Main exhibition of the Museum of the First Council

About exhibition

The museum is located on a historic site, in the building of the townspeople's administration. It was built in 1904 to a design by engineer P. D. Afanasyev for the local self-government body. In May 1905 the meetings of the first citywide Council of Workers' Deputies in Russia were held here; that council was formed during the general political strike of the Ivanovo-Voznesensk workers. From 1919 the building housed various institutions and later communal apartments. The museum has a permanent exhibition 'That's How It Was!'. In the memorial hall the interior of the meeting room of the townspeople's administration has been restored; it hosted not only official events but also children's celebrations and New Year trees. In addition, the museum features the exhibition 'Along the Waves of Our Memory', unique in the region. The exhibition is dedicated to the everyday life of Soviet citizens. Its concept aims to demonstrate two sides of Soviet reality—official and private—and their interaction, mutual permeation, and rejection.