The estate of the Bloc "Shakhmatovo" is inextricably linked with the name of the beloved by many Russian poet. It is located twenty kilometers from Solnechnogorsk.
History
In 1875, Shakhmatovo was acquired by the famous Russian botanist, rector of the University of St. Petersburg, A. N. Beketov, the grandfather of the future poet. He created a family nest here, laid down the traditions and way of life.
Grandfather brought Alexander Blok to the estate at the age of six months. All his life, Alexander Alexandrovich came to the estate in the summer. Here he knew the world, wrote his best poems, sad and had fun, thought. Here he met his love - Lyubov Dmitrievna, daughter of a neighbor D. I. Mendeleev, who lived in Boblovo. She became the wife of the poet. Alexander Block passionately and sincerely loved the family estate. He was delighted and inspired by the romance of the estate, magnificent nature? surrounding him. Here he wrote almost three hundred works.
The estate of the Shakhmatovo Block, or rather, its main house, was rebuilt in 1910 according to the design of the poet himself. In 1921, during the peasant revolt, the estate was burned.
Manor revival
The Blok Museum-Estate in Shakhmatovo began to be created in 1984 at the same place where the estate was located. However, accurate information about his whereabouts have not been preserved. According to the recollections of the indigenous inhabitants of these places, it was possible to find out exactly where “Shakhmatovo” was located - the Blok estate. The museum received its first guests in the main house of the estate in early August 2001. To date, the main house, a carriage shed, an outbuilding, a barn have been completely recreated.
The estate of Alexander Blok "Shakhmatovo" is not at all great. It is surrounded by centuries-old spruce and linden. It is pleasant to walk along the shady paths, admire the poet’s recreated house, an outbuilding that is buried in the thickets of rose hips, lilacs and jasmine.
The Museum-Estate of the Shakhmatovo Block offers guests house tours that tell visitors about the life of its owners, their habits and dreams.
Since 1970, the famous and today very popular All-Russian poetry festivals have been held in the beloved Blokovo glade. It has become a good tradition to hold them on the first Sunday of August. The Alexander Blok Museum occupies two floors. On the ground floor there is an entrance hall, grandmother’s room, dining room with access to the park, Blue lounge, grandfather’s office, room of Lyubov Dmitrievna Blok - the poet’s wife.
Museum excursions are held daily. Guides will tell visitors about the color of the nation, famous people who visited the estate, about the rich and vibrant life of the intelligentsia at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, about their daily worries and hobbies.
The estate of the block "Shakhmatovo", whose address is Moscow Region, Solnechnogorsk district, Solnechnogorsk, st. Embankment 11, waiting for guests, fans of the great poet. Thousands of our compatriots have already visited this historic place. Many poetry lovers will be interested in the estate of the Bloc “Shakhmatovo”. How to get to it, we will tell in this article a little later.
Main Manor House
The interior of the house was recreated according to the memoirs of M. A. Beketova, the poet’s aunt. In her memoirs, she described in detail the way the rooms of the house looked, what kind of furniture they had in them, she even described details such as wallpaper on the walls and small decorative elements. This information turned out to be invaluable for those who restored the estate.
The exhibition presents both genuine objects belonging to the poet's family, which Blok's relatives kindly provided to the museum, as well as typological objects. Having crossed the threshold of this house, visitors are immersed in the atmosphere of everyday life of the estate of Russian noblemen of the XIX-XX centuries.
Room E. G. Beketova
The famous translator, daughter of the famous Russian traveler and researcher G. S. Karelin - E. G. Beketov - was the grandmother of Alexander Blok. Her room is on the first floor of the museum. The atmosphere in it is very modest - a polished elegant table by the window, a chair with mahogany armrests , a large and comfortable armchair.
Blue living room
As many visitors note, it is surprising how modest, and sometimes even ascetic, the decoration of Shakhmatovo is. Blok's estate (photo and video filming inside the house is forbidden for some reason) has one very interesting room, which the poet mentions in his poem Retribution. This is a blue living room. Its walls are covered with blue wallpaper, on which lighter blue lilies are applied.
Here every evening all the inhabitants of the estate gathered, played charades, read aloud, listened to music, met numerous relatives and friends. The decoration of this room is an old black piano, which was presented to the museum by Marietta Shaganyan. Once upon a time, the great Sergey Rachmaninov played this instrument.
White dining room
This room is also rather concisely designed - white ceiling and walls, a table covered with a white tablecloth, and a clock with weights on the wall. From the dining room there is access to the park.
Cabinet A. Blok
The estate of the Bloc “Shakhmatovo” recreates the decor of the cabinet in which the poet worked. It is located on the second floor. Here is an old desk, which the poet inherited from his father. He has his secrets - secret boxes where Blok kept his wife's letters, some manuscripts. Today, visitors can see the genuine bamboo bookcase, wicker chair and bookcase that were brought from the poet’s apartment in St. Petersburg. In addition, there is a travel box and a bench. The room is spacious, it has a lot of light thanks to the large windows from which a magnificent view of the surroundings opens.
Outhouse
At the entrance to the courtyard from the station there is an outbuilding. Today it houses the permanent exhibition “Beyond the Past ...”, which tells about the history of Shakhmatov’s acquisition, about famous people who visited the estate. The great-grandmother of the poet A.N. Karelin lived in the outhouse and visited the estate. In 1904, Blok and his young wife began to live in it.
A park
"Shakhmatovo" (Blok's estate) is surrounded by a small but very picturesque park. Today it contains rare plants that were planted by Blok and his relatives. He is especially beautiful in the summer, when the estate is simply buried in flowers.
Village Tarakanovo
You can continue acquaintance with the museum exhibits in the village of Tarakanovo, which is located three kilometers from the Shakhmatovo estate. In the surviving building of the former Zemstvo school, which has survived from block times, an exposition has been created devoted to the poet’s work and life. Here are copies of his drawings, reproduction of his manuscripts and numerous photographs of Blok and Beketovs. Here you can see portraits of friends and the very first editions of poems, favorite books of Alexander Blok. You may be interested to see the metric book from the Church of St. Michael the Archangel. In it, in 1902, the poet's grandfather A.N. Beketov was buried. Alexander Alexandrovich was also married here.
In the village of Tarakanovo, in addition to the Zemstvo school, two more buildings were preserved - the teacher’s house and the ruins of the church of the Archangel Michael.
“Shakhmatovo”, Blok’s estate - how to get there
If you are traveling by car from the capital, then in Solnechnogorsk you should turn right to the village of Tarakanovo. At the next fork, after a few hundred meters, turn right again. There are no pointers here. Drive to the T-junction, there you will see "On Shakhmatovo." You will only have five hundred meters to the goal.
From the Podsolnechnaya railway station, take bus No. 24 to the Tarakanovo Village stop, and then walk about 2.5 km.
"Shakhmatovo", the estate of the Block: visitor reviews
Most visitors to the estate museum are satisfied with his visit. Employees who know and love their job, who talk a lot about the life of the poet. The restored estate is surrounded by a wonderful park.
The estate of the Shakhmatovo block somewhat disappointed some visitors with a small number of genuine exhibits, as well as a ban on photo and video shooting inside the museum. But at the same time, they thank the museum staff for a reverent attitude to the memory of the beloved poet and for the tremendous work to restore the estate.