The Belgorod State Historical and Regional Museum was founded in 1924 although during the Nazi occupation of Belgorod its exponents were destroyed or looted. The museum was housed in the converted Transfiguration Cathedral from 1973 until it moved to its current location in 1991. The museum has displays on the nature of the Belgorod Region, including stuffed animals, and on the history of the foundation of Belgorod and the city's role in the history of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union.