There are places in Russia that are dear to every Russian person, because they are associated with the names of the great geniuses born of our country. Such a genius, whose name is known to absolutely everyone, was Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It is with this personality that the visiting card of Udmurtia - the Tchaikovsky Museum in Votkinsk - is associated. Far from the bustle of the capital passed the “rainbow” years of childhood of the great composer.
"Air Votkinsk House"
Already in adulthood, the composer often recalled the atmosphere and the air of his childhood home. And this was a happy childhood. The composer's father, Ilya Petrovich, was appointed head of the Kama-Votkinsk ironworks in 1837. He and his wife moved from St. Petersburg to this small village of the Sarapulsky district of the Vyatka province (today - Udmurtia) and settled in a spacious state-owned house for mountain chiefs on the street of the Lord (today Tchaikovsky street).
It was a cozy house where all four of their children were born in an atmosphere of love, harmony and mutual respect. The great composer was the second son. He was born on May 7, 1840 and, together with other children, was raised by governess Fanny Dubach, a Frenchwoman from Montbeliard.
Everything is simple and without frills
An ordinary house where the family lived for 11 years, and from 1806 to 1917 18 chiefs of this plant lived in it, located on the shore of the pond and surrounded by a manor area with a garden and a greenhouse. In the greenhouse, the owners even grew melons and watermelons, and their entire estate was buried in flowers.
The boss's house was the largest, but was surrounded by the houses of workers of the same factory. All of them were of a manor type - with internal buildings: stables, glaciers, hotbeds and servants' houses. All these elements of the noble life of that time were recreated on the territory of the budgetary institution of culture of the Udmurt Republic "State Memorial-Architectural Complex" Estate-Museum of P.I. Tchaikovsky "in Votkinsk.
History of creation
The initiative to open the Tchaikovsky Museum in Votkinsk belongs to the city authorities (1938), and the merit in implementing this initiative belongs to the first director, then the 28-year-old budding sculptor Mikhail Tutynin Kharitonovich. It was he who invited Nikolai Konstantinovich Rukavishnikov, a researcher at the composer’s museum, to organize a cultural institution. He was a musician who was personally acquainted with Peter and Modest Tchaikovsky.
The opening of the Tchaikovsky estate-museum in Votkinsk was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the composer. At the beginning of its work, on April 30, 1940, the museum exposition represented about a thousand exhibits. The most valuable of which are the ancient straight-stringed piano “Wirth” and the orchestra (mechanical organ). Instruments that introduced little Peter to the enchanting world of music.
The Great Patriotic War briefly interrupted the work of the Tchaikovsky Museum in Votkinsk. It was closed in September 1941, and opened in the autumn of 1943.
Homestead today
The modern collection of the Tchaikovsky House-Museum in Votkinsk is represented by more than 2 thousand exhibits, which are combined into 16 expositions. Among them: “Melodies inspired by childhood”, “Puppet Theater”, a collection of stage costumes used in theatrical productions. The museum has a magnificent library and collections of musical works by the composer.
Museum manor is a whole ensemble of manor buildings. In the backyard, a greenhouse has been recreated, in which flowers grow today. At the back of the courtyard there is a stable and a carport for carriages, as well as a recreated wooden human hut. In it, all visitors are treated to pastries and tea.
In addition to the usual excursions, theatrical performances are held here - "Scenes from the life of the Tchaikovsky family." In such dramatizations, the life of little Peter, his family and governess come to life and give the charm of touching the life of a genius.
Prospects
The Tchaikovsky Museum in Votkinsk is visited annually by up to 100 thousand tourists. Modern technology is keeping pace with old family values. On the museum’s official website, you can take a virtual tour, get acquainted with the funds and the action plan.
Twice a year, the museum hosts exhibitions dedicated to cultural figures of Russia. This institution has become a cultural center for the education of young talents of the Russian Federation. The museum has opened and operates a children's music school. Since 1958, the annual spring festival named after the great composer has been held here. And a good tradition was the participation in them of soloists of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater. The gallery of his guests is impressive - Elena Obraztsova, Lyudmila Zykina, Vyacheslav Zaitsev, Nadezhda Babkina, Damis Russos. In 2014, the museum was visited by Vladimir Putin. The museum’s employees are planning to expand their expositions and use their personal territory by including it in live action with the involvement of museum directors.
The harmonious manor landscape of this place on the bank of the pond, far from the bustle of the city, immerses visitors in the atmosphere of the past, gives a feeling of touching the beautiful, gives joy and inspires confidence in the bright future of our country.