Archives of Georgia’s history displayed in new exhibition space

Hundreds of thousands of manuscripts, photographs, books and publications detailing significant events in Georgia have a new home in a new exhibition space in capital Tbilisi.

The National Archives of Georgia, established almost a century ago, featured the largest collection of documentary material on Georgia’s history, including more than 400,000 photographs and 80,000 books, but these items have been unable to be displayed due to a lack of adequate space.

Yesterday this issue was resolved when the Ministry of Justice of Georgia – the managing organisation of the archives - announced it would open a brand-new building to display the unique items from the archival institution. The new exhibition space is due to open later this month.

Visitors of the National Archives will also be able to access digital resources at the new building. Photo from the Ministry of Justice of Georgia/Facebook.

The new building will exhibit manuscripts, documents, photographs and other sources detailing all sorts of historic events, such as the 19th Century national movement for liberating the country from the Russian Empire and documents relating to Georgia’s First Democratic Republic of 1918-1921.

The idea to build a new space for the archives came from Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani, who noted the importance of having a modern exhibition space for the historical material.

Our national memory and its exhibits should not only have a suitable archive space but also be accessible to the public, especially the young generations […] We hope to see this exhibition space become a favourite place not only for residents of Saburtalo dstrict and those living in Tbilisi, but all interested people including tourists,” Tsulukiani said while visiting the space under construction.

The new space will house photographic material involving more than 400,000 items. Photo from the Ministry of Justice of Georgia/Facebook.

The new National Archives area is expected to open on July 18. It will present a vast range of historical material spanning from 9th Century manuscripts to the documentary chronicle of social and political developments in Georgia in the 1990s.

As well as exhibition events, the space will serve as a place for public lectures, educational projects and other presentations.

Inside the new facility will be a book shop that sells products "created using archival documents" and offers guests access to digital resources, the Justice Ministry said.

The National Archives of Georgia boasts the largest collection of documentary material detailing the country's history. Photo from the Ministry of Justice of Georgia/Facebook.

Founded in 1920 by the Government of Georgia's three-year independent republic, the National Archives has been under the management of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia since 2004.

The public institution boasts the largest collection of documentary material detailing Georgia's history. Its vaults feature more than 400,000 photographic documents, 80,000 books and up to 50,000 periodical publications preserved over centuries.