Libraries of Russia: The I. S. Turgenev Library and Reading Room in Moscow celebrates its 130th anniversary

February 9, 2015 marked the 130th anniversary of the discovery of the oldest public I. S. Turgenev Library-Reading Room in Moscow. The library was founded by the famous Moscow philanthropist Varvara Morozova in memory of the writer Ivan S. Turgenev and took the first readers on January 28 (February 9), 1885. Building of the reading room - the first, built for the library in Moscow, designed by architect Dmitry Nikolayevich Chichagova – was located in Myasnitsky gates until 1972. It was demolished in laying the New Kirov Avenue (today – the Sakharov avenue). Existed today Turgenev Square was named after the Athenaeum in the early XX century. Since 1998, the library operates in a complex of buildings of the XVII-XIX centuries in Beaver Lane.

To the anniversary in the library was opened an exhibition of posters and invitations of the old reading room. The exhibition illustrates the active cultural activities that have been led by "Turgenevka" for many years. The tradition of cultural evenings in Turgenev reading room has its origins in 1922 with a performance by the young poet Boris Pasternak and actively supported until now.

The nearest large lecture project "Serious conversation" in the Library-Reading Room begins on February 10 with an open meeting of chairman of the jury "Yasnaya Polyana", cultural adviser of the President of Russia V. I. Tolstoy and laureate, writer and poet M. A. Tarkovsky. From February to May will be held several meetings. According to the organizers "during the meetings writers, literary critics, journalists will talk about modern and classical literature, creative writing and criteria to distinguish real from fake books, a new literary sounding words on the background of the political and journalistic words and more".