The Irkutsk Regional Museum of Local History is one of the oldest provincial museums in Russia. It was founded in December 1782 on the initiative of the governor Franz Klitschka: he attracted wealthy Irkutsk residents and researchers who donated money for the construction of the building and provided the first collections of exhibits. The museum exhibited rare minerals, herbariums, archival documents, chronicles and paintings.
In 1879, there was a fire in Irkutsk, which also damaged the museum. About 22 thousand museum exhibits were lost in the fire, and the staff had to assemble the entire collection virtually from scratch.
The museum opened on October 6, 1883. Today, the museum houses more than 500 thousand objects that tell how Siberians have lived from ancient times to the present day.
In 1879, there was a fire in Irkutsk, which also damaged the museum. About 22 thousand museum exhibits were lost in the fire, and the staff had to assemble the entire collection virtually from scratch.
The museum opened on October 6, 1883. Today, the museum houses more than 500 thousand objects that tell how Siberians have lived from ancient times to the present day.
