One of the youngest, the Museum of the History of the City of Irkutsk named after A.M. Sibiryakov opened in 1996. Here you can find the entire biography of the city, the fate of its inhabitants, household items. The museum building is history in itself. It was built at the end of the 19th century by merchant-patron Alexander Sibiryakov in memory of his sister as a free school for children.
Now more than 100 thousand exhibits are kept here: paintings, graphics, documents, photographs.
The brightest and most memorable expositions:
- “Irkutsk is a multinational city”
- Irkutsk HPP
- “History of city government”
- Irkutsk Komsomol
- “Sibphoto”
- Irkutsk Diocese
- “Soldiers of the Fatherland”
- “Honorary Citizens of the City of Irkutsk”
- “Irkutsk merchants”
- “Life of Irkutyan”
Interesting Facts of Museum of the History of the City of Irkutsk
The famous tea route from China to Russia passed through Irkutsk. This played a big role in the development of the city. Therefore, one of the permanent expositions in the branch of the Museum of Urban Life is a tea house. Old labels, packaging and products of the Irkutsk Tea Packing Factory, which opened in 1933 and became one of the largest in the USSR, are kept here. And also samovars and old recipes for making a drink.
The branch “House of Crafts” reflects the history of the applied arts of Siberia. Here are constantly held master classes on the manufacture of dolls, whistles, training in knitting and patchwork sewing. So on a trip to Irkutsk you can learn an ancient craft.
What to see
Of particular interest are the archaeological and ethnographic collections collected during the expeditions. Museum of the History of the City of Irkutsk named after A.M. Sibiryakova keeps various exhibits that show the life of local residents in the 18th century, tell about the culture of the Buryats and Old Believers.
In addition to the history department, the museum has four more branches: the Museum of Urban Life, the House of Crafts, a branch of the military-patriotic orientation “Soldiers of the Fatherland”, the V. S. Rogal City Exhibition Center. The latter is popularly known as Rogal’s house.
Rogal’s house contains the works of the People’s Artist of the Soviet era, which he donated to the museum. Exhibitions of arts and crafts of both eminent authors and students of art schools are constantly held here. The fund is constantly replenished by the Irkutsk people themselves, who are not indifferent and striving to preserve the history of their small homeland for posterity.
