The Zlatoust Local History Museum, one of the oldest in Russia, was founded in 1825 as the museum of the Zlatoust Mining District. Initially, its collections included minerals and rocks, as well as cold weapons with decorations. Since 1833, the museum has been located on the top floor of the new Arsenal building. The museum experienced its second revival in the 1920s when it was housed in a small room of 42 sq. m at the Zlatoust Mechanical and Metallurgical College. Later, the museum was allocated a space of 480 sq. m, previously used as the college's carpentry workshops.

On January 30, 1928, an art department was established at the museum. In 1929, the museum moved to the building of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, where it remained until 1933. Since then and up to the present, the museum has been located in the former house of the mining chief.

The museum building is recognized as a monument of history and culture of federal significance. In the 1970s and 1980s, thanks to active expedition work, an ethnographic collection was gathered. Collections of ancient Russian painting and copper plastic art emerged. A collection of rare books was formed from publications of the 18th and early 20th centuries, transferred from the museum's scientific library, including old printed books.

The Zlatoust City Local History Museum exhibits unique decorated cold weapons by Zlatoust masters of the first half of the 19th century, such as I. N. Bushuev and I. P. Boyarshinov, products made of Damascus steel, cast iron artistic casting from the Kusinsky and Kaslinsky factories, as well as works by contemporary masters created in the traditions of Zlatoust metal engraving. The museum's collections hold 70,663 items. The museum has an art department, a history department, and a nature department.