Irkutsk Regional Museum of Local History named after N.N. Muravyov-Amursky

About museum

Irkutsk Regional Museum of Local History — one of the oldest museums in Russia — was founded in December 1782 at the initiative of the Irkutsk governor F. Klichka. He called on the town fathers to donate funds for the construction of the museum and its first librarian. The museum's heyday is associated with the opening in Irkutsk in 1851 of the Siberian Department of the Russian Geographical Society. In 1854 the museum was transferred to the administration of that department. In 1879 a fire broke out in Irkutsk that destroyed much of the city, including the museum and more than 22,000 unique exhibits, as well as a rich library numbering over 10,000 books. In 1883 the official opening of the new stone museum building took place. In 1920 the museum was nationalized and handed over to the state. Today the museum's collection holds more than 500,000 items, of which 40,000 are exhibited annually in seven exhibition departments. On December 10, 2021 the museum was named after N.N. Muravyov-Amursky.