Published on: 2026-08-04
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
It may seem that the life and work of renowned Russian classics have been thoroughly studied. However, the personalities of Alexander Pushkin, Vladimir Mayakovsky, and Sergei Yesenin are so vast, and the museums dedicated to them so interesting, that new facets for study can be discovered endlessly. We combine three museums into one route and tell about the non-obvious activities at each point — from dance to intellectual quizzes — so that everyone can immerse themselves in the history of their favorite author and find an activity to their liking.
Sergei Yesenin Museum: Two Houses on the Map of Zamoskvorechye
The first address of the route is Moscow State Museum of S. A. Yesenin in Bolshoy Strochenovsky Lane (house 24, building 2). In 1912, the 17-year-old poet came to this house — he settled here with his father, and from here began his path into great literature. The exhibition features manuscripts, photographs, first editions, paintings with views of Ryazan places that inspired the poet since childhood. Among the memorial items is the kosovorotka shirt, which Yesenin liked to wear in public. In simple peasant clothing, he presented himself as a poet inextricably linked to the village, to the very Rus’ he celebrated. The kosovorotka became not just a wardrobe detail, but part of the poetic image — on par with the verses that capture fields, birches, and the Ryazan expanses.
There are many such details in the museum, but the space is also interesting for the projects created within these walls. For example, visitors can try themselves as writers: the program “Become a Poet” introduces the details of the profession. It offers the opportunity to learn the structure of a poem — rhyme, meter, syllables — analyze the narrative, the poetic form used by Yesenin himself, and, of course, create your own quatrain and then read it in the very walls where the poet’s voice once echoed.
Children will have something to do at the second museum site as well — at the “Yesenin Center” on Chernyshevsky Lane (house 4, building 2). At the workshop “Isadora Dance” Young creators will discover the world of plasticity and rhythm of Isadora Duncan — the muse and wife of Sergei Yesenin. The program allows one to learn free improvisation to classical music without strict rules. The basis of Duncan’s free dance system consists of smooth hand movements, light steps, and poses that mimic ancient Greek statues. This format is especially close to children because the dance resembles a game where they can move intuitively, without fear of making mistakes, and express their imagination.
However, the museum can surprise not only with this. The building of the “Yesenin Center” is a wing of the estate of the merchant Karl Meyer, where in the early 20th century the Surikov literary and musical circle gathered. The young Yesenin was part of this community; here he found his first listeners and felt his calling.
Exhibitions dedicated to the life and work of the poet are being held at the “Yesenin Center.” The exhibition “‘And your melodies shall not cease’: Yesenin in the recollections of the writers of Peredelkino” is devoted to the literary figures of the writer’s town who knew Sergey Alexandrovich and played an important role in preserving his creative legacy. The exhibition “The Poet in the Printing House” will tell about that chapter of Sergey Yesenin’s biography, without which it is impossible to imagine his formation. Visitors will learn about the beginning of his creative path, where the first publications of his poems took place, and which people helped him enter the literary environment.
The exhibition project “The Black Man. Confession of a Poet” is dedicated to one of Yesenin’s most complex and philosophically rich works. The exposition reveals the history of the poem’s creation, its literary and mythopoetic origins, and introduces responses from contemporaries.
Tickets for the exhibitions can be purchased through the service “Mosbilet”.
“The Black Man.” Exploring Sergey Yesenin’s most personal poem with “Mosbilet”
It is worth ending your visit to the museum at the “Yesenin” cafe — it is located in the same building and fully reflects the spirit of the place. The assortment of items echoes the museum’s exhibition projects: for the exhibition “Black Man. Confession of a Poet,” a whole menu was created, for example, a pastry with the same name (black biscuit under white glaze). The “Black Night” espresso with cherry tartness and cream delicacy, according to the creators’ idea, immerses one in the melancholy and detachment of the poem. In the “Shadow” cappuccino, a pinch of salt adds a barely perceptible bitterness. And acorn coffee and birch lemonade have become unofficial hits — they seem to return you to that Russia praised by Yesenin.
Three cups of history: how Moscow museums integrate gastronomy into their cultural space
Maxim Skorokhodov, a member of the Academic Council of the Moscow State Museum of S.A. Yesenin, emphasizes: “Regular exhibitions, literary and musical evenings, and master classes bring the joy of engaging with art and provide an opportunity to learn more about Sergey Yesenin and Russian culture as a whole.” This creates a triad of experiences: visual pleasure from the exhibition, the contemplation of the poem, and a gastronomic impression.
Vladimir Mayakovsky Museum: two apartments — two chapters of a biography
We continue along our route to the memorial apartments State Museum of V.V. Mayakovsky. Let’s start with the apartment on Krasnaya Presnya (building 36, structure 1, apartment 24). Here Vladimir Mayakovsky lived with his mother and sisters while he was studying at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. The exhibition discusses the poet’s trip to the USA in 1925, and recreates the study and living room of the American apartment of his daughter Patricia (Elena Vladimirovna Mayakovskaya, as she called herself). She lived in the USA, collected an archive about her father, and in 1994 brought part of the documents to Moscow.
In one of the rooms — neon light, like in the roaring twenties: jazz, cinema, blues. Among the exhibits are Bashkir ichigi, handcrafted soft leather boots embroidered with ornamentation. They were worn by Ellie Jones, Mayakovsky’s beloved and Patricia’s mother. There is also a small wooden figurine of an owl with a hammer, which once hung on Patricia’s door. According to family tradition, if you knock three times, any wish will come true. Here as well — humorous drawings by the poet himself and his letters.
A ticket for the guided tour of the exhibition can be purchased using the service “Mosbilet”.
The second memorial apartment is located on Studenetsky Lane (house 6, apartment 20). It was received by the poet’s elder sister, Lyudmila. The room was locked for almost half a century and opened to visitors only in 2019. Here you can see the poet’s letter to his sisters, written in a spiral (to fit all the words on one sheet), and a document with Joseph Stalin’s resolution, confirming the recognition of Vladimir Mayakovsky as a great Soviet poet. Also, there is a painting by Alexander Kuprin (the one from “The Diamond Jack,” a student of Paul Cézanne), which he gifted to Lyudmila. The second apartment is like a secret room, hiding subtle, almost intimate strokes of biography.
And life is bustling here: literary and museum events are taking place quizzes Regarding Mayakovsky’s biography — not boring quizzes, but real battles with questions about love stories, scandals, and poems that didn’t make it into school textbooks. The atmosphere is like at a futurists’ performance: passionate, loud, full of discoveries. And it is precisely after the quiz that it is best to attend the lecture. “Mayakovsky. A Slap to Futurism” — about the dispute with the Italian authors, about Vasily Kamensky’s “reinforced concrete poems” and the bold antics of the buduulians (as the Russian futurists called themselves). The main character of this lecture is, of course, Vladimir Mayakovsky.
In this museum, the viewer is not just a spectator but a participant: they answer questions, argue, follow the poet’s trail — and feel how the energy of his creativity completely captivates them.
Alexander Pushkin Museum: Empire-style Estate and Poetic Garden on Prechistenka
We end the route at Prechistenka, at the Khrushchev — Seleznev estate (house 12/2). This is State Museum of A.S. Pushkin, a mansion in the Empire style, built after the fire of 1812. In the halls — household and work items of the poet: inkwells, worn volumes, letters, belongings from Zakharovo, Mikhailovskoye, and Boldino. Each item is like an echo of a certain era, revealing new details from the life of the classic.
There is also something in this museum that stands out from the usual exhibits. In its branch, the I.S. Turgenev House-Museum on Ostozhenka (where you can visit audio guide tour), a silver hunting cup is kept — a small shot glass that hunters used to take with them into the forest. According to legend, it belonged to Ivan Turgenev, also an avid hunter. Its story is almost like a detective tale: People’s Artist Boris Diodorov donated the relic to the museum in 2020. Before that, the cup had been passed through families: from a Murmansk surgeon who received it from a saved patient who, in turn, once hunted with Turgenev and won the item from him in a bet. “Take care of it,” said the doctor, and the cup became a family heirloom. Even Afanasy Fet wrote about it (he and Turgenev often went hunting together). And this rare item ended up here not by chance: Ivan Turgenev considered himself a student of Alexander Pushkin and called him his main teacher. Thus, the personal belonging of the writer who carried on Pushkin’s tradition in prose found its home in the museum of his literary mentor. A true continuity of traditions — not only in literary works but also in life.
The museum is not limited to the space of the hall. Attached to the mansion is an estate garden with centuries-old lindens, lilacs, jasmine, and periwinkle; in summer, it becomes no less significant a part of the space than the interiors. The periwinkle is the very one people call Pushkin’s (it is not mentioned in the poet’s verses, but the flower has become a museum symbol of that era). The garden adjoins the house, and at the corner of Prechistenka and Chertolsky Lane is the Garden Pavilion. Here, among the alleys, they hold poetry evenings and meetings with writers, discussing eternal themes. The museum invites reflection on the great, on what usually slips away in the rush of the day. Alexey Varlamov, a writer, laureate of numerous literary awards, and honored art worker of Russia, comments on this space: “The Pushkin Museum is a place of cultural memory. It connects generations, reminding us that we are part of a great tradition. In an era when any information is momentary and does not linger long in our consciousness, such islands of concentration are especially valuable. They teach us to look closely, listen, cherish silence and depth.”
Thus, the museums of Moscow offer visitors unique stories, new discoveries, and amazing activities for every taste.
Tickets to all city museums can be purchased using the service “Mosbilet”.
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