The Glory of The Stalin Museum, Gori City
“You know, Anuj, I have crazy friends. I was watching a cartoon channel with them on TV, and suddenly the image on the TV changed. We saw a ghost with blood coming out of his mouth. It was crazy—the image just changed, and I couldn’t do anything. It was so crazy,” Nino told me as she showed me a picture of a vampire flashing out of the TV screen.
We moved towards the city of Gori to see the Stalin Museum. The museum has three sections, all located in the town’s central square. The museum was closed in 1989 but has since been reopened and is now a popular tourist attraction. The exhibits are kept in six halls in chronological order, and most of the items are personal belongings of Stalin himself. There is also a train painted green, which was used by Stalin. It’s old and a bit rusty, but I managed to climb in it to take a peek.
The Glory of The Stalin Museum, Gori City
The main complex is a large palazzo in Stalinist Gothic style. There are tables and chairs and even a telephone used by Stalin in his olden days. There are many illustrations, documents, photographs, and paintings. The overall impression is of a shrine to a secular saint.
I even managed to sit in one of his gardens and meditate with Nino for a while. “You see, concentration is very important for meditation. One needs to focus on the words ‘Om, Om, Om, Om,'” I said as I started to breathe easily. Along with Nino and her brother, I went into a deep meditation.
The weather in Gori was a bit cooler, and I enjoyed walking around its opulent gardens. The place attracts many Japanese tourists who come to relive some ancient history of Russia.
