Kostanay Regional Museum of Local History, one of the oldest in the Republic of Kazakhstan, was founded in 1915. The museum is located in the center of the city, in a building that is an architectural monument of the early twentieth century. Has a representative office in the city of Jitikara with a sector in Tokhtarovo village of the Zhitikarinsky district. The museum also includes the Department of Fine Arts, which is located in the building at: Kostanay, Altynsarin street 113.

Since the foundation of the museum, special attention has been paid to scientific research work. One of the first among the Kazakh museums, the regional museum organized in 2001 – 2009 large-scale ethno-cultural expeditions, having studied the history of settlement and the current socio-economic status of 134 villages in all districts of the region. The museum's scientists participated in the excavation of unique archaeological sites - the burial ground of Bestamak and the mound group Halvai. With the assistance of the museum specialist, the archaeologist prepared an electronic textbook «Archeology of the Kostanay region», a collection of scientific articles "Ancient Turgai and the Great Steppe: Part and Whole" was published.

The museum fruitfully cooperates with research institutes and organizations of Kazakhstan, near and far abroad - the Institute of Archeology named after. A. Margulan (Almaty), the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology. N. Miklukho-Maclay (Moscow), the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography (Novosibirsk) and the Institute for Problems of Development of the North (Tyumen) of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Stock collections of the Kostanay regional museum of history and local lore have over 131,000 museum items - almost half of the museum's total area. World famous unique works of primitive art from the archaeological collection of the museum: a stone sculpture – «Tobolsk thinker», an altar with an arkhar head, a pommel of the sacrificial hammer "Hammer-god". About 4 thousand paintings, drawings and sculptures of the leading masters of fine art of Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Transcaucasia are represented in the museum's art collection. The museum pays special attention to the formation of the ethnographic fund, having excellent collections of national costumes of the peoples of the region and jewelry. The exhibition «Poetry of the National Costume» was successfully exhibited in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Akmola, Karaganda, Pavlodar regional museums; Rarities of the archaeological collection were exhibited at the exhibition «Unknown Kazakhstan - Archeology in the Heart of Asia» in the German Museum of Mining in Bochum (Germany). The museum staff took an active part in the work of the ethnic village in Astana in the framework of the EXPO-2017.

The museum has 10 exposition halls: «The Ancient History of the Territory», «Natural wealth of Kostanay region», «History of the native land», «Foundation of Kostanay city», «Kostanay Region: Hopes and Achievements», «Kostanay region in the Great Patriotic War» (two halls), «The pride of Kostanay ‘s land» and two exhibition halls. The structure of the museum complex also includes: «Open-air museum» in the courtyard. Historical square with a monument of history «The wall of execution».

Every year more than 180 thousand people visit and participate in its outreach cultural and educational programs.

Contact details:

address: Kostanay city, Altynsarina, 115

Phone: 8(7142)50-10-23; 8(7142)50-03-89; 8(7142)50-35-74

Reception: 8(7142)50-11-13

Phone for information: 8(7142)50-03-89

Site: http://kraeved-kst.kz/ru.html 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kostanaymusey/

Е-mail: obl_muzey@mail.ru