The Voronezh Provincial Museum was established in 1894. Its first director was Stefan Yegorovich Zverev. By the time of its inauguration, the museum’s collection included approximately 2,400 artifacts. Over the following years, efforts were made to continuously increase the number of exhibits.
By 1941, the local history museum had amassed about 100,000 artifacts. The Great Patriotic War brought destruction to the city and devastated the museum as well. Some artifacts from the collection were relocated to Kazakhstan and Siberia, while most of the remaining collection in the city suffered damage. In 1943, the museum reopened its doors.
In 1959, local authorities allocated a separate building for the museum, which continues to house it. This building was originally constructed in the early 20th century as a provincial school for blind children. During the 1970s and 1980s, efforts were undertaken to expand the institution.
