The Bolnisi Museum in Georgia presents the rich archaeology and history of the region which tells us not only about the local but also the European dimension – of the place, the region and the country.

Once you get involved with the new museum in Bolnisi near Tbilisi, straight away, you will understand about the European spirit which is closely connected with all the scientific content and the museum’s concept. The museum was opened back in 2020, the first year of the pandemic.     
The Bolnisi Museum presents the rich archaeology and history of the region which tells us not only about the local but also the European dimension – of the place, the region and the country.

Visitors now and then

Past stories can be told from different moments during a long period of time.

The people, more precisely, the first hominins, who lived in this region (at Dmanisi) about 1,75 million years ago, were the earliest direct evidence of hominin presence out of Africa.

The people who lived in this area were farmers around 8000 years ago.

 They practiced ancient metallurgy, especially dealing with gold, about 4000 years ago and left old Georgian inscriptions during the medieval era.

The museum tells the story of people who emigrated from South Germany to Georgia 200 years ago, starting a new hard life in Bolnisi, formerly known as Katharinenfeld.

The people, above all archaeologists, who came here to do research on past lives discover forgotten stories in joint projects.

The people of the future - visitors/tourists -, who will travel to Georgia can explore the deep history.

Not only one story to tell about

These intense archaeological and historical traces present small and big stories. The story-telling of Bolnisi is the story of people from the past, it’s the story of contemporary local and regional communities, it’s the story of Georgian people, it’s also the story of multi-cultural communities in Georgia (and the Caucasus), and last but not least, it’s the story of Europeans! All the stories together underline the importance of the region for wider context and the cultural networks that stretch across Europe.

The museum’s  concept

The concept of the museum covers the idea of the regions educational, social, touristic and scientific research center. It also connects inter-generational people in the context of a unique atmosphere and presentation.

Back in 2019, I worked for the museum and experienced a community of very enthusiastic museum people from near and far with a fantastic team spirit finishing up the new museum of Bolnisi.

The Bolnisi museum is not only the museum and history of the local community, it’s a place and region of important cultural heritage for a much wider audience - of Europe.

The recognition of Bolnisi museum is also marked due to the fact that it is nominated for "The European Museum of the Year Award 2022".