The Omsk Museum of History and Local Lore is one of the oldest museums not only in Siberia but also in Russia. It was founded in 1878 and located between two main streets in the historic center of the city. The collection of exhibits is constantly growing. Visitors are greeted by the skeleton of a mammoth at the entrance to the museum. The museum tells the amazing history of the Irtysh region from the 12th century to the present day.
The first museum funds appeared after scientific expeditions and trips to Siberia and Altai, Kazakhstan and further to East Asia, as well as from the collections of travelers and researchers.
The collections of the Omsk State Museum of History and Local Lore contains over 200 thousand items. These are archeology, ethnography, pictorial and written sources, photographs, rare and early printed books, objects of fine art, weapons, numismatics, monuments of living and inanimate nature. However, every year the museum assemblage is replenished with 2.5-3 thousand items. The museum's archive of rare books numbers over 33,500 copies. There are rare editions of the 18th century. One of the earliest editions of the rare book fund is "Description of the Kamchatka Land" by S. Krasheninnikov, written in 1755.
The museum also conducts the first large-scale excavations on the territory of the first Omsk fortress. Obtained artifacts will be included in the exposition associated with the origins of the city of Omsk.
