The Mordovian museum of local history was founded in 1918. For several decades the museum occupied the building of the Three Saints Church on Moscovskaya Street. And in 2017 its collections were moved to a spacious building on Saranskaya Street at the foot of the hill where the Cathedral of St. Theodor Ushakov is located.
The Mordovian museum of local history has several collections. The most interesting and important of them is an ethnographical collection counting several thousands of items. It gives an idea about the culture and every day life of the Mordvins – the native population of the Republic of Mordovia. There one can see household items, national costumes, headwear, decorations, and the items of folk art.
It will also be very interesting to look at an archaeological collection consisting of the items found during the archaeological excavations in Mordovia. It contains household items and pieces of jewelry, which are over several hundred years.
It is known that Saransk was one of the centers of Pugachev`s Rebellion in 18 century. So many items of the collection including weapons are devoted to those events. A small house of 18 century is in the court of the Three Saints Church. According to a legend, on the porch of the house Yemelyan Pugachev tried local clerks. Now the house is called Pugachev`s tent.
Finally, the natural history collection includes the remains of shellfish, the bones and tusks of mammoths and rhinos, and the skeleton of a cave bear. One can also see there some other paleontological finds, as well аs the exhibits of animals, birds and plants giving an idea of the fauna and flora of the Mordovia.
