The museum was founded in 1782. In 1879 during a big fire the building of the museum together with all the collection were destroyed. At present the museum has more than 300 exhibits 250 of which are considered rare. The structure of the museum includes history department, nature department, Church of the Savior department, funds department, and a scientific library. The exposition “History of Irkutsk Region from paleolith to nowadays” makes the visitors acquainted with a collection of ethnographic objects made of bone, wood, metal, and clothes of practically all Siberian folks. The museum has the largest collection of object of orthodox cult, shamanism, Lamaism, collections of adornments and weapons. A collection of jade products of early Stone Age is among unique monuments of material culture. The collection of coins is the largest in Siberia. The museum keeps rare written documents of XVII century about settlement of Siberia.