Angara Museum of Minerals

The history of the museum of minerals begins in 1962 - 1963. Fans of the stone of the geological department of the Siberian PII "Orgstroyproekt" decided to collect a collection of minerals from the regions of the department. In 1995, the departmental Museum of Minerals and Rocks was transferred to the city of Angarsk and transformed into the Department of Minerals as part of the City Museum. Currently, the museum collection has more than 1,600 exhibits.

The exposition "Mineral riches of Siberia" is located in the main hall. In 28 showcases, mineral samples are placed according to the chemical composition: native elements, sulfides, halides, oxides and hydroxides, silicates, borates, phosphates, tungstens, sulfates, chromates, carbonates.

In the section "Mineral riches of the Irkutsk region" the map of the region with mineral deposits and mannequins of the geologist in field uniforms is presented. Among the numerous representatives of the mineral wealth of the Irkutsk region, colored ornamental stones are especially distinguished in the exposition - lapis lazuli, charoite, jade. Pride are the deposits of iron ore, gold, salt, marble, mica, talc, gypsum. All these and many other minerals are presented in the windows.

"Garden of Stones" is a multi-level slide of the largest and most beautiful samples of the museum in open form, located against the background of the night starry sky with a flying comet.

All minerals and rocks by origin are divided mainly into three groups: sedimentary, magmatic and metamorphic. They are presented in an octagonal showcase, on top of which is crowned by a layout of the globe in a section, showing the layers of the internal structure of the planet Earth.

Separately, in 2 showcases, the collection of the first director of the GPI of the Siberian "Orgstroyproekt" Vershinin M.V. He transferred more than 120 copies of minerals to the museum in 1968-1973.

In May 2007, the administration of the Palace of Creativity of Children and Youth transferred a collection of minerals and rocks to the City Museum, which began to form in the Palace of Pioneers and Schoolchildren in 1977. Lutoshliv S.N. was the head of the tourist and local lore circle, where 50 - 70 children and adolescents studied annually. In the course of their journeys they learned the nature of their native land. In 1981-1982, the museum was opened on the basis of material collected by schoolchildren in the Baikal region. The collection consisted of about one and a half thousand copies.