Magadan Regional Museum of Local Lore

The Okhotsko-Kolyma Museum of Local Lore, so it was called until 1953, first opened its doors to visitors on March 30, 1934. The basis of the museum was the exhibits of the first local history exhibition dedicated to the I Congress of Collective Farmers of Kolyma, which worked from 9 to 14 February. The fund of the museum at the time of its creation was 600 items of ethnography of Evens and Yakuts, of course - historical materials collected by enthusiasts - Dalstroyevists of the Okhotsk-Kolyma regional lore circle, organized in 1933. The first head of the museum was C. M. Kron - an active member of the circle, the organizer of the first local history exhibition.

The Okhotsk-Kolyma Museum of Local Lore has launched an active work on the formation of the museum collection and the dissemination of local lore knowledge. Thanks to the asset of geologists, miners, builders, teachers, doctors, people of various specialties, the funds were replenished with rare materials on the history of Kolyma. As can be seen from the reports of the museum as of January 1, 1936, the museum collection amounted to 3600 items.

In 1934-1935, the museum was headed by L.Y. Narovchatov, the mother of the later famous poet Sergey Narovchatov. From 1936 to 1952, the director of the museum was A. P. Khmelinin. He laid a unique botanical garden of the museum, where experiments were carried out on acclimatization of plants. Scientific research of the museum in the field of crop production was of practical importance during the Great Patriotic War.

Since 1946, the archaeological collection of the museum has been actively replenished. The museum staff took part in archaeological expeditions to the Kolyma and Okhotsk coast, organized by the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1958-1961, the museum conducted its own expeditions to the Okhotsk coast. Archaeological research has been carried out since 1985.

In 1954, the first ethnographic expedition of the museum took place. It was organized and headed by A.V. Belyaeva, ethnographer, Honored Worker of Culture of the RSFSR, director of the museum from 1967 to 1975.

Since 1975, the museum is headed by S. G. Bekarevich, Honored Worker of Culture of Russia.