Rozhdestveno (the Nabokov Museum is located there) is a manor that begins its history in 1780. Then the village acquired the status of a city, and its gradual expansion began. The museum, its history and interesting facts will be described in this essay.
The history of the estate
In February 1797, Rozhdestveno was granted eternal possession to the court adviser N.E. Efremov. The future house-museum of Nabokov and other buildings in Rozhdestvensky were combined, and the creation of the estate complex began.
The descendants of the first owners owned the estate until 1857, until it was sold to the Manukhin family. In 1872, K. Ya. Bush, a merchant from Riga, became the new owner. Six years later, he sold the estate to college assessor V.F. Dmitriev, and then it was inherited by his sons.
In 1890, the estate was acquired by I.V. Rukavishnikov, who was a real state adviser and gold miner. He had a huge fortune and invested substantial funds in the development of the estate complex.
Manor at the beginning of the 20th century
At the beginning of the XX century, the future museum-estate of Nabokov is experiencing a real flowering. Rukavishnikov on the estate creates a tennis court, erects greenhouses and greenhouses. The park was laid out, and sculptures and gazebos were installed on its alleys, the manor building and its interior were repaired.
In 1901, after the death of Rukavishnikov, the estate was inherited by his son Vasily and daughter Elena. Rukavishnikov’s son spent a lot of time abroad. In his travels, he acquired various souvenirs and objects of art, which he later placed in his estate, for example, in the main hall there were an Egyptian sarcophagus and an ancient organ.
Nabokov Manor
The estate in Batovo, which belonged to the Rozhdestveno estate, belonged to the Nabokov couple. The father of the writer began to care for the daughter of gold miner Rukavishnikov, and later they got married.
In 1899 they had a son, Vladimir, who later became a famous writer. In 1916, Vasily Rukavishnikov dies, and the estate, which became the museum of Nabokov in the future, is inherited by the writer. However, VV Nabokov did not own the estate for long, as the revolution that broke out a year later forced the entire family to leave the country.
Manor in the 20th century
After the departure of the Nabokovs, the manor building was nationalized. A dormitory was created there and students of a veterinary school located in a neighboring estate were placed in it.
During the Great Patriotic War, this territory was occupied by the Nazis, and German engineering troops were stationed here. After the war, the building of the future Nabokov Museum housed a secondary school, which was located here until 1972.
The museum in Rozhdestveno was opened in 1957, it was dedicated to the village itself, its history and famous people born in these places. The museum was a great success and gradually began to expand.
In 1983, the museum was headed by E. S. Melnikova, who made a lot of efforts to recognize the museum as a state museum and include it in the museum association of the Leningrad Region. In February 1988, the museum was named after V.V. Nabokov and acquired the status of not only historical and literary, but also memorial.
Nabokov Museum
V.V. Nabokov can be attributed to unique writers, since he is both Russian and a foreigner. This estate is the second house of the writer, which has been preserved in the Russian Federation. The Museum-Estate in Rozhdestvensky delights with its majestic beauty. The beautiful building, which is located on a hill, was built in the Empire style and is somewhat reminiscent of a palace.
In fact, the house on the estate is a unique example of Russian wooden architecture. The building was erected from wood, but artfully painted in such a way that imitates stone.
After the house was transferred to the museum, it was periodically restored, and also supplemented with various exhibits. In 1995, a serious fire broke out in it, which caused significant damage to the building. For seven years the estate was restored, a complex of reconstruction and restoration works was carried out. However, some departments of the museum continued to work. The fact is that the museum is not only the house in which the writer grew up, but also the estate itself, along which V.V. Nabokov walked.
Currently, the Nabokov Museum has been completely restored. New expositions were created that tell about the early years of the writer, about his work and the Russian period of life. In addition, the museum regularly hosts Nabokov Readings. This museum is included in the obligatory excursion program in Gatchina. Thousands of tourists visit the Rozhdestveno estate annually, not only from all over Russia, but also from abroad.
Once in St. Petersburg and having examined all its beauty, you must definitely visit the Nabokov Museum in Rozhdestvensky. In addition to exhibits that are associated with the life of the writer, here you can enjoy the unique beauty of the local nature, which has its own extraordinary energy.