The city of Urzhum is the birthplace of Sergey Mironovich Kirov, a well-known state and party figure, after whom Kirov Oblast is named.

The Sergey Mironovich Kirov Museum was opened on December 1, 1935, in the house where he was born and spent his childhood. This wooden house with five walls was built in the mid-19th century by his grandfather, peasant K.N. Kazantsev. The museum was created with the participation of Kirov's sisters, Anna and Elizaveta Kostrikovy, his childhood friend A. Samartsev, and teacher A.K. Glushkova. Kirov's widow, M.L. Markus, donated his personal belongings and documents to the museum.

Since the 1950s, the museum has maintained connections with Kirov's apartment museum in St. Petersburg. In 1972, a new museum building was constructed, connected by a passage to the Kostrikovy house. Here, an exhibition was established, consisting of four sections that detail various periods of Kirov's life and activities, as well as a film lecture hall and staff offices.

Today, the museum is a complex of buildings, including the memorial house and the main building, with over 1700 exhibits. Kirov readings are held annually.

More than 12 exhibitions on various topics, including art, applied arts, folk crafts, and children's creativity, are organized each year in the exhibition hall.