The Kurgan Regional Local History Museum is the largest repository of historical, cultural, and natural science collections in the region. It was opened on November 10, 1951, in the building of the former St. Alexander Nevsky Church and became the first museum in Kurgan. In 1920, a local history museum was established, followed by a district museum.

The museum's funds are constantly replenished thanks to archaeological, natural science, and historical-ethnographic expeditions. Excavations at Tsarev Kurgan are conducted under the guidance of Candidate of Historical Sciences K. V. Salnikov. Materials about the first communes, collectivization, and participants in the Civil and Great Patriotic Wars are being collected. Hoards of coins, various utensils, and clothing are received by the museum, allowing for the updating of exhibitions. Active scientific research and educational work are being carried out.

Every year, about 200,000 people visit the museum and its branches, with excursions, lectures, and mass events being held. The museum is becoming an important regional cultural, educational, and enlightenment center. In 1991, the church building was returned to the believers, and the museum was given the building of the former House of Political Enlightenment, where it is located today. Currently, the museum has permanent exhibitions in the departments of history and nature.