As you can guess from its name, this museum, spread over several buildings, includes history and art exhibitions. The architecture bit comes from the museum’s key sight outside – the Pogankin Chambers (Поганкины палаты), the fortress-like house and treasury of a 17th-century merchant. Art from local churches, many of which have closed, has been collected here. The museum offers a rare chance to thoroughly examine one particular style of iconography at close range. There are no English captions, but audio guides (R200) are available.
The maze of galleries in the chambers holds 14th-to-18th-century pottery, weaving and weaponry, including the original 15th-century sword of one of Pskov’s princes. Equally impressive is the huge collection of silver artefacts, including beautifully crafted baroque-style bible covers. The largest, a 25kg beast, was originally housed at Pskov’s Trinity Cathedral.
Equally worthwhile is the art gallery, with works spanning the 18th to 20th centuries, including paintings by Nikitin, Tropinin and Zhukovsky, plus representations from the Russian avant-garde, including a couple of Petrov-Vodkins.
The 2nd floor in the main building houses the war collection, with photos and artefacts from WWII and more recent conflicts.