The Astrakhan State United Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve (AGOIAMZ) is one of the most important scientific, cultural and educational institutions of the Volga and Caspian regions. It includes the magnificent complex of the local Kremlin with its towers and temples. In addition, the AGOIAMZ divisions are 14 branches located both in Astrakhan and nearby settlements: in the villages of Altynzhar, Orangery, Cherny Yar, in the village of Liman and others. One of the oldest local history museums in the Russian Federation is one of them, known outside of Russia in the pre-revolutionary period.
Brief historical background
The foundation of the institution, which today is known as the Museum of Local Lore of Astrakhan, was laid in December 1837. The initiator of its creation was the Governor Ivan Semenovich Timiryazev. The “Provincial Museum” initially exhibited private collections. In 1862, the institution was closed due to lack of funds. In 1888, its funds were transferred to the Petrovsky Society. Three decades later, the museum exposition was placed in the building of the "City Institutions", in which they are currently located. Already in the Soviet period in 1974, the Astrakhan Kremlin was transferred to the museum. It became the basis of AGOIAMZ, created by decree of the government of the USSR in 1980.
Ground floor of the museum
Inspection of the exposition of the Museum of Local Lore in Astrakhan begins with a hall telling about the riches of the Volga-Caspian basin. There are stuffed rare giant fish and a dry aquarium with representatives of the ichthyofauna of these places.
Further, visitors examine the hall “Living past of the Earth”, where you can find out about which animals inhabited the territory of the modern Astrakhan region more than 300,000 years ago. There is a collection of teeth of fossil animals and models of some representatives of the fauna that disappeared hundreds and tens of thousands of years ago.
In the hall devoted to the history of the Astrakhan Territory of the 19th - early 20th centuries, you can see the interiors of the dwellings of citizens of different classes, including working workshops of artisans.
A separate exposition is dedicated to military and civil governors who ruled this region of the Russian Empire for 2 centuries. Its part is the recreated interior of the office of such an official of the middle of the century before last.
In the next hall of the Museum of Local Lore of Astrakhan, visitors are invited to get acquainted with works of art, which reflected the events that took place in the lower Volga and adjacent territories in the 20th century, such as the Civil War, the establishment of Soviet power, the participation of the local population in the Second World War and economic development of 50 -80s.
Second floor: temporary exhibitions
The local history museum of Astrakhan regularly organizes temporary exhibitions. They are held in rooms located on the 2nd floor of the building. At the moment, you can see exhibits dedicated to the history and original cultures of the peoples that have inhabited the Astrakhan Territory since ancient times - Tatars, Nogais, Russians, Persians, Armenians, Jews, Kazakhs, etc.
Third floor: natural exhibitions
In the hall devoted to the physical and geographical features of the region, you can get acquainted with the water resources of these places and their relief. No less interesting is the exposition dedicated to the nature of the Volga delta, which is considered a World Heritage Site. The hall contains landscape dioramas representing lotus blooms, colonies of waterfowl, as well as seals living in the Caspian Sea. Thanks to the use of modern technology, visitors to the Astrakhan Museum of Local Lore have the opportunity to listen to songbirds and consider in detail the features of the appearance of animals.
The exposition of the hall “Nature of deserts and semi-deserts” also tells about the flora and fauna of the region. It includes stuffed rare animals, as well as a photo of the Sanctuary of Burley.
And finally, another exhibition located on the 3rd floor of the museum is called the “Doctor’s Bench”. Endemic medicinal plants are presented there, as well as the fees used now for various diseases.
Exhibitions dedicated to the history of the region
In the hall called "Astrakhan region in antiquity" you can find out the history of the Lower Volga region and the surrounding lands from the prehistoric period to before they became part of the Russian state. Further, visitors to the museum can view the exposition dedicated to the events that took place there in the XVI-XVII centuries. In particular, exhibits were found in it that talk about the prerequisites for the accession of the local Golden Horde Khanate to Russia, the construction of the city, its economic development in the era of Peter the Great, the Persian campaign of 1722, etc.
One of the most interesting in the museum is a hall called "Settlement of the Astrakhan Territory." There, visitors learn about peoples who at different historical periods penetrated its territory and entered into interaction, creating a new culture.
Another hall of the Museum of Local Lore has been turned into an arsenal. It exhibits weapons and military ammunition from the Middle Ages to the present day.
Ground floor
“Nomad's Gold” is an exhibition which presents unique artifacts found during excavations carried out in the region. A collection of objects made of gold and other precious metals, which are many hundreds of years old, began to form in the 2nd half of the 20th century. It includes jewelry of the Sarmatian leader from the burial found near the modern village of Kosika, Enotaevsky district. In 2005, the collection was exhibited for more than 2 months in the Roman Museum of the Palazzo Venezia, where it made a splash and won world fame.
Museum of Local Lore (Astrakhan): opening hours and address
You can get acquainted with the exposition every day, except Monday from 10.00 to 19.00 (on Thursday until 21:00). Ticket offices are open from 10.00 to 18.00.
The Museum of Local Lore in Astrakhan (address: Sovetskaya St., 15) is located in the city center. Closest to it is a public transport stop at the square, in which stands a monument to A. S. Pushkin, on the street. Communist. Buses stopping there, following routes No. 4, 13, 25, 25 and 43.
Now you know where you should first visit when you first arrived in Astrakhan in order to get the most out of this land, its history, nature and the people who have lived there for many centuries.