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One of the most luxurious mansions of the 19 century, which once belonged to I. D. Astashov, a gold producer of Tomsk, is near the City Hall on Lenin Avenue. This Empire-style house was built in 1838.

After the October Revolution of 1917 the house of Astashov was given to the Local History Museum of Tomsk. It was opened on May, 18 1922. During 1979-1983 Tomsk regional fine arts museum was created on the base of the expositions of the local history museum. And in 1980 the organ was installed in one of the exhibition halls of the museum and it was turned into a concert hall.

Several permanent and temporary expositions of the local history museum are on the two floors of the large mansion: «The Rush for Gold», «The Great Tea Route», «The storm of 1812», «The willed and unwilled Siberians», «Tomsk-Narym Golgotha». 

By the items of the permanent expositions one can trace the history of the Tomsk land starting from the Bronze Age. There one can see the archaeological findings from the ancient man sites in the Tomsk region, the ethnographic collections of the native peoples of Siberia, the collections of ancient manuscripts. As to the modern exhibits, one can see the collections of furniture, ceramics and many other things.

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The building of the local history museum on Lenin Avenue in Tomsk
The look of Tomsk in the first years after its foundation
The model of the Tomsk ostrog (prison) of the 17 century at the local history museum
The bones of mammoths at the local history museum
The bones of various prehistoric animals at the local history museum
The weapons and household items of prehistoric people
The stone figure of a bear is a common symbol of the Siberian peoples
Bears, wolves and elks are the widespread animals of the Siberian taiga
The sledge used for travels on the Siberian Route also known as the Great Tea Road, which then crossed Tomsk
Such poles with a wisp of straw were the signs of a roadside inn on the Siberian Route
(Hare)skin coat is the clothing for the Siberian winter
The Chinese porcelain, which was brought in Russia by the Siberian Route
A carriage of the Russian Railways used for the transportation of the people who were exiled to Siberia
The hands-on exhibition devoted to the settlement of Siberia in a railway carriage
The board devoted to the collectivization in Siberia
The board devoted to the labor colonies in Siberia 
The firearms and cold weapon of the 19 century at the local history museum
The pictures related with the first years of the history of Tomsk
The teaware from the peasant houses at the exhibition the «Great Tea Road»
The teaware from the merchant houses at the exhibition the «Great Tea Road»
The teaware from the noble houses at the exhibition the «Great Tea Road»
The exhibits of the exhibition «The natives of Tomsk in the battles for the Victory»