Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Museum of Local Lore

Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Raion, Odesa Oblast

The museum was opened in November 1940, shortly after Bessarabia's annexation to the USSR, as the Akkerman Oblast Museum of Local Lore. Its foundation was built on archaeological artifacts found during excavations in the fortress and the ancient city of Tyras, as well as private collections from city residents

During the Second World War, the museum suffered destruction and its holdings were significantly damaged. Despite this, a renewed exhibition was successfully opened as early as 1946. Over the years of its existence, the museum's collection has been built up, now numbering 84,000 inventory items. Numerous authentic exhibits make it possible to present the region's history, from ancient times to the present day, in the permanent exhibition

One of the most valuable collections is the archaeological one, featuring artifacts from the ancient city of Tyras and the Chernyakhiv culture (6th century BC – 4th century AD). Also of interest are collections of firearms and cold steel weapons from the 18th–19th centuries, numismatics, as well as documents and printed publications on the history of the Swiss Shabo Colony in the 19th century

The presence of collections of rare handwoven rushnyky (embroidered towels), carpets, costumes, women's jewelry, and craft items made of leather, clay, and wood, along with original tools and household objects, led to the creation of the department "Ethnography of the Peoples of Southern Transnistria" (1990) and an exhibition reflecting the multi-ethnic spectrum of the population in one of Odesa Oblast’s unique districts: Southeastern Bessarabia