Mikhail Vorontsov's Memorial Library

The collection of documents from the personal library of Count M. Vorontsov was donated by the Alupka Palace and Park Museum-Reserve. The Memorial Library is housed in the Vorontsov Palace in a separate, purpose-built building. The collection contains catalogs, plans, calendars, legal studies, European and Russian history, geography, government service, education, court life, and landowner life published in the mid-18th to early 19th centuries.

Count Mikhail Vorontsov (1782-1856) was a prominent statesman and military leader, a hero of the War of 1812. From 1823 to 1854, he served as Governor-General of Novorossiya and Bessarabia and later as governor in the Caucasus. In his youth, he became interested in book collecting and amassed several collections, which he kept in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Odessa, Tiflis, and Alupka, as well as abroad, such as in Paris. These collections were inherited from his father, Count S. R. Vorontsov, and other family members, including Princess E. R. Vorontsova-Dashkova. The library in Alupka alone contained approximately 10,000 volumes, comprising publications in nearly all fields of knowledge, including periodicals, dictionaries, reference works, and encyclopedias dating back to the 1740s.

Of particular interest are the catalogues of M. Vorontsov's personal libraries, which include volumes not only in Russian, but also in English, French, Italian, and Latin. These libraries were located in Moscow (in Vorontsov's estate in the German Quarter), Odessa, and Paris.

The selection of books for these libraries was carried out systematically, focusing on certain main areas such as the modern legislation of that time, the history of Russia and Europe, and travel. For example, the libraries included the Charter of Merchant Shipping on Rivers, Waters, and Seas, which regulated sea and river transportation. Continuation of Ancient Russian Philosophy and Chronicle of the Empire from Charlemagne to Present Times by F. Voltaire were also among the books.

This digital collection is a great example of private collecting in Russia, a testament to the refined taste and high level of education among the Russian aristocracy, and an important part of Russian culture.