The Russian ethnographic Museum (REM) is located in Saint Petersburg, near the building of the Russian Museum. Is one of the largest European ethnographic museums. The Museum building was erected in 1902-1913 by the architect V. F. Swinginig.

The Museum was founded in 1902 as the ethnographic Department at the Russian Museum. Spearheaded the formation of the Museum stood the largest Russian scientists: A. N. Pypin, P. N. Kondakov, V. I. He, P. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shan, V. V. Radlov, V. V. Stasov. The foundations of the Museum's scientific activities laid down by them, live and in real time.

In 1934, the ethnographic Museum was transformed into an independent Museum and renamed the State Museum of Ethnography. In the summer of 1948 it was renamed the State Museum of Ethnography of the peoples of the Soviet Union. Since 1992 is the current name of the Russian ethnographic Museum.

In the Museum visitors can get acquainted with the indigenous culture of different peoples of the old and new Russia, their way of life, worldview, customs; to make sure that they have a lot in common, but at the same time they are different identities. SEM has the following departments: the ethnographic Department of the Russian people, the Department of Ethnography Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, hereinafter – the peoples of the Baltic States and North-West, the ethnographic Department of the peoples of Central Asia, the Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Department of Ethnography of the peoples of the Urals and the Volga region and, finally, the peoples of the Far East and Siberia.
REM talks about loved ones and simple everyone things: how people worked, sometimes reaching a high degree of skill building and settled in his home, raised children, rested, dressed, in what they believed. It should be noted that each of the Museum's ensembles has a unique appearance, the national colors, peculiar only to this ethnos.

Ethnographers conduct a study of the peoples in time and space, in their cultural identity and community. All the exhibits of the Museum are original, collected themselves surrounded by many ethnicities for generations of Museum workers. One ethnographic object can do a lot to tell about the ancient traditions of an entire people, about different aspects of life. For example, old Russian embroidered towel belonging to the peasants, was used not only as a "tyrannic", but the veil of the icon in the red corner, it definitely was part of the dowry, the wedding the bride gifts for the groom and his family traditionally valued guests on it brought bread and salt, in the coffin was lowered into the grave on the towels. How much skill, labour, taste and patience invested peasant woman in the creation of the canvas and decoration towels ornament.

In the halls of the Museum presents a vast collection of costumes of the peoples of Russia, including unique clothing from nettle fiber and fish skin, rare ensembles attributes Siberian shamans of the people and the peoples of the Far East, the wonderful Central Asian carpets, utensils and ceremonial weapons of the Caucasian people, ornaments made of various materials, and more.

Today, the Russian ethnographic Museum stores 500 000 ethnographic exhibits 157 and numerous small Russian peoples, starting from the XVIII century. No wonder foreign colleagues call the Museum "ethnographic Museum". The volume of collections that reflect the culture of each people, allows you to create self-exposure, but, because of the lack of necessary space, today visitors can see only a small part of this rich collection.

The Russian ethnographic Museum, fulfilling its main mission, has been collecting, studying and recreating in the expositions of the traditional culture of ethnic groups multinational country, causing interest in the historical origins of their own culture, contributing to the growth of national consciousness and awareness of the need to respect the principles of life, customs and manners of other Nations.