A very interesting local history museum is in Soviet Street, not far from the Astrakhan Kremlin. There are many interesting collections related to nature, history and culture of the Lower Volga and the Caspian Region on the three floors of the museum.
Officially, the Astrakhan State United Historical and Architectural Museum was founded only in 1897 although its first collections were formed back in 1837. Since the beginning of 20 century the museum was located in a three-story building of the City Duma (also known as the building of city institutions) where there was enough space to accommodate all its collections.
At the museum there is a room with an interesting collection of national clothes of all peoples inhabiting Astrakhan province in 19 century. Going round the room visitors can see the interiors of national dwellings and the photos of people in national clothes, as well as the clothes themselves and household items of the Russians, the Tatars, the Nogais, the Jews, the Persians, the Kalmyks, the Armenians and the other peoples.
Several museum rooms are devoted to the fauna and flora of the Volga delta, as well as fossil animals, which lived in the region thousands years ago. The third floor of the museum is devoted to the history of Astrakhan region: sites of early men, dwellings and towns of the periods of the Golden Horde and the Astrakhan Khanate, household items, irrigation systems and many other curious things.
A separate exposition is devoted to the development of trade as Astrakhan was at the intersections of caravan roads. Actually, the city development is due to its being a trading center of the Golden Horde. Then you can also visit an exposition devoted to the development of the Russian Astrakhan.
