The branch was established by government order in 1963 under the name "Golden Chamber" as a division of the State Historical Museum of the Ukrainian SSR.

[1] The initial collection was created in accordance with the order to transfer works of precious metals and gemstones from twenty museum institutions.

12 (Kovnirivsky Building) on the territory of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, the former monastery bakery, and bookstore.

In addition to transferred [exhibits], a significant contribution to the creation of the Museum of Historical Treasures was made by collections of finds (in total, over 30,000 items) received from the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR.

[1] On 16 November 2015, the collective of the branch publicly expressed disagreement with the orders and the new structure of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, as well as the liquidation of the status of the MIKU collection, considering the decisions of the then director of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, to be erroneous and could lead to irreversible consequences.