The Arctic and Antarctic Russian State Museum was founded in 1930 to detail Soviet scientific expeditions to the Arctic, Antarctic and the polar regions of Russia, including the Northern Sea Route. It was officially opened in 1933 in the early 19th century building of St Nicholas's Church, which was closed in 1931. On display are various models of icebreakers, ships and polar stations used in researching the earth's polar regions, as well as many drawings made on such research expeditions.