The Memorial Historical Museum is part of the museum-reserve "Stalingrad Battle" and is located in the former mansion of the famous Tsaritsyn merchants and patrons, the Repnikovs. Built in 1903, the mansion is an example of "Russian style" and "brick craftsmanship." The museum building is recognized as a monument of regional architectural significance and a monument of federal historical significance. During the Civil War, it housed the headquarters of the defense of the Tsaritsyn Council of Workers', Soldiers', Peasants', and Cossack Deputies, the first military body of Soviet power in Tsaritsyn.

The museum opened its doors on January 3, 1937, as the Museum of the Defense of Tsaritsyn named after Comrade Stalin. During the Battle of Stalingrad, the building found itself in the center of street fighting and was partially destroyed, but after the war, it was restored, preserving its original appearance as much as possible.

In the five exhibition halls of the museum, about a thousand exhibits are presented. Here you can see photographs and personal belongings of the organizers and participants of the defense of Tsaritsyn, such as I. V. Stalin, K. E. Voroshilov, S. M. Budyonny, S. K. Timoshenko, F. K. Mironov, as well as rare documents, items of White movement memorabilia in southern Russia, periodicals of the Russian emigration, and collections of cold and firearms of Russian and foreign production from the times of the First World and Civil Wars. Of particular interest are the 75-mm naval gun, the machine gun cart, and a model of an armored train at 2/3 natural size.

This is the only museum in the Southern Federal District dedicated to the events of the Civil War. At the entrance to the museum, there are monuments to the residents of Tsaritsyn, participants of the First World War, and the full holder of the Order of St. George, Hero of the Soviet Union Konstantin Iosifovich Nedorubov, created by sculptor Sergey Shcherbakov.