Exhibition 'The History of Yaroslavl'

About exhibition

The exhibition occupies six halls and covers all periods in the city's history — from its founding to the early 21st century. The first hall, devoted to Yaroslavl's history from the 11th to the 15th centuries, is centered on a model that shows how the city looked seven centuries ago. The next hall immerses visitors in the 16th–17th centuries. Here a 17th-century Yaroslavl church fresco — a monumental work normally out of sight — can be viewed in minute detail; there are tiles with characteristic local ornamentation, weapons and warriors' equipment, and a domestic ensemble with authentic 17th-century objects. The third hall presents the city in the 18th and the first half of the 19th centuries: Yaroslavl's emergence as a provincial capital, the creation of the first Russian national theatre, and changes to the urban environment. The following hall reflects industrial development in the second half of the 19th–early 20th centuries. Models of a steamship and tram, a Morse telegraph, a room with an electric chandelier and Art Nouveau furniture illustrate changes in the pace of life and notions of comfort. Another hall sheds light on the 'traumas and triumphs' of the 20th century: the July 1918 catastrophe, the widespread destruction of the city, the impetus to its subsequent reconstruction and development, and the labor valor of Yaroslavl's people during the Great Patriotic War. The period from the second half of the 20th to the early 21st century is covered in the last hall, through interiors and objects of an era rapidly disappearing from everyday life. Only in the museum can one see the mayor of Yaroslavl's insignia used in the inauguration ceremony.