The Kaluga Museum of Local Lore is located in the estate of the Zolotarev merchants on the western side of the Berezuisky ravine. The beautiful mansion was built in the classical style at the beginning of the 19th century. The Kaluga Provincial Museum was founded in 1897 and was initially located in the chambers of Merchant Korobov. In 1922, the museum`s collection increased, and the museum was moved to the Zolotarev House.
Merchants of the 1st guild Peter and Ivan Zolotarev were among the richest people in Kaluga in the 19th century. Peter Zolotarev was even elected city mayor in 1814. They did a lot for their hometown and they were very respected here. Even Emperor Alexander I gave merchants personal positive characteristics.
After the fire in the Kaluga Kremlin, the reconstruction of the city center was entrusted to the architect Peter Nikitin, who prepared the master plan. In 1786, the Trinity Cathedral was laid on the site of the burned-down Kremlin. On the eastern side of the Kremlin on the Old Torg Square, a chaotic building of merchant shops was demolished and a Shopping Mall was built.
A Stone Bridge in the form of a Roman aqueduct was built over the Berezuisky ravine in 1786, which made the different districts of the city more connected. On the opposite side of the ravine, the Zolotarev brothers built a magnificent mansion, which the residents of Kaluga called the palace. They did not live here, but made it a house for receptions of emperors and members of the imperial family. Indeed, emperors and grand dukes stayed there during their visits to Kaluga. The street where the Zolotarev mansion is located is now called Pushkin Street, and before it was called Zolotarevskaya.
In the Kaluga Museum of Local Lore, not only collections, but also historical interiors are of interest. Behind the house there is a large courtyard and outbuildings. The halls on the ground floor of the Museum of Local Lore are dedicated to the nature and geology of the Kaluga region. The second floor can be reached by a beautiful grand staircase. In the halls of the second floor there are interesting expositions dedicated to the history and ethnography of Kaluga. Historical interiors have been recreated in the Front Living Room and the Dance Hall.
