Museum of the Heroic Defense and Liberation of Sevastopol is the head museum of Sevastopol and develops as a museum of the history of the heroic city. In 1965 it was awarded the first category.
The museum originates from the famous panorama «Defense of Sevastopol 1854- 1855», opened on May 14 (27), 1905 to the 50th anniversary of the Sevastopol epic. In 1959, the legendary Sapun Hill received the first visitors to the diorama «The Assault of Sapun Hill on May 7, 1944». In August 1960, the panorama and the diorama were merged into the State Museum of the Heroic Defense and Liberation of Sevastopol.
In 1963 the exposition in the defensive tower of Malakhov Kurgan was created, in 1967 the House-museum of Sevastopol underground fighters was opened, and in 1977 — the museum of the history of the Red Banner Sevastopol Komsomol organization.
On October 27, 1965, the complex of these museum institutions was named the Museum of the Heroic Defense and Liberation of Sevastopol.
Its funds contain more than 80 thousand museum items. Among them of special interest are collections of uniforms of the Soviet army, as well as personal belongings of participants of the heroic defense and liberation of Sevastopol.
There are collections of numismatics: Russian awards, decorations and distinctive signs, Soviet orders and medals for military service and labor achievements. The collection of anchors of XII-XVIII centuries is unique.
The collection of weapons is represented by the guns of the Crimean floodplain period of 1853-1856 on Malakhov Kurgan, Historical Boulevard and at the obelisk to the Hero-City of Sevastopol on Cape Khrustalny, samples of Soviet military equipment and armament on Sapun Hill (field and anti-aircraft artillery, armored vehicles, Guards mortars «Katyusha», some types of military equipment of the Navy). The museum has collections of firearms and cold weapons made during the defense of Sevastopol 1941-1942. There is also a collection of shells, including smooth-bore artillery of the mid-19th century: cannonballs, buckshot, bombs, grenades, brandskugels (incendiary shells).
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The documentary collection contains personal files of Heroes of the Soviet Union, who received this high title for the defense and liberation of Sevastopol,
Over two thousand museum items in the personal fund of the Sevastopol native, the famous polar explorer I.D. Papanin.
More than 2 thousand of the 9 thousand negatives stored in the museum are genuine negatives of the Great Patriotic War period.
The Museum of Heroic Defense and Liberation of Sevastopol is one of the most visited in our country. Every year about 1 million 750 thousand guests and residents of Crimea get acquainted with it, for which up to 60 thousand excursions are held. The staff gives 700 lectures a year, holds visiting meetings of the club «Sevastopol», organizes thematic evenings, presentation of Komsomol tickets and passports, shows films created by the order of the museum, etc. The museum’s staff is also involved in the development of the museum.