The 300th anniversary of the reign of the House of Romanov was celebrated throughout 1913 "solemnly and publicly": churches were laid, military parades were held, historical exhibitions and folk festivals were organized. Commemorative medals were also issued for the celebration, one of which can be seen today in the exposition of the Museum of Local Lore.
The medal "In commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the reign of the House of Romanov" was established on the 21 of February, 1913 by decree of Emperor Nicholas II (on that day in 1613, the Great Zemsky Sobor elected Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov to reign).
All the ranks of the army, navy, separate police corps, which consisted of service on the 21 of February, 1913, as well as representatives of the rural population who participated in the jubilee celebrations in the presence of the emperor, received a medal for free. The rest of the recipients were given special certificates for the right to wear medals and the award itself had to be purchased for a fee.
A round bronze medal with a diameter of 28 mm should be worn on the left side of the chest on the ribbon. The ribbon corresponded to the flag of the Russian Empire used from 1858 to 1896: three bands of white, yellow and black colors of equal size.
The design of the obverse of the award was developed by the famous sculptor-medalist and carver Anton Vasyutinsky, who at that time held the position of senior medalist of the St. Petersburg Mint. On the obverse side are two small portraits: Emperor Nicholas II in military uniform and the founder of the dynasty - Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich in Monomakh's hat and barmas (wide collar).
On the back side there is a horizontal inscription in five lines: “In memory of the 300th anniversary of the reign of the House of Romanov 1613-1913”. On the edge of the medal there is an ornament of repeated lines and points.
There are several varieties of awards that differ in design details. Some awards were issued with an inscription on the reverse in 6 lines. In some cases the medals were made of gilded silver and extremely rarely of gold.
From 1913 to 1914 at the St. Petersburg Mint more than 1.5 million copies of one of the last memorable awards of the Russian Empire were made.
