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The museum, finding its face, makes the most of the possibilities of its funds. The limited space and richness of collections, which are largely unique, and waiting for their professional researcher, require a search for options for their exposition.
The theme of the prehistoric past of the area is represented by fragments of the skeletons of a mammoth, a woolly rhino and other animals that lived in the expanses of the region. The Nice River and its tributaries constantly give away their secrets hidden under a layer of sand and clay, replenishing the funds.
The historical period in the exposition of the museum begins with the “development of the region”. Archaeological reconnaissance revealed a large number of sites of ancient man in the area. They are represented mainly by ceramics belonging to the Gamayun culture.
The exhibits from which the museum began: bows and arrows, household items, clothes, spiritual life belong to the indigenous people of the region - Mansi, who lived in the forest expanses of the Trans-Urals. The shaman's tambourine and the 9-string harp "Swan" stand out in their importance as the personification of the people's creativity. The pagan Mansi believed in the supernatural powers of the shaman; people who could play musical instruments were endowed with the same abilities. The arrival of Russians in the Trans-Urals changed the area of settlement of the Aborigines, pushing them to the north of the Urals.
Ways of advancement to Siberia by rivers and roads gradually descended from the north (Lozvinsky town and Verkhoturye) to the south (Kungur - Yekaterinburg - Tyumen - Tobolsk). During this shift, the Tura River basin played a large role for a long time. Especially intensive development of suitable for agriculture lands along the river Nice. In the XVII century, a chain of settlements and prisons grows: Nevyanskaya - Oshchepkova (Nitsinskaya) - Kirginskaya - Chubarovskaya settlements, in half the distances between them: Ore and Irbit settlement. Armor (the so-called kuyak - medieval bulletproof vest) and weapons reflect the difficult process of settlement by Russians of the valley of the river Nice and its tributary Irbeia.
During this period, three events presented in the exposition stand out: the emergence and activity of the Nevyansk ore ironworks, which supplied Siberia with iron for half a century. The results of the excavations of 1951 and 1992 are presented in the windows of the museum. Archaeologist E. Kurlaev in the journal "Vesi" (No 2, 2004) describes in detail the findings in the village of Rudnoy and the process of production of cricket iron.
The second event, and most importantly, by the end of the 80s of the XVII century in the Irbit Sloboda, the annual local trade fair was finally approved as a sovereign fair. For two centuries, it has been the main transshipment point from European Russia to Siberia, a link between foreign Europe and Southeast Asia.
The third event: the action of the masses under the leadership of the Cossack freewoman E. I. Pugachev in 1773-1775 led to the fact that the loyal Irbit citizens refused to cooperate with the "troublemakers" and resisted the rebels. As a result, by order of Catherine II, the settlement acquired the status of a city, and in 1776 the coat of arms was granted, which distinguished Irbit from all cities of the Perm province. And finally secured the right to trade at the fair for residents of the city and county.
In addition to a copy of the decree of the Empress, today the museum exhibits a working model of the monument to Catherine II, which is recreated according to the former project of the architect M. O. Mikeshin (1835-1896) for the city of Irbit by order of local residents.
The fair, which began to define the essence of the city, is presented in various aspects in the halls of the museum. Everyday objects coexist with Chinese porcelain, sewing machines with tea cibics, carpets and tapestries, exquisite furniture, paintings by masters of painting ...
A separate line passes, both in the windows and in the collections of the museum a large amount of material about the organization of the fair, the work of the fair committee and the whole life of the city during the fair. The collection of views of the old Irbit complements the fair color: streets, pier, shopping arcades, Passage, main square, advertising.
The collections of the museum contain a collection of rare books, including a handwritten version of the story about the capture of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible, among the icons, the image of “Saints Simeon of Verkhotursky and Procopius of Ustyuzhsky” is listed in the catalog of the most valuable Uralic icons.
To household items and activities of different segments of the population of the region can be touched through the open storage of funds: a variety of samovars and irons, scales and lamps, a robe of Chinese mandarin and a serpent of Russian father...
Even a brief acquaintance with the exhibits of the museum gives an opportunity to imagine what an interesting past the Irbit region has. And can be the starting point for further research activities, both professional and amateur.
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