The paper presents a brief history of the establishment and operation of Bolgar State Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve, which actually started with the visit of the settlement and examination of its 10^th –14^th century monuments by the Russian Emperor Peter the Great in 1721. Systematic archaeological excavations have been conducted at the fortified settlement since 1938. Large-scale investigations were carried out in 2010–2017 under a project “Cultural Heritage of Tatarstan: Ancient Town of Bolgar and the Island Town of Sviyazhsk” initiated by the first President of the Republic of Tatarstan Mintimer Sharipovich Shaimiev. In 2014, Bolgar fortified settlement was included in the UNESCO List of Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites. The Reserve occupies an area of 424 ha and accommodates 26 sites of historical and cultural heritage, including 8 monuments of federal significance.