It was opened over 100 years ago, on April 3, 1920, in the city of Krasnokokshaysk — present-day Yoshkar-Ola. It was the first museum in Russia to receive the status of a National Museum. The exhibition covers more than a century and a half of Mari’s history. There are authentic items from the estate of the Sheremetevs landowners in the Yurino village, as well as personal belongings of renowned Mari writers, actors, and journalists.