The Mtsensk Local History Museum was founded in 1919 as a museum of visual aids and the Mtsensk region. Throughout its history, it has changed names several times, becoming an ethnographic museum, a museum of social studies, a museum of archaeology, and a museum of homeland studies, but it has always remained a custodian of spiritual and material values of historical and cultural significance.

Before the Great Patriotic War, the museum was located in the former house of merchant Yudin on Staromoskovskaya Street (now Lenin Street). It occupied the second floor and included two halls on the history of the region and a natural history hall. The museum functioned this way until September 1941. Unfortunately, it was not evacuated before the occupation, and all exhibits were lost.

After the war, there was a need to recreate the local history museum. Preparatory work was organized by enthusiastic local historians under the leadership of G.F. Solovyov, and on November 10, 1960, a new institution was opened, named the People's Local History Museum. It was headed by Georgy Fyodorovich Solovyov. In recognition of his contribution to the creation and development of the museum, since 1998, the museum has borne his name.

Today, the museum is located in the city center and includes an art department. The total area of the premises is 893.6 m², which are used not only for storage and exhibitions but also for meetings with veterans of the Great Patriotic War, honorary citizens of the city, creative youth, and the intelligentsia, as well as for scientific research.

The modern exhibition of the museum vividly reflects the history of the region, the development of crafts and trade, the life of progressive society, and the periods of the Civil War and the Great Patriotic War. Special attention is given to the themes of 'Mtsensk Fortress', 'Introduction of Christianity', 'Everyday Life and Crafts of the 19th Century', 'Cultural Buildings', 'Famous Countrymen', 'First Tank Guards', and others. In addition to the exhibition and display halls covering 460 m², the museum has a storage facility of 42 m², an archive, and a scientific library. The museum holds about 19,000 items, of which 16,038 belong to the main fund.