The Western banks of Lake Peipsi have been the home of the Old Believers for more than 300 years. They appeared after the church reform of Patriarch Nikon in Russia (1653–56) as a result of which the church was divided into new Nikonians and Old Believers. Due to persecution the Old Believers fled to neighbouring countries and in the end of the 17th century they inhabited the Western bank of Lake Peipsi. The museum gives a survey of their culture yesterday and today and offers an opportunity to learn their history and see their everyday life.

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