Kyakhta Local History Museum named after Academician V. A. Obruchev

About museum

Kyakhta Local History Museum named after Academician V. A. Obruchev was founded in 1890 and is one of the largest museums in Russia. It is known as the "Siberian Hermitage." The museum is the largest repository of the history of Southwestern Transbaikalia and Kyakhta. Until the 1920s it was the only scientific research institution in the territory of Buryatia. The museum's collections contain more than 120,000 items, including unique archaeological collections, reference specimens of flora and fauna, as well as items of Russian-Chinese trade from the 18th–19th centuries. Among the most interesting museum collections are 5,000 documents and photographs in the "Documents and Photodocuments" fund and the Rare Book Fund, which includes more than 30,000 books and maps. These collections reflect the history of the town, the region, and the country. The museum is an important research institution and holds rich historical evidence of the past.