Angarsk Mineral Museum

About museum

Angarsk Mineral Museum was founded in 1962–1963 at the initiative of rock enthusiasts from the geological department of the Siberian State Research and Design Institute 'Orgstroyproekt'. In 1995 the museum was transferred to the city of Angarsk and reorganized as the Minerals Department within the Municipal Cultural Institution 'City Museum'. The museum's collection now includes more than 1,800 exhibits. The main hall houses the exhibition 'Mineral Wealth of Siberia', where minerals of various chemical compositions can be seen. The 'Mineral Wealth of the Irkutsk Region' section is presented with a map of the region showing deposits and a geologist mannequin. The exhibition features objects made of lazurite, charoite, nephrite, as well as iron ore, gold, salt, marble, mica, talc, and gypsum. For guided tours a 'Stone Garden' was created, featuring a mound of large and beautiful minerals under a starry sky with a comet streaking across it.