Open Air Museum of Ethnography

The Open Air Museum of Ethnography in Tbilisi is an open-air museum that displays traditional Georgian houses, farm buildings and regional craft items. It was established in the 1960s to preserve vernacular architecture and rural cultural heritage by relocating representative structures from different regions of Georgia.

Exhibits include multi-room houses, wooden and stone structures, and everyday rural artifacts arranged to illustrate regional building styles and domestic life. The site operates as an outdoor museum with interpretive displays and occasional craft demonstrations.

The museum was created as an ethnographic initiative to conserve architectural types that were disappearing from the countryside and to educate urban populations about regional traditions. Buildings on the site date from various periods and were moved and reconstructed to show typological differences across Georgia.

The museum is located within Tbilisi’s administrative area and is visited from the city center by public transport or taxi, serving as a cultural complement to central museums and historic districts.

• Origins: Established in the mid-20th century to preserve traditional Georgian vernacular architecture by relocating historic houses and farm buildings from across the country.
• Visitor tip: Exhibits are arranged outdoors and require walking between dispersed structures, so visitors should allow time and wear comfortable shoes.