Lermontov House Museum

The Malaya Molchanovka house is a one-story Empire-style wooden building with a protruding mansard, the only residence of poet Mikhail Lermontov that survived till these days. The three years he spent there saw him finish 17 novellas in verse, four dramas, and around 250 poems.

The exposition occupies several rooms with antique furniture and wall bas-reliefs exuding a recreated ambiance of the 19th century. The minor parlor where family guests mingled has a fall front desk with a copy of the Athenaeum magazine that published the lyricist's first poems. The walls are decorated with watercolor paintings by Lermontov, including his childhood drawings. The large parlor was used for throwing crowded soirees. The poet's room has a bookcase with family portraits and poetry drafts plastered on the walls.

The museum offers a variety of tours for kids and adults alike. One of them is the "Life and Works of Mikhail Lermontov" program intended both for schoolchildren and adult visitors. The "Lermontov as a Reader and Lermontov's Readers" tour explores the books the poet was reading, his inspirations, and popular literature of his time. Modern interpretations are also discussed. On Sundays, the museum hosts an overview tour for solo visitors with a 300-rule price tag.

The house museum is part of the Russian State Literature Museum along with house museums of other Russian celebrated writers: Alexander Herzen, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Anton Chekhov, Boris Pasternak, and poets of the Silver Age. You can set up a convenient route to check out several museums in one day.