Subachiaus str. 124, LT – 11345 Vilnius.
Telephone-fax – 2600080,
E-mail – info.puskino@vilniausmuziejai.lt

The museum is open for visitors on Wednesdays-Sundays from 10 to 17 h.

Collections of the Literary museum of A. Pushkin

More than 8000 exhibits are stored at the Literary museum of A. Pushkin – the taken over values of Grigory and Varvara’s family heritage (furniture of the early 19th century – first half of the 20th century, housekeeping goods, manuscripts, photographs and photo-negatives, books and other publications), and the exhibits acquired by the museum in 1940 – 2005 years, among which are values from the writer P. Antokolsky’s stock – library books, manuscripts, memorial things and works of art (over 2000 units).

The museum‘s values are divided into the main stock (authentic or rare exhibits of the museum profile) and the subsidiary stock (exhibits, necessary for the museum‘s activities and reflecting their aims).

In 2002, 349 exhibits of the subsidiary stock (materials of a former exposition dedicated to J.Kolas and J.Kupala) were handed over to the association of Byelorussian public organisations of Lithuania, for establishing a museum.

Enriching of the museum‘s stock of collections is carried out in several thematic directions: the poet Alexander Pushkin‘s personality, his creative and public work, his circle and environment, “A.Pushkin and Lithuania” – immortalization and cherishing the poet‘s memory, Grigory and Varvara Pushkins‘ personalities, their public work and environment, style of life, customs and traditions of Vilnius landowners of the middle of the 19th century – first half of the 20th century, studying of social role of the Markuchiai locality and its environs.

There is also a part of Grigory and Varvara Pushkins‘ family archives (family letters, documents of the Markuchiai estate, and their copies) stored at the museum. Another part of that archives was removed in 1946 for storing to the literary institute “Pushkinskyi dom” (Pushkin’s house) in Russia.
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Exposition of Literary museum of A.Pushkin:

A.Pushkin‘s life and creative work. The exposition acquaints visitors with main phases of the poet‘s life and creative work.

A.Pushkin and Lithuania. A. Pushkin has visited neither in Vilnius nor Lithuania. However, the poet is bound with Lithuania with biographical and literary ties. The youngest poet‘s son Grigory with his wife Varvara got married in 1883 in Vilnius and in 1899 – 1905 they lived in Markuchiai. They are also buried there. It is believed that in Vilnius Piatnicka church, the tsar Peter I baptised the poet‘s grand-grandfather Ibrahim Hanibal.
The exposition acquaints visitors with the history of translating A. Pushkin‘s works into the Lithuanian language and the translators who did them, as well as with the performances based on the motives of A. Pushkin’s works in the theatres of Lithuania.

Memorial exposition. In 1867, Aleksej Melnikov, an engineer, specialist in railway building, and general, who had arrived to Vilnius to build a railway Petersburg-Vilnius, bought the Markuchiai estate and started building a new summer cottage (now the building of A. Pushkin‘s Literary museum). It was finished in the year 1868.

When in the year 1875 Varvara Melnikova was marrying to Vasily Moshkov, A.Melnikov presented to her the Markuchiai estate as a dowry.

After divorcing V. Moshkov and marrying to Grigory Pushkin (in 1883), Varvara returned to Markuchiai only in 1899. At the Markuchiai estate, she with her husband Grigory lived till death. Their dwelling house – the museum building, with the exception of a masonry extension and some elements of decoration, has left unchanged till these days.

When still living in Michailovskoje, Grigory and Varvara Pushkins placed an order to Vilnius craftsmen for manufacturing furniture for their farm-stead in Markuchiai. Most of them had been made from oaks of Vilnius environs. They were adorned with Pushkin family‘s emblems and Varvara Pushkina‘s initials. They have remained whole and are exhibited in a museum‘s memorial exposition, in which the authentic way of life of Vilnius landlords of the XIX c end – XX c beginning was preserved.

In one of exposition rooms – A.Pushkin‘s corner – a small card-table and two upholstered in green velvet armchairs that belonged to the poet Alexander Pushkin, brought by Grigory and Varvara from Michailovskoje, are kept. Walls of that room have been upholstered with linen, embroidered by serf girls from Michailovskoje (a copy created by Vilnius textile craftsmens after the fashion of preserved patterns).

There are 21 books of A. Pushkin‘s works, published when he was alive, stored in a redwood bookcase. It‘s a real treasure, because only 34 books had been published during the poet‘s life. There are also exhibited V. Pushkina‘s painted pictures and her appliqué works, family photos.