Dankov Local History Museum

About museum

On November 1, 1961, the Dankov Local History Museum was opened; it was founded by members of the Dankov Society of Local Lore V. A. Lukin, I. A. Prasalov and V. P. Sosedov. In 1968, at the initiative of honored artist A. I. Plotnov, an art gallery was opened next to the museum, representing a 'Small Tretyakov Gallery' with works by contemporary Russian painters, sculptors and graphic artists. Since 1969 the museum has been housed in the former Church of Dmitry of Thessaloniki, built in 1760, a monument of 18th-century history and culture. Large-scale exhibits are displayed in the open-air area, and the indoor exhibition area totals 420 sq. m. The museum has departments of natural history, local history and art (art gallery). The museum's and the art department's collections contain more than 20,000 items, including numismatics, cult objects, archival documents, weapons, books, photographs, decorative and applied arts, audio recordings and archaeological finds.