The V. A. Rusanova House Museum is dedicated to the life and work of the famous geologist, geographer, and polar explorer Vladimir Alexandrovich Rusanov (1875, 1913). It is a branch of the Oryol Local History Museum.

The house with a mezzanine, located on Matsnevsky Lane (now Rusanova Street), where Rusanov lived, belonged to his father, merchant of the second guild Alexander Dmitrievich Rusanov. This G-shaped, log house, clad in wooden planks, has seven windows facing Rusanova Street. The exterior of the house has largely remained unchanged since the early 20th century, although the interior layout has been altered multiple times. Documents confirm that the house was built in 1880, although it was long believed that Rusanov was born here. A memorial plaque on the house reads: "In this house on November 15, 1875, was born the famous Russian explorer of polar regions, one of the organizers of the social-democratic circle in Oryol, Vladimir Alexandrovich Rusanov."

The museum opened on December 25, 1982, after the restoration of the Rusanov house. Its exhibition tells about the life and work of the world-renowned scientist and outstanding polar explorer, who undertook five expeditions to Novaya Zemlya, as well as researched Spitsbergen and the Northern Sea Route. On the ground floor, there is a documentary-historical exhibition covering the Oryol and French periods of the scientist's life and his Northern expeditions. There is also a hall dedicated to the history of the museum's creation. The memorial section is located in the mezzanine. The museum is a member of the Russian Geographical Society.