Head of the Research & Collection Department

Aleksei Abramchuk

Telephone: (8-017) 395-59-13

As in the museum world practice, only small number of museum objects is represented on the exhibition, all the rest are preserved in storage areas. Our museum displays only 10 % of its collection. A museum repository can be compared with a foundation of a building, a pivot of the whole museum complex. It makes Research & Collection Department one of the core departments in the Belarusian State Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Lifestyle. People who work here can be divided into two professional teams, those who keep record of all museum objects and those who study these objects and preserve them from damage.

The first team prepares documentation for each acquired artifact, for each museum item whether it is displayed on the exhibition or preserved in storage areas. Collecting statistical data is also the responsibility of this very team. The second team is in charge of study and preservation procedures. Department research workers together with conservation staff study thoroughly relics of Belarusian history and culture from museum collection and carefully preserve them. Each museum object should be stored in appropriate conditions, so a repository is an extremely important place in the museum. Unfortunately our museum doesn’t have special equipment and collection storage area with proper storage conditions. Although the Research & Collection Department, together with Restoration Department, strives hard to preserve museum rarities for future generations.

Nowadays there are 30 theme groups of museum objects which together form the museum collection of 23 975 exhibits (16 549 – main collection, 7 426 – research supporting collection). Of course folk architecture is the core group of exhibits in the museum. It comprises more than 25 unique objects displayed on the territory of the museum complex.

Major part of the museum collection is the result of long-term scientific expeditionary work in regions all over Belarus. It includes traditional working tools, types of rural transportation, household items, Belarusian national clothes, objects representing folk culture, books, documents and etc. In general all groups of museum objects are very different. They tell people a vivid story about lifestyle of our ancestors, provide detailed information about folk traditions and distinctive features of Belarusian folk culture.