Sheltozersky Vepsian ethnographical museum was founded in 1967 at the initiative of Ruric Lonin. It is located in the Vepsian village Sheltozero in the house of Melkin, the monument of Vepsian architecture of the early 19th century. It is the only museum in Russia which tells us about the Vepsian history and culture. Nowadays the museum funds count over 6,000 items, 2,000 of which are exhibited. The main part of the fund was collected from Vepsian villages of Karelia; a small part was obtained from villages of the Leningrandsky and Vologodsky regions. This year the museum was named after its founder Ruric Lopin.