Museum-Estate of G.I. Choros-Gurkin

Branch of the Anokhin National Museum in Anos village, "Chemalsky District" municipality. Opened on January 12, 2006, on the birthday of the famous artist. Restoration work on the estate began in 2005.

Grigory Ivanovich Choros-Gurkin, the founder of the fine arts of Gorny Altai, lived and worked in the village of Anos from 1903 to 1937, where he built an estate with his own funds, living and creating there until the end of his days. His estate consisted of a residential house, an art studio-workshop, a hexagonal ail, a large garden, a pond, outbuildings, and an apiary.

G. N. Potanin, V. Y. Shishkov, G. D. Grebenshchikov, A. V. Anokhin, artists from Novosibirsk and other cities of Russia visited the estate.

It was here, in Anos, that all the master's most significant works were created: "Khan-Altai," "Lake of Mountain Spirits," "Crown of Katun," etc. Thanks to the artist, Anos became a unique cultural center not only of Altai but also of Siberia. "Anos Evenings" were held here with great success, musical works by A. V. Anokhin were listened to, and the first free public library operated. Issues of political, economic, and cultural construction of the future national autonomy of Gorny Altai – the prototype of the Altai Republic – were discussed in Anos.

In 1937, after the execution of G. I. Choros-Gurkin, the artist's estate and property were confiscated and transferred to the Kirov collective farm. The workshop was temporarily occupied by the Oirot Art School. During the war, the workshop, the hexagonal ail, and the outbuildings were dismantled for firewood, and the residential house and garden were transferred to the Anos Secondary School.

Since 1956, after the formal rehabilitation of G. I. Choros-Gurkin, attempts were made three times – in 1957, 1982, and 1989 – to restore the estate, but they all failed, as the artist's name remained banned.

In 1992, a memorial plaque was installed on the artist's house. In 1996, by the Decree of the State Assembly – El Kurultai of the Altai Republic No. 14-26 dated June 20, 1996, the house-estate of the artist G. I. Choros-Gurkin in Anos village was included in the list of especially valuable historical and cultural monuments of the Altai Republic. Since 1995, the Agency for Cultural and Historical Heritage under the Government of the Altai Republic (AKIN) has been dealing with the restoration of the estate for the purpose of creating a museum. However, the museification of historical and cultural heritage sites is not the main statutory activity of the Agency and was not supported by appropriate specialists, for which reason the restoration work was carried out slowly.

By 2000, the memorial house, the foundation of the workshop, and part of the garden had been preserved on the territory of the estate. In order to complete the restoration of the historical appearance of the estate in accordance with modern state requirements and to optimize the financing conditions of the object, the Anokhin National Museum of the Altai Republic proposed creating the Museum-Estate of G. I. Choros-Gurkin as a branch.

Based on the study of photographic documents and biographical materials of G. I. Choros-Gurkin stored in the funds of the National Museum, the "Concept for the Creation and Development of the Museum-Estate of G. I. Choros-Gurkin in Anos village, Chemalsky District of the Altai Republic" was compiled, which includes the following provisions:

I. Complete recreation of the historical appearance of the artist G. I. Choros-Gurkin's estate:

1. Restoration of the G. I. Choros-Gurkin memorial house.
2. Recreation of the art studio-workshop.
3. Recreation of the hexagonal ail at the historical site of its creation.
4. Recreation of outbuildings, fences, gates, apiary.
5. Preservation of the historical natural environment: garden, pond.

II. Creation of cultural, leisure, and tourist infrastructure based on the restoration of the museum-estate.

1. Recreation of the historical interior of the memorial house in accordance with preserved photographic documents and records of eyewitness accounts to present and popularize the creative heritage of the outstanding artist, scientist, and statesman G.I. Choros-Gurkin.
2. Opening of a gallery of paintings by G. I. Choros-Gurkin and temporary exhibitions of contemporary artists and masters of decorative and applied arts based on the recreated artist's workshop.
3. Recreation of the historical interior of the wing, barn, and the artist's hexagonal ail to present the foundations of the traditional worldview of the Altaians and familiarize visitors with guest etiquette, in accordance with the artist's plans.
4. Use of recreated outbuildings and the garden in accordance with their functional purpose.
5. Development of entertainment programs, excursion and tourist routes, and ecological trails in the vicinity of Anos village related to the life and work of G. I. Choros-Gurkin. Restoration of the routes of expeditions of 1908, 1912, 1919, 1926, 1930 (Belukha, Teletskoye Lake, Karakol-Kulada, Ulagan, Turachak, Mongolia, etc.). Development and popularization of cultural and historical tourism in the Chemalsky District and the Altai Republic.
6. Creation of a small hotel complex for serving tourists on the basis of the currently existing buildings of the Anos Secondary School (school, boarding school, canteen), taking into account the planned future construction of a standard school in the village, and the implementation of G. I. Choros-Gurkin's idea – the organization of creative workshops for artists, which can revive the significance of Anos as one of the cultural centers of Altai and Siberia.

In connection with the celebration of the 140th anniversary of the outstanding artist and public and political figure G. I. Choros-Gurkin, by the Decree of the Government of the Altai Republic dated December 2, 2009, No. 606-r, a number of events were held, including the reconstruction of G. I. Choros-Gurkin's art workshop in 2010. The grand opening of the workshop took place on January 25, 2011.

In 2010, the Museum-Estate of G. I. Choros-Gurkin was allocated a land plot with a total area of 4.5 hectares on the territory adjacent to Anos village for permanent and indefinite use to create a protection zone.

The protection zone includes the following objects: the protection zone of the Museum-Estate of G. I. Choros-Gurkin, the zone for regulating development and economic activity, and the zone of protected natural landscape.

Today, as 100 years ago, Anos has become a unique cultural center where famous artists and writers come, and meetings and scientific conferences are held.