The main building of the Museum of Orenburg History is situated in the Belovka historical district, on the elevated bank of the Ural River.

The construction contract was fulfilled by Ivan Petrovich Skalochkin, a self-taught serf architect from the village of Vakhrushovo in Yaroslavsky Uyezd of the Yaroslavl Governorate, the estate of Counts Kutaisov.

[3] The building's plan is in the shape of the letter 'Г', with two flat-roofed wings facing west and north connected by an octagonal tower with double narrow windows-arrowslits.

[4][5] The building's main entrance is situated on the western façade and features a large trihedral avant-corps with dentils above a white stone cornice.

The entrance and its adjacent windows are designed with pointed arches, typical of the Gothic style, and are bordered with relief white accents.

Notable features of the interior include the staircase with moulded posts and wrought iron grating, as well as the second-floor floors made of light yellow and brown Mettlach tiles with a meander on the border.

[5] The building's tower was fitted with a clock belonging to the customs department, previously located in Gostiny Dvor of Orenburg.

The foreground of the painting shows the stone platform of the Transfiguration Cathedral (which was later destroyed), while in the distance, the upper part of the guardhouse can be seen behind an unsightly fence of blackened boards.

In 1931, the clock chime from its tower was dismantled and relocated to Samara, to the newly constructed House of the Red Army of the Volga Military District.

[12] In 2018, the regional authorities, led by Governor Yuri Berg, purchased half of the building from the private owners, along with the exhibits.

[21] From 1842[21] or 1844,[22] the 2nd squadron of the Orenburg Neplyuev Military School was located here, with a brigade occupying the southern part of the first floor, which now faces Pravdy Street.

[2] In 1847, Taras Shevchenko was exiled to the Orenburg region due to his involvement with the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius and his inappropriate poems, some of which contained insults towards the Emperor and Empress.

On 27 October 1957,[23] Valentina Goryacheva married Yuri Gagarin, who was a cadet of the Orenburg Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots from 1955 to 1957.

[16] For a period of time, the Gagarins resided at 35 Chicherina Street in the same room as Valentina's parents until Yuri departed for his place of service in the Northern Fleet aviation.

[24] The exhibits include authentic items from the first cosmonaut's family, such as a bedspread, curtains embroidered by Valentina Gagarina, and her dresses from the 1950s-1970s, which were donated to the museum.

Smirnov, was laid on 22 June 2000 in the presence of the Mayor of Orenburg Genady Donkovtsev and the former head of the city, honorary citizen Y.D.

A computer database and desk albums in the central hall of the museum (covering the period from 1900 to 1955) record the names of citizens buried in the city.

Additionally, since 1999, the museum has published the 'Book of Memory' which contains the names of all Orenburg residents who passed away during the year, along with detailed information about prominent citizens.

Additionally, the museum staff compiles lists of veterans of the Great Patriotic War who died in the post-war period, which are placed on the slabs of the Eternal Flame memorial.

The seminary's main building was constructed in the Russian-Byzantine style with the participation of F. D. Markelov,[29] the diocesan architect of the Orenburg diocese.

The technical and construction committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs drew up the building's project, which was approved by the Minister General of the Cavalry Alexander Timashev.

There have been discussions since 2011 about the possibility of moving the museum to another building that once belonged to the Orenburg Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots at 1 Sovetskaya Street.

Yuri Gagarin studied at this school as a cadet,[32] as confirmed by a memorial plaque on the facade of the house at Sovetskaya Street, 1.

The second stage covers the Great Patriotic War and the heroic exploits of Ivan Polbin, after whom the school was named from 1967 to 1993, as well as Mikhail Devyataev and other graduate heroes.

[32] The third hall of the Cosmonautics Museum showcases the history of space exploration, including Yuri Gagarin, the most famous graduate of the school.

The exhibit also includes his oxygen mask, helmet, and overalls jacket, which he donated to the museum during his visit to the school on 13 October 1962.

[32] Additionally, the exposition features information on other cosmonauts who studied at the Orenburg Aviation School, such as Yury V. Lonchakov, Valentin Lebedev, and Alexander Viktorenko.

The plaque on the pedestal identifies it as the same type of aircraft that Yuri Gagarin flew as a cadet, although some sources mistakenly refer to it as a MiG-15[32] or MiG-15bis.

[2] In front of the building stands a bust of Ivan Polbin, while behind it there is a memorial to the school's hero graduates with name steles, reconstructed in 2007.

The museum hosts scientific and practical conferences, student classes, commemorative and educational events, and oversees the activities of clubs and electives.