Published on: 2026-08-28
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
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On the portal «Discover Moscow” appeared new walking route, dedicated to the biography of Faina Ranevskaya. It was created for the 130th anniversary of the People’s Artist of the USSR’s birth. The route passes through places connected with the life and work of the great actress. During the walk, you can see theater buildings, learn about their history, and find out about the plays in which Faina Ranevskaya performed. In addition, the route covers the addresses of her apartments in Moscow.
“The new route of the ‘Discover Moscow’ project offers an opportunity to explore the history of Faina Ranevskaya. The tour passes through legendary places and includes the Bolshoi Theatre, the A.P. Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre, the high-rise building on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment, and a house on Bolshoy Palashevsky Lane, where the actress spent her final years. For user convenience, all points of the route are marked on an interactive map. And if there is a desire to get more information about a particular object, one can go to its page via the embedded link,” the city’s press service said.
The route starts at Bolshoi Theatre (Theatre Square, building 1). It was here in the winter of 1915 that the fateful meeting took place between the young Faina Ranevskaya and the star of Russian and Soviet ballet Ekaterina Gelzer. The prima ballerina noticed the crying girl, who had been rejected by every theatrical school, and invited her for tea. Later, Ekaterina Gelzer helped Faina Ranevskaya get a job at a summer theater in Malakhovka. Thus began the great journey of the great actress in the arts.
The next stop on the tour will be The A.P. Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre (Kamerger Lane, building 3, structure 1). Faina Ranevskaya held a special reverence for this theater. She first visited it in 1913, at the age of 17, for the play “The Cherry Orchard.” This event became a turning point in her life: the young woman decided to become an actress and took her pseudonym in honor of the play’s main character.
The walk will continue at the building Chamber theater (Tverskoy Boulevard, house 23, building 1). Today, the Moscow Drama Theatre named after A.S. Pushkin is located here. In 1931, the professional actress Faina Ranevskaya made her debut on its stage. In the play “Pathetic Sonata” directed by Alexander Tairov, she played the role of Zinka. The actress’s performance was greatly successful. Alexander Tairov invited her to join his troupe.
After the Chamber Theater, in the late 1930s, the actress served in the Central Red Army Theater. Now it is Central Academic Theatre of the Russian Army (Suvorovskaya Square, building 2). Here she played one of her best dramatic roles — Vassa Zheleznova. In 1937, Faina Ranevskaya was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR.
The next point of the tour is the Drama Theater, today it is Moscow Academic Theatre named after Vl. Mayakovsky (Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street, building 19/13, structure 1). Faina Ranevskaya worked here from 1943 to 1949. Among her performances were “Motley Stories” (based on Anton Chekhov), “The Boatwoman” (based on Nikolai Pogodin), “Captain Kostrov” (based on Alexey Faiko), “The Young Guard” (based on Alexander Fadeyev), and others. The actress especially highlighted the role of Berdie Hubbard in the play “The Foxes” by American writer Lillian Hellman. In her character, she emphasized an indomitable spiritual strength, which became the main trait of the role. In the 1950s, Faina Ranevskaya performed at the A.S. Pushkin Theatre. Among the plays she participated in were “The Gambler”, “The Trees Die Standing”, and “The Expulsion of the Prodigal Demon”.
Mossovet Theatre (Bolshaya Sadovaya Street, building 16, structure 1) — another stop on the route. It is with this place that the latest and most vivid pages of Faina Ranevskaya’s theatrical biography are associated. Here she created her main roles: Lucy Cooper in “Silence Next” (directed by Anatoly Efros) and Mrs. Savage in “The Curious Mrs. Savage” (directed by Leonid Varpakhovsky).
The route also includes the famous high-rise on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment (house 1/15). In this house, in the early 1950s, Faina Ranevskaya was given a two-room apartment. The noise from the “Illusion” cinema and the rumble of bread store vans became the reason for her famous phrase: “I live above bread and circuses.” The house was always welcoming to friends and loved ones.
The walk concludes at Bolshoy Palashevsky Lane (house 3). Faina Ranevskaya spent her last years here—from 1973 to 1984. A memorial plaque made of red granite is installed on the facade of the building.
The actress passed away on July 19, 1984. Her film characters have forever remained in the memory of viewers: the hot-tempered Lyalya from “Podkidysh” with the catchphrase “Mulya, don’t make me nervous,” the cunning stepmother from “Cinderella,” the eccentric housekeeper Margarita Lvovna from “Spring.” The whole country still loves these roles.
“Discover Moscow” is a joint project of the city departments information technologies, culture, cultural heritage, education and science. The portal features over 335 walking routes across various districts of the city. The interactive guide contains photographs and descriptions of nearly 2,400 buildings, more than 700 monuments, 410 museums, 520 historical sites, and 450 famous individuals whose lives were connected to the city.
The creation, development, and operation of e-government infrastructure, including the provision of mass socially significant services, as well as other services and offerings in electronic form, correspond to the objectives of the national project “Data Economy and Digital Transformation of the State” and the regional project of the city of Moscow “Digital Public Administration.” You can learn more about Russia’s national projects and the capital’s contribution at special page.
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