The Decembrists' Memorial Complex. Irkutsk.
TOURS TO THE CITIES OF RUSSIA
MUSEUMS OF IRKUTSK
The Decembrists' Memorial Complex
Irkutsk is recognized as the Decembrists center of Russia. Museums have opened (in 1970, 1985) in houses where the families
of Sergei Trubetskoy and Sergey Volkonsky lived. There are genuine things which belonged to the Decembrists and replicas of those things
which were lost, such as pieces of furniture, tableware, stoves, musical instruments, ancient chandeliers, embroidery, books, sheet music,
pictures, photographs in the museums. On certain days, just like when the hosts were alive, the candles are lit, music is played and poetry
and stories are recited.
Trubeskoy House Museum
The Trubeskoy House Museum (64 Dzerzhmksy street) is part of a historical memorial «Decembnsts in Irkutsk». The museum was founded
at the end of 1970. The small private residence along the Arsenalnaya street (as it was called then) was constructed in middle
of the 19th century for one of daughters of Sergei Trubetskoy, a Decembrist The museum's permanent collection tells about the
lives of Decembrists in hard labor in Eastern Siberia (1826-1856) Out of 80 Russian revolutionaries sent on eternal exile, about
40 came to Irkutsk Province Irkutsk Province was home to such prominent members of the Decembrist movement such as Nikita Muraviyev,
Sergei Trubetskoi, Sergei Volkonsky, Mikhail Lunm, and others. The museum houses the original objects of the Trubetskoi family,
Princess E I Trubetskaya, and her daughter's paintings Irkutsk was the final resting place not only of the princess but of three
children of Trubetskie family.
Volkonsky House Museum
The Volkonsky House Museum, located on 10 Volkonsky Alley, is also part of the historical memorial
Sergei Volkonsky's family spent 17 of their 30 years in Siberia m this house. On December 10 of 1985, after 11 years of
restoration, the museum reopened to the public The collection includes possessions of the Volkonsky family as well
as of other Decembrists Rileyev, Muraviyev and Kuhelbeker. The Volkoknsky House Museum is one of the leading museums
covering the Decembrist exile Similar museums exist in Decembrist exile locations like Petrovsk-Zabaikalsky, Chita, and
Yalutorovsk Musical and literary evenings continue in the house as they did one and a half centuries ago.
Maria Volkonskaya was the heart and soul of the literary, musical and theatrical evenings in the house There too dances
and masquerades were arranged for Irkutsk youth Numerous actors artists and writers visited the house For example, in 1855
Ivan Goncharov, the author of the novels Oblomov and Obnv, visited the house, as did other well-known Russian writers
like Alexander Radishchev and Nikolai Chernyshevsky Anton Pavlovich Chekov likewise stopped in Irkutsk for several
days on his way to Sakhalin In a now well-known quote, he wrote «lrkutsk is an excellent city It is refined There
are theaters, museums, a city garden with music, good hotels It is absolutely Europe»
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