Tyumen Archaeological Museum: where history meets mystery

A wonderful territory of Tyumen Archaeological Museum fascinates every visitor. Old pines and birches make the landscape picturesque. Pure, healthful, living, joyous air is enjoyable to breathe. Bird singing caresses the ear. Here, you can not only relax and merge with nature but also learn a lot of interesting things at the place where history meets mystery. 

How to get there

The Tyumen Archaeological Museum is located 23 kilometers from Tyumen, a large city in Western Siberia, to the east of the Urals. Getting there by public transport is quite difficult, so the most convenient thing is to take a taxi. It will not be expensive - the cost of a one-way trip is about 10 euros. It is better to arrange with a taxi driver so that he comes to pick you up at a certain hour. If you plan to spend the whole day in the museum, take something to eat and drink with you. There are no cafes in the museum.

A brief history of museum

The Archaeological Museum-Reserve is a unique archaeological, ethnographic and natural complex. Located on the shores of the Lake Andreevskoye, the museum is a collection of archaeological sites. One can find here fortified settlements, ancient settlements, burial grounds and shrines dating from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages. There are samples of relict natural objects listed in the Red Book.

The first archaeological excavations here were carried out in 1983 when household items of the ancient inhabitants of the Tyumen region were found. Since then, excavations have been conducted in different places along the shores of Lake Andreevskoye. This has provided a lot of valuable materials for studying the lifestyle and culture of ancient fishermen and hunters who have chosen to live on the shores of lakes. The territory of the museum includes several exhibitions.

Wooden fairy tale heroes

In one of the exhibitions, a visitor can see a formation of huge wooden figures that represent fairy tale heroes of the northern peoples of Siberia. These tales are not long but full of worldly wisdom and humor. For example, the story of Nazar. 

While ago, there lived a man named Nazar. He did little, but he loved to show off heroically. Once, while walking through the forest, he climbed the highest tree. Suddenly, a little bird sat next to him and started making noise. Frightened Nazar fell off a branch and flew down. At that point, a leopard was sitting under a tree, and when Nazar fell down, he appeared riding a leopard. The dumbfounded leopard jumped up and rushed.  Having seen this, people thought: “Our Nazar is a hero”.

Life of Siberian Peasantry

Another exhibition "The life of the Siberian peasantry" demonstrates objects without which not a single house could do in the past. These are mainly household utensils and clothing items. The predominant occupation of peasants in Siberia in the 18th -19th centuries was agriculture. People had to develop uncultivated land and live in a harsh, cold climate. The processing of products and the manufacture of necessities were often carried out manually at home, especially in places remote from tracts and cities. Here, you can also see the famous Russian woollen boots, which saved the Siberians during long frosty winters.

Descendants of the Siberian land

The exhibition "Descendants of the Siberian land" invites visitors to feel like heroes conquering the harsh Siberian region in the era of the rapid development of new lands in the 15th-18th centuries. It also gives them a chance to try on costumes of pioneers, nomads, merchants, peasants, urban planners and brave warriors. In these costumes, you can go to the shooting range and find out how good you are as a bow and crossbow shooter.

An ethnographic zone “Open Chum”

The interactive ethnographic zone “Open Chum” with traditional constructions of the indigenous peoples of the northern Tyumen region will certainly attract the attention of museum guests. It will convincingly prove that Yamal is not only about gas and snow, but also a bright, sometimes mystical place. It will tell you about family traditions and life of northern Siberian peoples.

Here, you can strike the skin of a real bear or play the traditional national games of the inhabitants of Yamal. You can even take part in an ancient rite that will help you get positive energy, teach your mind to concentrate on the positive experiences of the past, avoid the fear of the future and achieve what you want.

From the high shore of the lake, you can admire the surroundings - the smooth surface of the lake, the picturesque Gothic castle on the other shore, and take great photos. The time spent in the Tyumen  Archaeological Museum, where history meets mystery, will be remembered for a long time and will leave the most pleasant memories.