Gori war museum

Gori war museum ( if you can read Russian) - darkometer rating : 4 - A small museum in the Georgian town of Gori , which is better known for its large Stalin Museum . But this smaller counterpart is also worth a look when in town. > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos What there is to see: This is an old school, very Soviet war museum, so expect relics from the communism era and especially the Great Patriotic War, better known in the rest of the world as World War Two . There are photos of the Nazis ' reign of terror during Germany 's invasion of the USSR , including gory ones (or should that be "gori" ones?) of executions and mass graves. A very poignant artefact is a steel helmet with various bullet holes in it. Otherwise the exhibition is mostly celebratory of the heroic achievements of the Red Army. Lots of medals are on display, also models and/or photos of various monuments, including the grandest of them all at Volgograd . One display cabinet is full of Nazi insignia, probably war "souvenirs" of returning Red Army soldiers … you don't see such collections of swastikas a lot in the West … Larger exhibits include a few mortars and guns, uniforms as well as several large (typically red) ceremonial flags hanging from the walls. A side room is mainly filled with portrait photos, presumably of dead "heroes". Many a document on display remains rather obscure, while some of the caricatures displayed are more eloquent, even without words. This being in Gori , pride of place goes to a slightly larger than life-size marble statue of Stalin at the far end of the main hall overlooking it all. Interestingly, I also spotted a small (maybe 20 inches tall) golden statue of Stalin standing on a mantelpiece in the museum wardens' office.