The Balalaika Museum, located in Ulyanovsk, is the only museum in Russia and the world dedicated to this instrument. The founders of the museum, Sergey Klyuchnikov and Evgeny Kharlamov, aim to preserve and popularize the culture of the balalaika, making it accessible to a wide audience.

The museum's exhibition includes a collection of traditional handcrafted balalaikas from various regions of Russia. Here, authentic instruments from the late 19th and the first half of the 20th century are presented, which are rarely found in everyday life today.

Visitors can also see rare folk balalaikas, an ethnographic music workshop, and an extensive collection of rare photographs from private archives. The collection includes other folk instruments, such as Russian regional harmonicas, mandolins, and seven-string guitars.

Particular attention is given to the music workshop, which showcases fragments of the Goren balalaika craft from the Ulyanovsk region and the Shikhovo musical craft from the Moscow region.

The museum is conceived as a creative public space, combining interactive exhibitions, a concert venue, and a tea area with a samovar, attracting diverse audiences. It is a member of the Association of Private Museums of Russia.

The museum first opened in 2013 in a small space of the creative space "Kvartal" in Ulyanovsk. This was preceded by years of research work on studying musical traditions and folklore, resulting in the collection being assembled. Despite its compact size, the museum managed to harmoniously place the exhibition, stage, and tea areas, which particularly delighted schoolchildren. From 2013 to 2015, the museum gained popularity and received numerous positive reviews.

From 2016 to 2019, the museum operated in the format of an online museum and a traveling exhibition, participating in various projects and festivals. This was due to the lack of suitable premises and changes in funding.

In 2019, it was decided to resume the museum's work in an offline format, as there were many requests from the audience. A new space was found in a historic estate from 1908 in the center of Ulyanovsk, suitable in size and historical significance.