Chekhov's Melikhovo is one of the significant pages in the history of Russian literature. Anton Pavlovich Chekhov lived here from 1892 to 1899. This period is interesting because Chekhov was not only a writer but also a doctor who treated many patients for free and fought against cholera, as well as a public figure who built schools.

Events in the villages and the 'district town of S.' became the basis for the plots of Chekhov's works created in Melikhovo. During these years, he wrote 42 works, including the plays 'Uncle Vanya' and 'The Seagull', as well as stories and novellas such as 'Ward No. 6', 'Sakhalin Island', 'The House with a Mezzanine', 'My Life', 'The Man in a Case', 'Gooseberries', 'On Love', 'The Peasants', and others.

In 1899, due to health reasons, Chekhov moved to Yalta, and Melikhovo was sold. Despite the absence of a museum, the estate always attracted fans of his work.

The museum in Melikhovo was opened in 1940. By this time, only one wing built by Chekhov in 1894 remained, where he wrote 'The Seagull'. On March 14, 1940, a decision was made to organize the A.P. Chekhov Museum as a branch of the Serpukhov Local History Museum, marking the birth of the A.P. Chekhov Museum-Reserve 'Melikhovo'.

The war temporarily interrupted the museum's work, but on June 29, 1944, an independent 'District Museum named after Anton Pavlovich Chekhov' was established. In the 1950s, restoration work on the estate house began, completed by January 29, 1960, the centenary of Chekhov's birth. In the same year, the museum was granted the status of a State Literary-Memorial Museum-Reserve of A.P. Chekhov.

Thanks to the writer's relatives, the house was filled with memorial items related to Chekhov and his family.

Currently, the Museum-Reserve includes: the main estate house, a memorial wing, a kitchen wing, a bathhouse, outbuildings, a fire shed, an exhibition of the old medical point 'Ambulance', and a large garden area. Two schools built by Chekhov have been preserved.

Today, the museum's collection numbers thirty thousand items, including unique relics: autographs of Chekhov and his relatives, authentic photographs, and memorial items. Visitors are attracted by Chekhov's coat, his hat, the famous white cap, shirt, and bow tie. In the dining room, on a snow-white tablecloth, there is a service purchased during the Melikhovo years. On the writing desk in the study are Chekhov's pen, pencil, favorite inkwell, and pince-nez.

The museum also holds a collection of 'rare books', which includes editions with the writer's autographs.