Rusenikhinskoye Hillfort Historical-Archaeological and Natural Museum

About museum

The museum's exhibition features the federally significant archaeological site 'Rusenikhinskoye Hillfort', dated to the 7th–5th centuries BCE. It presents the remains of an Early Iron Age town that was surrounded by a rampart and a moat. Adjacent to the museum is a Mari burial ground from the 10th–11th centuries, which was established after settlements of the Gorodets culture—associated with ancient Mari tribes—appeared in this area. In the museum's wooden izba are exhibits from the excavations, Mari national costumes and jewelry, as well as a display dedicated to the fauna of the Permian and Triassic periods, in particular the Vetlugosaurus that once inhabited this region. The second hall houses items of peasant daily life, and the third contains an exhibition of a Soviet-period dwelling.