Yes, the fabric of the building (especially the toilets) could do with a face lift, but thanks to the hard work of the guides, the place is worth a visit. I found the early "revolutionary" years of Stalin especially interesting. The rooms upstairs focus on the positives of the USSR under Stalin, a single small room downstairs speaks to the negatives. I really encourage the museum (when funds permit) to expand this aspect which will deliver a more balanced perspective. The train carriage and apartment are also well worth seeing. Allow 1.5 hours for this visit and, assuming you have travelled from Tbilisi to Gori, do go back via the cave city of Uplistsikhe which is about 10 km East of Gori.
For who is interested (and has some background knowledge) it's an amazing museum. Not only the pictures and objects, but also the fact that it still exists. You can see that there's no maintenance whatsoever, and the attitude of the staff is likewise. Still, I think it's good that it remains open, slowly dying away, as a sign of how this man was celebrated, also after his death, Of course if you really want to know how his era was for Russia you should go elsewhere.
Stalin was one of the most powerful man and, in my view, a mass murderer, but he also was a hero winning WWII. This museum displays a lot about him, but is not a "modern" style museum and lacking in English explanations.
Some cool old photos but unless you read Georgian or Russian you'll only look. Same information and photos can be found on wikipedia. I would not recommend people waste their time in Gori unless it is a quick stop along the way to somewhere else. Stayed the night and not sure why now. Staff speak very little English and ticket prices were quite expensive for what it was.
We visited the museum while in gori and found it to be a little pricy for what it is. There's ,any pictures of Stalin though very few personal possessions or idea of how he lived.I would recommend a visit
This museum was established during the days of the former Soviet Union to show case their 'great leader' in the town of his birth. The information and exhibits are very interesting, but you have to take into account that they were displaced to serve an agenda. Nevertheless, it is very interesting to use the information for developing a better understanding of Stalin, despite the efforts made to portray him in a specific way. His personal effects that are displayed in his office exhibit are also interesting, especially the slide rule. I did not know that he ever used one. The final exhibit in the basement that attempts to show an office of the NKVD and the horrors of Stalin's regime is too small and too simplistic. It must have been added after Georgia became independent. Stalin's train is another demonstration of his acute sense of security that was coupled with surprising luxury (for that era). The room in which he lived with his parents shows his humble start that must have shaped him into what he eventually became.
Visited on New Year's Day so no guides. No heating either so absolutely freezing. This could be a great museum but needs a lot of money spending on it to bring it up to date. However most labels in English which helped. Two decades of Stalin's life missing!!! Guess which ones.
Orwell's Animal Farm showed how quickly the revolutionaries adopted the life style of the former establishment.Stalin used the old Tsar's train as his personal vehicle - his Air Force One, as it were - and kept all the trappings of grandeur of his former enemy. The museum tour is relatively dull, if historic. But it's worth it just to see that old train
I visited Gori in 1987 (had to select "October 2013" on "when did you visit" to get this review to post, but ignore that), so this review may be old, but I doubt they would have changed much. It was truly eerie to see an entire town -- proudly -- extolling the "virtues" of one of the greatest butchers of history. From the 20-foot tall statue in the town square to his boyhood shack entombed in another building, this entire town is like an episode from The Twilight Zone.
千里迢迢来到了这伟人的家乡,就一定不要错过介绍他一生的博物馆,内面收藏也算丰富,前后对斯大林的一生有更加的了解。