In Russia, there is a unique place where one can immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the "Golden Age" of Russian literature and dive into the world of the "Silver Age" in just one day. Here, one can see lines from "Eugene Onegin" written by Pushkin's hand, Lermontov's "Masquerade" book, boots made by Count Tolstoy, and the table on which Yesenin wrote his last poem. This is the Pushkin House on the tip of Vasilievsky Island, celebrated by Blok and known to all connoisseurs of Russian literature.

The history of the Pushkin House began in 1899 when an exhibition was organized in honor of the 100th anniversary of Pushkin's birth, and Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich proposed to erect a monument to the poet. However, it was decided to proceed differently: based on the exhibition, the "Pushkin House" was created, where books and personal belongings of Russian writers of the 19th century were kept.

Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, grandson of Nicholas I, was a multifaceted personality. He distinguished himself as a naval officer and headed the Imperial Academy of Sciences, the Russian Archaeological Society, and other organizations. He was the last of the Romanovs to be buried with honors in St. Peter and Paul Cathedral.

The Pushkin House was founded on December 15, 1905, when a special commission approved its opening. Literary scholar B.L. Modzalyevsky played a key role in forming the initial collection by acquiring Pushkin's library and the museum of A.F. Onegin in Paris.

In 1917, the Pushkin House received the collection of the Imperial Alexander Lyceum and the Nikolaev Cavalry School. In 1922, Anna Gannibal, a relative of Pushkin, transferred a collection of family relics to the museum.

In 1930, the Pushkin House became an academic institute of Russian literature, and active scientific work began on the study of folklore. Philologists, musicologists, and ethnographers recorded samples of oral creativity from the peoples of Russia, which are stored in the Phonogram Archive of the Pushkin House.

The Manuscript Department of the Pushkin House holds more than 3 million autographs and about 900 personal collections. The collection includes letters from Napoleon, autographs of Mozart and Bach.

The "Pushkin Fund" contains Pushkin's personal correspondence, his letters to Natalia Goncharova, manuscripts of his works, and his diary. The "Pushkin Cabinet" houses a rich collection of the poet's lifetime editions, and staff are engaged in translating materials to electronic formats.

The library of the Pushkin House began with Pushkin's personal library and was supplemented by collections from Russian writers. Maxim Gorky, who became the director of the Pushkin House, donated his books and magazines to it.

The main treasure of the Pushkin House, the archive of Pushkin's manuscripts and his personal library, is kept in a special storage. The literary museum of the Pushkin House is accessible to all.

The exhibitions of the Pushkin House allow one to immerse themselves in Russian literature, bringing history to life. Within its walls, legends turn into real people who wrote love letters, argued, and created genius lines.

The museum hosts exhibitions dedicated to 19th-century Russian literature, the "Silver Age," as well as Lermontov, Tolstoy, Nekrasov, Dostoevsky, and Turgenev. The exhibition tells about the luminaries of the "Golden Age": Derzhavin, Zhukovsky, Pushkin, Gogol.

The Pushkin House also holds a rich collection dedicated to Lermontov and materials related to his childhood and youth. Here, one can see items that accompanied the poet during the war in the Caucasus and unique editions of his works.

The Tolstoy Fund contains portraits and sculptural representations of the writer, as well as his personal belongings. The exhibition tells the story of the creation of his novels and captures the flourishing of the writer's creativity in his later years.

The section dedicated to the "Silver Age" conveys the atmosphere of the era that served as the backdrop for the flourishing of Russian poetry. Here, portraits of literary figures, publications from revolutionary years, and materials from art exhibitions are presented.

The museum exhibition allows one to immerse themselves in the mystical atmosphere of the symbolic literature of the "Silver Age" and illuminates the lives and works of realist writers: Chekhov, Gorky, Kuprin, Bunin, Andreev. Here, one can see personal belongings of famous writers and the table on which Yesenin wrote his last poem.

For a long time, the Pushkin House was located in the Academy of Sciences at the tip of Vasilievsky Island. In 1927, it moved to the former building of the St. Petersburg Port Customs, built in 1832. The building is topped with a dome for observing ships, and statues of ancient Roman gods are located above the portico.

For over a century, the Pushkin House has preserved the main spiritual value of Russia, its literature.