserved. After the war, in 1946, the Porkhov regional executive committee decided to reopen the museum. The director of the museum was Vitaly Alekseev, who, two years later, was able to open the museum. The expositions of the museum opened after the war were housed in the Porkhov Fortress, in which during the war years the head of the local underground movement, BP Kalachev, lived. Since 1950, Varvara Aleksandrovna Pishchikova was the director of the museum; the activities of this woman helped significantly replenish the museum funds with a large number of exhibits and documents.
Since 1980, the museum has been listed as a branch of the Pskov State United Art and Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve. At the same time, the material and technical base is significantly improving, funds are being replenished at a rapid pace, work is being carried out in the museum archives of Pskov, Leningrad, Velikiye Luki, Moscow and other cities, as well as card indexes are being replenished and the museum asset is expanding. During 1986, the previously demolished house of B. P. Kalachev, in which a new exhibition opens. Over time, the entire adjacent territorial zone of the fortress is being put in order, cozy corners, flower beds appear, a second gate appears, and funds are allocated for the restoration and security process.
A new ethnographic exhibition entitled "The Manors of the Pskov District" has been opened in the museum's exhibition hall. The first excursion object was the Novgorod border fortress, dating back to the 14-16 centuries. In the building of the fortress such expositions as "Porkhov region during the Great Patriotic War", "History of Porkhov" are open. The second object was the pre-existing estate of the Stroganov family, dating back to the period of the 18-19 centuries. Here are the count's house, kennel, stables, riding hall, household yards and a park area. The next in line were Kholomki - Belskoe Ustye - these are the former estates of the Vasilchikov and Gagarins families, in which the manor house, park area, outbuildings, as well as the Church of the Ascension of the Lord, dating back to the 18th century, are presented. There is also Nikandrova Hermitage - a chapel, monasteries and the grave of St. Nikandr. The fourth object was the recreated Malakhovsky partisan camp, which is an open-air museum equipped with an interactive complex in the form of a partisan observation post, a canteen, dugouts and a bathhouse. In addition, a special route was developed under the name “Path of Health - Medicinal Herbs”.
Today the director of the Porkhov Museum of Local Lore is Natalya Nikolaevna Stepanova. The museum includes two small museum houses located in the fortress, the House of Crafts and an exhibition hall in the premises of a former cinema. A special concept has been developed, according to which the Porkhov Fortress has become a center for special and combined tourism.
