In April, 2009, the Sergiev Posad Museum marked 25 years of the archeological expedition (Zagorsk archeological expedition, ZARE). The expedition (lead by V.I. Vishnevsky) had investigated the territory of the Moscow Region since 1984.

On April 12, the members of the seasons of 1984 – 2008 met at the Konny Dvor. Exhibition “Antiquities of the Ragonezh Land” was opened for the occasion. The exhibits were found at the most famous places, researched by the expedition. The ZARE veterans were greeted by General Director of the Museum – F. Kh. Makoyev, the expedition leader V.I. Vishnevsky and active members – school teacher Yu.A. Palagin, scientific research worker of the State History Museum – Eugene Gak. The guests were offered a slide-film about the ZARE history and souvenirs – compact disks with photo, video and audio archives of the expedition. The meeting ended with a friendly tea-party.

The expedition was formed to examine archeological monuments of the district and surrounding territories, to carry out rescue archeological works, to form archeological collections for the Museum and to create archeological expositions. In 1990, the Museum established the archeological sector and subsequently organized the archeological department. Field works were carried out by the research workers of the archeological department (A.E. Bushuyev, M.A. Ovchinnikov, V.M. Lozovsky, O.V. Lozovskaya, V.V. Shcherbakov, T.N. Novoselova, A.A. Klimov) and school-children – members of the club “Young Archeologist”, opened in 1983. School teachers Yu. N. Palagin, N.M. Bukhonov, O.B. Karpov, N.V. Lyashchuk, E. Kozlova, E.V. Vidnaya rendered an invaluable help.

The expedition surveyed a major part of the district (discovered over 100 new monuments), excavated and investigated the fortification, settlement and burial ground of medieval Radonezh; Kikino settlement of the early iron age on the River Velya; the Khotkovo Monastery, settlement and Old Russian burial mound near the village of Veskovo on Lake Pleshcheyevo, stone age sites Zamostye-2 and Okayemovo-18 on the River Dubna, Kuzminsky medieval burial ground, Maksimovskoye settltment of early iron age on the River Klyazma, fortifications, settlement and burial ground of the medieval town Vyshegorod on the River Yakhroma, medieval settlement Nikilo-Perevoz on the River Dubna, Kuzminsky burial mound, the Resurrection Monastery on the River Rassolovka, early medieval Ratkovo Finno-Ugric burial ground on the River Dubna, medieval town of Pereslavl-Zalessky, the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra.

The Museum archeologists work in cooperation with the expeditions of the Archeology Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Korolev Local History Museum and the Pereslavl Museum-Reserve. The collections, formed by the expedition, were the basis for the Museum archeological exposition (1998), and temporary exhibitions: “Ancient Radonezh” (1988 – 1991), “Antiquities of the Zalessky Land” (1992 – 1993, the Sergiev Posad Museum-Reserve), “Ancient Hunters and Fishermen of the Russian Plain” (Musee du Malgre-tout, Treignes, Belgium. 1996, Prehistory Museum, Ile de France, Nemour, France. 1997), “Beast and Man. Works of Ancient Eurasia Art” (2002. The State Hermitage).