Yekaterinburg History Museum, Yekaterinburg (must see)

The Yekaterinburg History Museum explains how the city developed from the early 18th century to today. It opened in 1940 as the Memorial Museum of Sverdlov and was renamed in 1992. The main exhibition follows a clear timeline and focuses on factories, local authorities, and everyday life. Instead of staged scenes, it uses original documents, tools, photographs, and common objects.

The exhibition begins with the first ironworks settlement that led to the city’s foundation. Maps, technical drawings, and early tools show how metal production, dams, and transport routes shaped the first city layout. The 19th-century section looks at the growth of trade, schools, newspapers, and cultural life. Household items and photographs show how people lived in working-class areas and merchant homes, without presenting the past as ideal.

The 20th-century sections focus mainly on the Soviet period. They show how industrial growth, wartime production, and postwar rebuilding affected daily life. Personal belongings, factory objects, and official papers help link large events to individual stories. The changes of the 1990s are mentioned, but this period is explored in more detail at the Yeltsin Center.

Along with the permanent exhibition, the museum also runs temporary shows. These often deal with city life, family history, and how the city is structured, using items from the museum’s own collections. In recent years, more multimedia and interactive elements have been added, including screens and audio materials that help explain the city’s development and natural resources in a clear way.