Great Ustyug is considered to be open-air museum, because the greatest number of monasteries, churches, civic buildings that are valuable architectural monuments, are the responsibility of Veliky Museum. The area of ​​the museum area of ​​7 hectares, and the area - 4471 sq.m.

It is believed that the founding year of the museum is 1910. It was at this time in Mihailovo Archangel monastery was opened Drevlekhranilishche church - the first museum in the city. Almost all of the work for the opening of Museum of Ancient antiquities held committee headed by KA Theology priest who was caretaker Velikoustyuzhsk religious school, was made deputy school teacher - VP Shlyapin.

In Drevlekhranilishche received religious books, ancient manuscripts, personal and religious monuments that carry historical significance. During its existence it was transferred antiquities from the Monastery of St. John the Baptist, Cathedral of the Assumption, Spasovsegradskoy and other churches.

By the beginning of 1918 the museum's collection consisted of more than six hundred different kinds of exhibits, including silverware, icons, printed books, crosses and wooden sculptures. Workers Committee did not carry out painstaking work, not only in the collection of artifacts, but also in the area of ​​storage, as well as conducted research on the description of the subject and developed numerous articles for magazines.

November 8, 1918 at the exhibition of paintings by Borisov AA It was opened in Veliky Ustyug Museum Severodvinsk culture. The basis of the new museum fund became particularly valuable collection Drevlekhranilishche, which were transferred to him in the winter of 1918.

For an incredibly short period of time it was created a valuable fund, which defined the profile of the museum .  In addition to the collections, which were transferred from Drevlekhranilishche, a considerable number of exhibits have been donated to the museum by requisitioning offices and Commission on the confiscation of church relics and values .  They were awarded to women's jewelry, silver objects, porcelain and paintings of the Moscow State Fund .  In addition, the museum received a personal collection of numismatics, paleontology, presented in the form of objects of the Stone Age and collected doctor Linovskiy .  In 1929, the museum bought 963 books from the library Gribanovsky factory .  Since the beginning of 1924 the completion of the transfer of funds was carried out by the museum of cultural property from churches and monasteries, which are to be closed .  In 1926, the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Gleden monastery and its iconostasis, sculptures, icons and bells were transferred to the museum Velikoustiugskii .  During 1927-1929 years the museum has acquired crosses, icons, shrouds and the cathedral library, which consisted of 3345 books .

As time passed, though the names have changed Veliky Museum, remained steadfast and unchanged its tasks that are taking shape people truly devoted to their work, their names: MP Lukin, NM Davydov, LF Kunitsyn, EG Kukanova and many others. The most important activities of the museum: the scientific handling and storage fund collections, restoration of architectural monuments, scientific, educational, expositions and research work.

In 1988, the famous Velikoustiugskii museum received the status of the museum-reserve. Numerous stock museum's collection includes more than 90 thousand different kind of items, and some of them are unique. In the halls of the museum each year passes more than ten new exhibitions, as well as constantly updated previous exposure. Museum objects show steel and architectural monuments of 17-18 centuries, with preserved monumental painting and iconostasis.

Today the museum there were many new forms of work. You can see a unique collection of Christmas decorations and a Christmas release of 'vertepnoy action "which playfully tells children about the celebration of Christmas, conducting training courses woodcarvings and various workshops.