Pavlovo is one of the historical towns of Russia. First it was mentioned in the well known carter of Tsar Ivan the Terrible in 1566. There was a small wooden ground fortress in the Spasskaya Mountain that time. Strelets, serving in the garrison of that fortress, put the beginning of Pavlovo steelcraft trades. Little by little these trades were spread. All over the neighbourhood. At the beginning of the 20-th century 250 villages were busy with these trades.

    Metall goods of mass consumption, inexpensive and of high quality, made Pavlovo famous all over Russia. It was called the metal capital of Russia, Russian Sheffield or Zolingen. Pavlovo was compared with metal-working centres of England and Germany.

    The historical museum in Pavlovo introduces wonderful craftmanship of native craftsmen to visitors. It was opened in 1936. The museum is situated in the centre of our town not far from the bank of the Oka River. The building of the museum is the most beautiful architectural ebsemble, belonged to merchant Vasily Gomulin (1885). There is a collection of locks and knives in this museum, unique in their sizes, for example "The Giant Lock" (50 kg), "The invisible Lock", which is not bigger than an eye of a needle, weighing (0,09 g), "Figure Locks" with secret inside, "The folding khife", which is called "A Pig" and includes 100 objects (metal, surgical, veterinary and hairdressing instruments). There is also a model of a tower, of the Moscow Kremlin which consists of 143 knives.