Kaluga regional Museum of local lore was opened April 20, 1897, He was housed in the chambers of merchants Korobovich 17th century. The exposition consisted of five showcases everyday objects, numismatics and archaeological finds. The Museum was opened to the public only two days a week.

Leaders of the Museum were Chetyrkin, Martynovich-Laszewski A. I., Traiter P. A., Assonov V. I. They had acquired the letters of Alexander Pushkin, which were later transferred to the Moscow Pushkin Museum. In the Museum since 1900 is stored Gogol's pen. As of 1904, the Museum had already about 1000 items, in 1915 – 1200 items.

Since 1918, the Museum was placed under the jurisdiction “of the Kaluga society of antiquities and conservation of works of art, and then the Provincial education Department. In 1922. the Museum moved to a new building – the former estate Zolotarev. In 1924, the composition of the local history Museum became the Museum. A. A. Rickina and art. All together they amounted to a combined Museum, which is composed of three divisions: historical, naturalistic and artistic transferred to the jurisdiction of Glavnaya.

The Museum collection was replenished by the Museum of ecclesiastical and monastic property, items from estates and estates. In 1939 the Museum there were about 10 thousand items. During the war the Museum continued to operate. The exhibits of the Museum were not evacuated, resulting in the Nazis looted about 10% of the exhibits.

In 1945 in the Museum, there were 7 712 exhibits, 2 of which 413 were exhibited. For the military and the post-war period the Museum has collected a rich collection of materials about the war.

Collection was formed over a hundred years and now includes more than 100 thousand units of the main Fund, which is distributed to collections: "Archaeology", "Photos and negatives, Paintings, graphics and sculpture", "Rare books and documents", "Metals", "Metal", "Glass and porcelain", "Tree", "Fabric", "Scientific-natural", "Arms and armament", "Entomology", "Numismatics", "Phillumeny", "other".

City mansion Zolotarev, the first Guild merchant, which houses the Museum, was the ornament of Kaluga in the early 19th century For a long time the main house of the estate was called the Palace and was the richest in town. He stands on the red line of the street and is decorated with reliefs on the works of ancient Greek epic. A solemn look give the estate entrance arch with columns, wrought-iron lanterns, lace pattern gate. The court is a covered gallery with a double colonnade, standing on the white stone terrace. Romantic comfort manor courtyard is enhanced by the Caprice of weather contrasts: Sunny in the morning, he shines with beauty, and in rainy weather becomes gloomy.

The interiors of the main house have high artistic value. Their architectural treatment is closely connected with the interiors of Moscow mansions school of M. F. Kazakov of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Finishing works in the house Zolotarev was directed by S. P. Campioni.

From the front porch of the economic floor to the second floor staircase rises. From reception begins enfilade of rooms on the southern side. The entrance to the state rooms decorated with slender columns of purple artificial marble. The interiors of the reception rooms combine architectural, sculptural and pictorial art. The large painting in the style of Huber Robert decorate the dance hall. Stucco reliefs in niches above doorways and Windows give the room a special solemnity.

The walls of the large living room upholstered in blue damask with Golden frames. Perspective painting coffered slightly concave ceiling lamp creates the illusion of a dome. Each of the staterooms have assumed a certain action: balls, dinners, receptions, music, reading books. In 1816, the house was visited by Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich, Alexander I in 1817 - Mikhail Pavlovich.

Collection of the Museum now consists of more than 100 thousand exhibits. Here are the portraits of Kaluga merchants and nobility, 18th century engravings of particular value are the items of Oriental porcelain. In the Museum you can see various samples of the weapon 16 - first half of the 20th centuries In the collection of tissues presents unique peasant costumes with traditional Kaluga "color peresvitu".

On the first floor of the Museum building is the Department of nature. The history Department takes 11 halls of the second floor.