Alexander Pushkin Private Tour: Life of Iconic Russian Poet

Itinerary
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Stop At: The Pushkin Apartment Museum, Naberezhnaya Reki Moyki 12, St. Petersburg 191186 Russia

Meet you professional guide near the Hermitage museum to stroll towards the main destination of this tour The National Alexander Pushkin Museum, having a pleasant walk and talk.

The National Alexander Pushkin Museum is located in one of the oldest stone mansions in St. Petersburg at River Moika, 12, it is the last place where the outstanding Russian poet lived. This literary museum, dedicated to Russia's most celebrated poet, stands just a few yards away from Palace Square and two blocks from Nevsky Prospekt on the quiet embankment of the Moika River. It is a museum dedicated to the life and work of Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. The museum is housed in Alexander Pushkin's memorial apartment where he lived between 1836 and 1837, and died after being mortally wounded in a dramatic duel. The museum’s exposition includes the collection of over 4,000 volumes in different languages, Pushkin's desk and the armchair, as well as the poet's personal belongings, such as the ink, the pen, the waistcoat Pushkin was wearing on the day of the duel, Pushkin's death mask and the medallion with a curl of his hair. The apartment is decorated with portraits of Pushkin, his friends and relatives. In the apartment you can see furniture, dishes and accessories, characteristic for the era of the poet. Some of them belonged to Pushkin's family. Annually, on February 10, the day of Pushkin's death, the meeting is held there attended by the representatives of scientific and creative intelligentsia, St. Petersburg administration and Pushkin's descendants. At 2.45 P.M., when Pushkin's heart ceased beating, the moment of silence is observed.

On a wave of nationwide grief for the untimely death of this major Russian literary figure, Pushkin's apartment was carefully preserved and remains a fine example of a nobleman's residence of the 1830s. Visitors can step into the museum and see the study of the great poet and writer of the famous epic novel in verse, "Eugene Onegin", and the well-known story "The Queen of Spades", both of which were later turned into operas by the great Russian composer Tchaikovsky.

In September 1836 Pushkin rented a flat on the ground floor of Volkonsky’s house and lived there for four months till he died on February 10 (January 29 old style), 1837, after he had been mortally wounded at the duel. Since 1925, when the apartment officially became a museum, the tradition established to pay homage to the poet’s memory on the day of his death. Citizens of St. Petersburg, representatives of scientific and creative intelligentsia, the city administration and Pushkin’s descendants come to the courtyard of the house to attend a meeting, and at 2.45 P.M., when Pushkin’s heart ceased beating, the moment of silence is observed.

At present, the Museum features the poet’s apartment recreated to its primary state after the drawing of the poet Vasily Zhukovsky, historical documents and recollections of Pushkin’s friends. On display are unique memorial objects that belonged to the poet’s family, friends and contemporaries. The main room of the apartment is Pushkin’s working study. Many things there remember the touch his hands.

In the basement of the Museum building one can find the Introductory Exhibition informing about the history of the house, the life of Alexander Pushkin in Petersburg in 1836, the history of his last duel, and the response of the contemporaries on Pushkin’s death.

Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Konyushennaya Square, embankment river Moyka, 4, Sankt-Peterburg, Russia, 191186

After you've seen Pushkin's deathbed, it's worth visiting the small Konyushennaya Church (1 Konyushennaya Sq) just around the corner where his funeral was held on February 1, 1837.

Church of the Saviour Not Made by Human Hand

Church of the Saviour Not Made by Human Hand named after a legendary Byzantine icon, a copy of which was brought to St. Petersburg by order of Empress Anna, this large neo-classical church on Konyushennaya Ploshchad - "Stable Square" - is an integral part of the architectural ensemble that once made up the Imperial Stables. The first wooden church was built on this site in 1737, while the current building was designed by Vasiliy Stasov and erected in 1817-1823. Significantly expanded and altered forty years later by the serf architect Pyotr Sadovnikov, the church retained its neo-classical grandeur, with soaring Doric columns and deep porticos beneath bas-reliefs depicting Christ's entry into Jerusalem and the bearing of the cross.

In the Soviet Union, the church became Police Precinct No. 28, with toilets installed on the site of the alter. The building was returned to the Orthodox Church in 1991, and has since been fully restored. In the last years of his life, Alexander Pushkin was a regular visitor to the church from his nearby apartments on the Moika Embankment. After his fatal duel with Georges Dantes, the poet's body was carried from here to his final resting place at the Svyatagorsky Monastery, and to this day the bells are rung to mark his birthday and the day of his death.

Duration: 1 hour