The Ivdel Historical and Ethnographic Museum began to take shape in 1928 thanks to the initiative of teacher I. E. Uvarov, who started collecting household items and documents related to the history of the village of Nikito-Ivdel. In 1929, based on these exhibits, a small museum exhibition was opened in one of the rooms of the Lenin club, which became the foundation for the creation of a public museum in Ivdel.

During the Great Patriotic War, the museum experienced an important stage in its development. In 1942, among the residents of Ivdel, there was a desire to expand the museum and turn it into a center for local studies. The townspeople began bringing in antique items, documents, and photographs, which significantly increased the museum's collections. By the November holidays of 1944, when Ivdel had already become a city, the city local history museum was opened.

In 1973, the museum was transferred one of the oldest buildings in the city, built in the first half of the 19th century. A hall dedicated to the Mansi, the indigenous people of the region, was created here, and the museum received the status of historical and ethnographic.

The modern exhibition of the museum includes seven sections, each located in a separate hall: the animal and plant world of the Ivdel region, the history of Ivdel before the October Revolution and from 1917 to 1945, industry, public education and healthcare, the Mansi, the Russian izba, and the Ural as a treasure trove of minerals.

In addition to permanent exhibitions, the museum has an exhibition hall where art exhibitions of local artists and masters of decorative and applied arts are regularly held.