V.I. Chapaev Museum - a living history of the hero and his exploits, preserved for posterity

Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev - the figure is truly amazing and legendary. The man who actually existed became not only a symbol of courage and military courage, but also a hero of jokes and fictional stories. And all because he was from the people and close to everyone, and his astounding heroism is nothing more than a love of the motherland. It is not surprising that museums and memorial complexes dedicated to Chapaev are scattered throughout the cities of the former Soviet Union - in the places where he was born, showed courage and died.

Chapaev Museum in Cheboksary

This is the largest and most important museum complex dedicated to the figure of Chapaev. In the center of the city there is a museum where genuine documents and photographs are located, many of which were transferred to the fund by the children of the legendary nachdiv, including a questionnaire filled with his hand. The museum’s foundation also contains the hero’s awards - St. George’s crosses, medals and the Order of the Red Banner.

The complex also includes Chapaev Square and a memorial wall with bas-reliefs depicting associates of the nachdiv. However, the most interesting thing to see here is the house-museum where Vasily Ivanovich was born and spent the first years of his life. The house was recreated exactly as it was during the lifetime of the owners. Many household items characteristic of the peasants of the 19th century were transferred by distant relatives of the Chapaev family. It is interesting that the house stands on the same place as before, only earlier it was in the village of Budaika near Cheboksary, but over time the village merged with the city, and today Chapaev Street, almost the very center of the city, lies in its place.

Museum in Balakovo

This is the place where the future hero spent his youth, it is considered his second homeland, it is not surprising that there is a Chapaev museum here. Balakovo, located on the Volga, became the haven of a family that escaped from the hungry and impoverished Chuvashia. From here, Vasily in the 14th year went to the front.

The museum was created by the forces of fellow countrymen and colleagues of the hero, and many objects for its arrangement were transferred by the children of Chapaev Claudius and Alexander. Today, in a small wooden house, family items, photographs and typical household items of that time are stored. In addition, here you can see the medals of the eldest son Chapaev and things of his father's comrades-in-arms. Of great interest to visitors is the personal belongings of Maria Popova, who served in the Balakovo regiment. Her handbag, dress and glasses are interesting because Popova became the prototype of Anka the machine gunner, the heroine of the famous film about Chapaev.

Chapaev Memorial House-Museum in Pugachev

The city of Pugachev in the Saratov region is another point on the map of Chapaev’s life. Here he lived with a large family in 1918 - Vasily Ivanovich himself with his second wife, his children from his first wife and her children from a previous marriage. The V.I. Chapaev Museum is located in an old wooden one-story house. And that this is a Chapaev museum, says his bust at the entrance to a high pedestal.

The museum has only 6 rooms, 5 of which have an exhibition. In the main hall there is a model of the monument erected by the hero in Samara, and during his lifetime there was a table on which tactical military maps were always laid out. Another dressing table and a wardrobe - that’s all the meager decoration of the hall. In the bedroom there is a bed, linen and pillows for which in the year 39 the wife of Chapaev Pelageya Efimovna handed over to the museum. His personal genuine things are stored here - a hat, a telephone, a deer horn. A checker also hangs on the bedroom wall - an exact copy of the authentic Chapaev’s checker located in the Museum of the Armed Forces in Moscow.

The museum of V.I. Chapaev and other things are kept - household items of his family, metrics, photographs of parents, documents.

Museum in the village of Krasny Yar

This place near Ufa has been honoring the memory of Chapaev and his 25th Infantry Division for many years, which liberated these places from Kolchak troops almost a hundred years ago. In memory of these events in the village there is a museum dedicated to the 25th division and its commander V.I. Chapaev.

In the house where the headquarters of the Chapaev’s division was located, today there is a memorial plaque telling about the terrible events of this time. Also, the museum of V.I. Chapaev carefully stores photo-chronicles, documents and personal belongings of the Red Army soldiers.

Museum in Kazakhstan

On the territory of modern Kazakhstan is the village of Chapaev, which in the last century was named Lbischensk. This point on the map is known as the place of Chapaev’s death. After the liberation of Ufa by him, the division moved on and established a headquarters in Lbischensk, where it was attacked by the Cossacks. In an unequal battle, almost all Red Army soldiers died, only a few managed to cross the Ural River and survive. Chapaev himself did not succeed. He was wounded and drowned, not having time to swim to the opposite shore.

Museum V.I. Chapaev throughout the Soviet Union collected things and documents nachdiva and his colleagues to replenish his memorial fund. However, locals claim that of the genuine things in the museum, only a samovar. In addition to museum exhibits, the communal grave of the Chapaevites, an obelisk at the place where Vasily Ivanovich stepped into the river, and a monument to him in the center of the village were preserved in the village.