Make sure you buy the in-depth detailed English language guide booklet before you enter this museum as unfortunately the exhibits have no English explanations and are not at all self-explanatory. There are maps in every room tracing the city’s astonishing growth over the past 1,000 years from a small wooden settlement into a major city of some 600,000 inhabitants. The early part of the millennium is displayed in old weapons and building materials, this then follows on through to Yaroslavl’s huge industrial revolution, well-documented in period photographs and posters, before the Soviet period is examined. The few photos showing Yaroslavl’s devastating destruction during the Communist revolution are particularly eye-opening, while local cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova (the first woman in space) also features prominently. The final exhibits detailing the city’s most famous inhabitants and inventions is probably best left to the locals and likewise the room detailing Yaroslavl’s relationship with its twin towns in the. The low prices perhaps reflect the fact that this is not the most thrilling history museum around.