Museum of Antiquities in Feodosia

The Museum of Antiquities in Feodosia is located near the railway station. The next building houses the most famous landmark of Feodosia - the Aivazovsky Art Gallery. In the Museum of Antiquities, you can get acquainted with the history of Feodosia and the whole Crimea from ancient times to the present day. 

The Museum of Antiquities in Feodosia was established in 1811. It is the oldest museum in the south of Russia. In the 18th century, museums were opened only in two capitals: St. Petersburg and Moscow. The very first museum in Russia is considered to be the Kunstkamera, founded by Peter I in 1714. 

The appearance of the Museum of Antiquities in Feodosia was connected with the history of this city. Feodosia was founded by the Greeks in the 4th century BC, simultaneously with the Tauric Chersonesos (modern Sevastopol). During the invasion of the Huns in the 4th century, the city was destroyed. For several centuries, Feodosia existed as a small village on the territory of the Golden Horde, until the Genoese bought it in the 13th century.  

The Genoese made Feodosia the capital of their colonies, which they founded on the Black Sea. Then the city was called Kafa. By the 15th century, it had become one of the largest cities in Europe. In terms of population, Kafa surpassed Constantinople. In 1475, the Turks seized Crimea, after that the importance of Kafa (Feodosia) began to fall sharply. During the Turkish rule, Kafa became one of the largest slave markets in Europe.  

Considering that people in the area of Feodosia lived since the 4th century BC, and in the Middle Ages Kafa was one of the largest cities in Europe, archaeologists during excavations in the vicinity of Feodosia found many interesting artifacts. These finds became the basis for the formation of the collection of the Museum of Antiquities of Feodosia. 

In 1871, the great artist Ivan Aivazovsky built a new building for the Museum of Antiquities, next door to his family home, where the Aivazovsky Art Gallery was located. The collections of the Museum of Antiquities of Feodosia are constantly replenished. A very large exposition of the Museum is dedicated to the defense of the Crimea during the WWII.