One of the most famous symbols of Don Cossack culture is the Ataman Palace, which served as the residence of the Don government for a long time, first under the leadership of the Acting Ataman and then the Army Ataman. Today, after many years of oblivion, a museum with the same name has opened in this building.

Construction of the palace began in 1860 and lasted three years. The initiator of the creation of the new government residence was the Acting Ataman of the Don Cossack Army, Mikhail Grigorievich Khomutov. The project was developed by the famous Russian architect, academician of architecture of the Imperial Academy of Arts, Ivan Osipovich Valprede. He arrived in the capital of the Don Army 13 years prior and actively participated in shaping the city's appearance. Thanks to his work, Novocherkassk received many of its symbols, including the monument to Ataman Matvey Ivanovich Platov and the Merchant Rows. The palace was built in the classical style and adorned with numerous architectural elements that suffered during the Soviet era but were later restored. The magnificent cast-iron grand staircase has been preserved. In the eastern part of the courtyard was the house church, which was destroyed after the arrival of Soviet power.

The idea of building the Ataman Palace arose long before the start of construction, but the final decision was made during the celebrations in honor of the rescue of Emperor Alexander II from an assassination attempt. The palace became an important center for managing the vast territories of the Don and a residence for imperial figures. During the pre-revolutionary period, it was visited by emperors Alexander II, Alexander III, and Nicholas II, as well as members of the imperial family, including the heir Alexei, who was the August Ataman of all Cossack troops. Russian monarchs highly valued the loyalty of the Cossacks and always visited the Cossack capital.

After the February Revolution, the building housed the government of Army Ataman Alexei Maximovich Kaledin, the first freely elected Cossack ataman since Peter the Great. Following the Bolshevik uprising, Russian generals and officers, including Alexeev and Kornilov, moved here to negotiate support for the White Movement from the Don Cossacks. However, the Cossacks, tired of war, mostly did not wish to fight. The resolution came quickly: on February 11, Ataman Kaledin allegedly committed suicide within the palace walls, but a more plausible version suggests he was killed. Two weeks later, the city was occupied by the Reds, who unleashed mass terror and looted the palace.

The Cossacks did not tolerate the mockery for long and soon revolted. A new head of the All-Great Don Army, General and writer Pyotr Nikolayevich Krasnov, moved into the Ataman Palace. During the Civil War, the palace remained a center of legitimate power in the Don. After Krasnov's resignation, Ataman Afrikan Petrovich Bogaevsky was located here.

In January 1920, the city was captured by the Reds, and the building of the former Ataman Palace passed to the district executive committee. During World War II, a new Don government, which fought against Soviet power, was located here. In 1943, the Soviet army reoccupied Novocherkassk, and until 1991, the building housed the city committee of the Communist Party. Nearby, a mass shooting occurred in 1962, when the Soviet power brutally dealt with peaceful demonstrators. An exhibition in the palace reminds of these events. From 1991, for 10 years, the city administration was located in the building, and in 2001 it was transferred to a museum.

Today, the Ataman Palace has been restored to the atmosphere of pre-revolutionary times, and each hall features a corresponding exhibition.