Museum-apartment of Alexander Pushkin on the Moika (St. Petersburg)

Probably, there is no person who, having arrived to St. Petersburg, did not visit the house number 12 on the Moika. It was the last refuge of the great writer Pushkin A. S. Pushkin Museum-Apartment is part of the All-Russian Museum Complex, which are dedicated to the life and work of the genius poet. There are several more similar apartments, each of which is the property of the Russian people. But it is the museum-apartment of Alexander Pushkin on the Moika attracts the attention of visitors. Here he spent the last days of his life, and it was here that the most famous people gathered who honored the memory of a great man.

Pages of History

The apartment museum on the Moika is a very old building. The house was built in the Catherine's era. The architect of this building was Giuseppe Trizzini. From 1727 the house belonged to Baron IA Cherkasov. Homeowners regularly changed, the building itself was repeatedly rebuilt. In 1806, the princes of Volkonsk settled on Moika. Pushkin never had his own home, especially in the capital. Only very rich Petersburgers could afford it.

But wherever a poet rented an apartment, it always corresponded to his status as a great man. This is confirmed by the Pushkin museum-apartment, whose photo is shown below.

The life of the poet in St. Petersburg

A. Pushkin had a great deal to do with St. Petersburg. He came here with his uncle when he was 12 years old. Here he lived until the end of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. On Moika he met with his contemporaries. The museum-apartment of Pushkin on the Moika is located near the Winter Palace. This allowed Alexander Sergeevich every day to serve as a chamber-cadet. Therefore, in September 1896 the Pushkin family rented an apartment in St. Petersburg at the address - Moika 12. The poet planned to live here for 2-3 years. But a few months later, Pushkin was wounded in a duel. In 1837, on January 29, the poet died.

Pushkin lived for a short time in a house on the Moika, but this became known to the whole of Russia. However, this house did not become a museum at once. It is known that in 1910 the mansion was rebuilt under an apartment house. And after the revolution there were communal apartments. Only in 1924 the Pushkin circle of the society "Old Petersburg" bought out that part of the house in which Alexander Sergeevich lived and worked. The most difficult work began on the reconstruction of the premises, the collection of things that after the death of the poet were distributed. Sources of reconstruction were different: letters from relatives and friends, memories of the poet's contemporaries. Great help was provided to VA Zhukovsky's letter to Pushkin's father, where the plan for the poet's apartment was described.

Turning an apartment into a museum

In 1925 (February 10) the poet's cabinet was restored, a meeting was held here, which was devoted to the first year of Pushkin's death. But the largest reconstruction work began in 1937. They were timed to coincide with the centenary of the poet's death. The whole Volkonsky house was restored. In front of the house, in the courtyard, there is a most beautiful monument dedicated to Pushkin. Later, the pantry and dining room, bedrooms, the main staircase were restored. Everything was recreated to the smallest detail. So there was a museum-apartment of Pushkin on the Moika.

The whole exposition of the museum consists of two departments. The first tells about the history of the mansion and about the life of Pushkin. The second is the poet's apartment, personal items, books, portraits. A special place in the museum-apartment is occupied by the poet's office. This is a spacious, bright room where there is no luxury. Everything is extremely simple and has to work. In the center of the room is a genuine writing desk, on which stands an ink device with a figurine of arab. This is a gift from PV Nashchekin. The main part of the room is occupied with books, both novelties of literature and old editions. Among them is Byron, whom Pushkin idolized.

Museum expositions

A special value in the exposition of the museum is the sofa on which the poet was dying. After his death he was sent to the village of Mikhailovskoye. In 1936, with the assistance of his relatives Pushkin, the sofa was returned to the apartment on the Moika. In 2009, when comparing DNA samples from blood stains on the couch and on the vest, the couch was authenticated, which was the deathbed of AS Pushkin. Here are the things related to his death: a curl of hair, a mask, a vest in which the poet was on the day of the duel. Where there used to be farm buildings, there are now two halls in which paintings of the Pushkin era are represented. These are portraits of Pushkin's friends. Today, the museum's fund holds many genuine things, among them: the Voltaire's favorite chair of the poet, canes and pipes, the famous Pushkin feather with an inkwell. The museum is always crowded. The tour lasts only half an hour, but in this short time, visitors move to another time and experience the tragic minutes associated with the life and death of the great poet. In the halls of the museum are held creative evenings, literary readings dedicated to AS Pushkin. Here poems are read by young poets, receiving farewells in the world of poetry.

Conclusion

This place is especially proud of St. Petersburg. The museum-apartment of Pushkin AS is known not only in Russia, but also abroad. The memory of the poet is highly respected all over the world. All because Pushkin is a genius outside of time and outside politics. He is a poet for all time. Live and imperishable are his creations, which leave a deep imprint in the soul of every person.