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The effects of different land-use histories on contents of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) and fluxes of greenhouse gases [carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O)] measured using the closed chamber method were investigated in the Arkaim museum reserve located in the South Ural of Russia. A natural forest site (NF) and two grassland sites that had different land-use histories (CL: cropland until 1991; PST: pasture until 1991; both sites have been fallow for 18 years) were selected for soil sampling and gas flux measurements. The vegetation in NF was mainly Betula pendula Roth. with steppe cherry and grassy cover. Perennial grasses (Stipa spp., Festuca spp. and others) have been planted in CL and PST since 1991 to establish reserve mode, and the projective cover of these plants were?>?90% in both sites in 2009. Soil samples were taken from the A horizon in the three sites, and additionally samples of the O horizon were taken from NF. The contents of soil C and N [total C, total N, soluble organic C, soluble N and microbial biomass C (MBC)] in the O horizon of NF were the largest among all investigated soils (p?<?0.05). Additionally, the total C, total N and MBC in PST were significantly larger than in CL (p?<?0.05). Positive CO2 fluxes (i.e., CO2 efflux) in all three investigated sites were observed. The CO2 efflux in NF was significantly larger than in CL and PST (129, 30 and 25?mg C m?2 hour?1, respectively, p?<?0.05), although there was no significant difference in values of CO2 efflux between CL and PST. There were no significant differences in the fluxes of CH4 and N2O among NF, CL and PST (p?>?0.05). Our current research indicated that, in soils of the Eurasian steppe zone of Russia, total C, total N and MBC were affected not only by current land-use (i.e., fallow grassland vs. natural forest) but also by past (until 18 years ago) land-use.