The Serpukhov History and Art Museum was founded in 1918.
It is located in the former mansion of the Marayevs, who were merchants and manufacturers. The southern side wing of the building was built in 1896 according to the design of Moscow architect Roman Klein.
The beginning of the richest collection of this house was laid by Anna Maraeva, who bought part of Yuri Merlin’s art collection in the middle of the 1890s. It consisted of Western European and Russian pieces of fine art of the 16th-19th centuries. After the 1917 Revolution, the collection was nationalized, and the mansion was turned into a museum.
Its collection was actively replenished during the 1920-1930s with art reserves of Moscow, nearby estates, churches and monasteries of the town of Serpukhov. Nowadays, the Serpukhov History and Art Museum is the largest and richest art gallery in the Moscow region. Its pieces are regularly included in Russian and foreign exhibitions.
