The Pereslavl-Zalessky Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve is one of the largest provincial museums in Russia, founded in the summer of 1918. Its founder was Mikhail Ivanovich Smirnov, a well-known researcher of the history and culture of the region.

The museum's first exhibits included artistic treasures from nationalized estates and church-historical items from Pereslavl monasteries. Works of art from the collection of Pereslavl merchant I.P. Sveshnikov were also brought from Moscow.

The museum opened its doors to visitors on May 28, 1919. The first exhibitions, such as the art gallery, the arts and crafts department, and the local history department, were housed in eight halls of the building of the spiritual school on the grounds of the former Goritsky Monastery, which was closed under Catherine II. The museum was also given the estate "Botik of Peter I."

In 1922, the museum was reorganized and included an art department with works by the Wanderers, a cultural-historical department with collections of local flora and fauna, a library with 16,027 volumes, a natural history laboratory, and a meteorological station. In 1923, a department of church valuables was opened, followed by archaeological and socio-economic departments, a Lenin corner, and others. The museum collaborated with prominent figures in science and culture, such as the academic painter Kardovsky, writer Prishvin, and hydrobiologist Lastochkin.

The scientific activities of the museum staff and members of the educational society established at the museum in 1919 were known beyond the region. Materials from meetings were published in Collections of Reports, and lectures, local history circles, and conferences attracted history enthusiasts from all over Pereslavl land.

Director M.I. Smirnov's research on the study of Pereslavl district was recognized as outstanding in the field of Russian local history. In 1927, the museum began publishing its own Works, many of which are still relevant today.

The Main Science of the NKP of the RSFSR recognized the Pereslavl museum as one of the best in Russia, noting its significance. The main areas of the museum's activities remained the preservation and study of historical and cultural monuments.

From 1929 to 1932, the local history movement faced crackdowns, which also affected the museum. In 1930, M.I. Smirnov was sentenced and exiled for three years to Western Siberia. The goals of museums changed, and scientific work gave way to political and educational activities. Konstantin Ivanovich Ivanov, a worker from the "Krasnoe Echo" factory, became the director. In 1931, the museum was transformed into a "forge of proletarian culture," with its main task being the struggle against class enemies.

Exhibitions were restructured according to party courses and decisions of the museum congress, based on Marxist-Leninist teachings. Departments of nature and productive forces, history of social formations, socialist construction, anti-religious, historical-revolutionary, artistic, and others operated.

In the 1950s, original items began to return to the museum, and attempts were made to scientifically justify new exhibitions that existed until the late 1970s. During this period, special attention was paid to collecting work of the Soviet era.

Today, the museum houses about 95,000 exhibits, including a unique collection of wooden sculptures, ancient Russian icon painting, treasures from monastery sacristies, and items of peasant and noble life. The museum oversees the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral of the 12th century, the oldest architectural monument in Central Russia. Museum branches include the estate "Botik of Peter I," which houses the boat "Fortuna," and the "Ganshins' Estate," the only place in the Yaroslavl region associated with the name V.I. Lenin. The museum is visited by more than 200,000 people annually, conducting tours, games, and historical-artistic programs. Annual museum celebrations, such as Christmas at the museum, Night at the museum, Island of childhood, and Russian Navy to be!, attract thousands of guests.