The Old Park Cultural Centre

In the resort village of Kabardinka, local resident Aleksandr Ivanovich Alekseev, a journalist and a philologist by training, and a sculptor and an architect by vocation, gradually began to implement his idea: to build the Alley of Civilisations.

In a comparatively small space the author tried to put everything that was always in opposition to each other in a historical context: Ancient Egypt and classical antiquity, the East and the West. as time went by, the author’s concept developed and broadened.

Today the Old Park is already a realm of arts. A.I. Alekseev created forty architectural objects, five museums, an art gallery and a private theatre with its own troupe, all surrounded by a garden of two and a half thousand species of plants.

The House of the Caucasus Museum recreates the everyday environment of a traditional highlander home and reveals the fascinating history of the region in which our cultural centre is located. There are over 2,000 exhibits, including the richest collection of ancient bladed weapons and firearms.

The House of the Orient collection contains 300 exhibits, providing an insight into the cultures, philosophies and histories of Asian countries. There are national costumes, jewellery, furniture and religious objects that reveal the subtle nuances of the Middle and Far East.

The Museum of Orthodox Culture has the world’s second largest collection of wooden sculpture. This is more than 600 ancient objects. Prayerful temple icons, handwritten church books and other rare objects recreate the inner look of the temple space.

The Museum of Mineralogy and Paleontology is dedicated to the sciences which reveal the secrets of the world around us. There are 600 exhibits on display, representing underground treasures that are millions and even billions of years old. The collection has long transcended the boundaries of local geology and now covers the history of the entire planet.

The most extensive exhibit is on display in the House of Art. There are 15 rooms of modern paintings on three floors. Paintings by Russian artists are complemented by classical sculpture.

There are classrooms in the building where workshops and lectures are held. The Art Café of the House of Art is used for creative meetings, project presentations, and other events.

The Old Park Theatre, with its unique acoustics and a 150-seat chamber hall, has presented more than 600 performances on its circular stage in the five years since it opened: traditional, innovative and deeply philosophical productions for adults, fairy tales for children, concerts and jazz festivals. In 2022 the theatre got its own actors’ troupe and an international organ festival took place.

Each building on the territory of the cultural centre is an example of unique author’s architecture and, along with the exhibits on display inside, deserves attention and study.

Each museum exhibition is constructed by the author with a special idea and an unconventional, deeply thought-out approach to the design of the space. The author deliberately moves away from academism, giving the viewer the opportunity to be fully immersed in history and art.