Museum of the History of Yekaterinburg

About museum

The Museum of the History of Yekaterinburg is one of the city's oldest museums, tracing its history back to 1940. After a major transformation in 1995 the former Sverdlov Memorial Museum received a new name and status — the Museum of City History. The museum's mission is to study and popularize the history of Yekaterinburg, contributing to the consolidation of the urban community and the formation of regional identity. The museum pursues these goals through exhibitions, educational programs and research initiatives aimed at collecting, restoring and preserving unique artifacts from the 17th–21st centuries. The Museum of the History of Yekaterinburg actively addresses themes of urban everyday life and city culture from the 18th to the 21st centuries. Private narratives and ordinary objects give the exhibitions a non-heroic, everyday dimension, while revealing the city's history and conveying the spirit and meaning of past eras. Traditional museum forms of expression are supplemented by alternative ways of engaging visitors, using a variety of sensory channels — including tactile and olfactory — deepening the experimental encounter with the city. The use of modern technologies allows visitors to instantly 'teleport' and travel from the 18th to the 21st century, to transform into an ancient artist and recreate an ancient rock painting, and to learn about the phenomenon of 'honorary citizenship' and the outstanding citizens of Yekaterinburg–Sverdlovsk. The museum hosts a Children's Museum Center — a special museum space that stimulates children's creative and cognitive activity and combines an exhibition hall, a theatrical-research area and a creative workshop. The center offers theater and art master classes, reconstructions of folk festivals, and interactive lessons on the city's history.