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All Kyrgyzstan Bishkek National Museum of Kyrgyzstan
AO Edited

National Museum of Kyrgyzstan

Time capsule of a museum, in which the Soviet Union remains alive and kicking.

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

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Tawsam
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Mural, depicting a raw man-slaughtering Nazi on a demon horse (Flickr / Nathan Hamm)   http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathanhamm/25...
Mural, depicting a raw man-slaughtering Nazi on a demon horse (Flickr / Nathan Hamm)   http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathanhamm/25...
Mural, depicting Ronald Reagan riding on the bomb   http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathanhamm/25...
Another bizarre mural   http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathanhamm/25...
Lenin vases and Soviet flags   http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:E79...
Kyrgyz carpet with Lenin’s counterfeit   http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:E79...
Bronze mural   http://www.flickr.com/photos/valodja/31846...
Bishkek   Kalpak Travel / Atlas Obscura User
Lenin remains   MarkTimeTravel / Atlas Obscura User
  Max Cortesi / Atlas Obscura User
  Max Cortesi / Atlas Obscura User
Bishkek   Kalpak Travel / Atlas Obscura User
Beautiful brutalist interior   MarkTimeTravel / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Kyrgyzstan’s National Museum harbors numerous interesting exhibitions, ranging from excavation finds to fascinating ethnographical collections, partly housed in dusty cabinets. But for the few Western visitors that make it to Bishkek, the real draw is the weird Soviet memorabilia.

Lenin is omnipresent in the shrine-like room of the Kyrgyz Soviet Revolution on the upper floor, where his conterfeit – alongside Mikhail Frunze, Kyrgyzstan’s own leading communist – can be seen on porcelain vases and on traditional Kyrgyz rugs. Soviet flags adorn the ceiling and the walls of the hall, and the Hammer and Sickle symbol can be found anywhere.

Then there are the highly bizarre murals – rather unusual depictions of Soviet propaganda, since they were not created during the heyday of Soviet propaganda displays, but only shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union. The style is unique, since it forms a transition from typical Soviet propaganda to modern art. Arguably, the most grotesque mural depicts former US President Ronald Reagan, riding Dr. Strangelove-style on a Pershing, wearing a mask of a grinning skull, while being surrounded by people demanding "No more Hiroshimas“.

Additional bronze murals depict key events in communist and Soviet history, among others, Marx and Engels speaking to the people, Lenin inspiring the masses, the October Revolution and the burning tsarist palaces. Sooner or later, the Soviet pieces will likely be removed from the museum, but for now they still remain in place.

Update February 2021: The museum is currently being renovated and is closed to the public. The murals have been removed.

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Museums And Collections Wonder Cabinets Museums Communist Architecture Outsider Art Collections Soviet History

Know Before You Go

As of November 2015, the museum is undergoing a renovation, which may very well include painting over these amazing murals. No amount of begging or attempted bribery will gain one access. A giant Lenin statue dwells behind the museum however, if that's any consolation. Also, beware roaming dogs nearby... they do indeed bite.

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Community Contributors

Added By

Tawsam

Edited By

dwhansen2, falsewalls, hrnick, nickfranssen...

  • dwhansen2
  • falsewalls
  • hrnick
  • nickfranssen
  • Max Cortesi
  • MarkTimeTravel
  • Kalpak Travel

Published

May 16, 2012

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Sources
  • Lonely Planet Central Asia; 4th Edition; July 2007
National Museum of Kyrgyzstan
National History Museum
Bishkek
Kyrgyzstan
42.877752, 74.603899
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Nearby Places

Frunze Museum

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

miles away

Bishkek Circus

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

miles away

Great Emptiness Museum

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bishkek

Bishkek

Kyrgyzstan

Places 3

Nearby Places

Frunze Museum

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

miles away

Bishkek Circus

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

miles away

Great Emptiness Museum

Orto Say, Kyrgyzstan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bishkek

Bishkek

Kyrgyzstan

Places 3

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