Anniversary of foundation of Alexander S. Pushkin Museum in Bernovo village

6 June 1971

June 6, 1971 in the village of Bernovo, Staritsky district, Tver region, was founded a museum of Alexander S. Pushkin.

The ancient village of Bernovo is located on the picturesque River T’ma (Darkness), 45 km from Staritsa town. The first mention of the village dates to the 15th century when it belonged to the Boyars   Bernovs and served as a customs point on the border of the Novgorod lands and Staritsa principality. In Pushkin's time, the village belonged to Ivan Wolfe - a brilliant officer of the Guards, who, upon retirement, settled in the village. Alexander Pushkin visited Staritsa area on the invitation of the hostess of nearby Malinniki, Praskovia Alexandrovna Osipova (in the first marriage Wolfe), and each time during his visits in 1828, 1829, 1833 he came to Bernovo.

Alexander Pushkin Museum in Bernovo was opened June 6, 1971 in a small house in Manor Park. Its creation was supported by the Moscow State A. S. Pushkin Museum, whose researcher S. T. Ovchinnikov and Moscow artist Yu. L. Kertselli became authors of the exhibition plan and artistic project. To the development of the museum’s exposition have also contributed researchers of Kalinin (now Tver) State United Museum: L. A. Kazarskaya and I. N. Yakovleva, head of the Bernovo’s museum S. P. Orlova, artists A. I. Bobrov, O. M. Mikhailov, G. N. Orelikov, I. S. Surikov, L. V. Fadeev.

Various institutions have contributed to the development of the museum's collection. Kalinin (now Tver) A. M. Gorky Regional Library has granted to the new museum some books by Russian and French authors of the beginning of 19th century; the State Archives provided the real paper of the early 19th century with fanciful water signs, which later were used for ​​copies of all manuscripts and letters of Pushkin; the Leningrad A. S. Pushkin Museum presented for the exhibition a volume of "Eugene Onegin"  issued in 1829 and the almanac "Northern Flowers" of 1829 with the first publication of poems written by the poet in Staritsa area.

A valuable gift to the museum, chairs of the early 19th century, was made by a distinguished teacher of Russia, Chairman of the Tver club of ethnographers N. A. Zabelin. From the descendants of Sandalnev’s estate manager in Bernovo village the museum received a sofa, a hunting horn, a mirror, a holder for the gun with the monogram "A.V.". Pushkin's time card-table, a saber of Peter’s I era, belonging to the Bernovo estate owner, a dagger, a book with the autograph of one of Wolfes granted by a resident of Shchelkachevo village N. A. Korkin.

The descendants of the local gentry also contributed to the creation of the museum exposition. In 1972 Dmitri Wolfe granted to the museum a card table, then a table-desk and a sofa, assisted to the museum with the composing of genealogy. Dueling pistol of Alexis Wolfe was granted by Tatiana Panafidina, a descendant of the last owners of Malinniki. In 1974, her daughter, Mariana M. Andreeva, granted to the museum a number of objects of Pushkin's time, taken out of the estate: a card table, a box with a monogram, wood and bone hoop, a hook for weaving laces, snuff-box, a paper-knife, and later - a photo album of 25 pages.

Anna D. Ono and Barbara D. Bubnova (born Wolfe) donated to the museum circuit, plans and sketches of the estate.

In 1976 the museum moved to Alexander Pushkin memorial house of Wolfes. The three rooms on the ground floor housed a literary exhibition "Pushkin in Staritsa county." On display are drafts of the manuscripts, the poet's drawings, autographs of poems "Antiar", "The Poet and the Crowd," "Winter Morning", "Winter! What can we do in the village?” etc.; portraits of the owners of Staritsa estates and recipients of Pushkin's lyrics: Adam Mickiewicz, and P. Katenin, M. N. Volkonskaya, paintings and photographs of the surrounding estates Kurovo-Pokrovskoye and Malinniki. Rustic cabinet of Onegin has been reproduced.

The display on the second floor recreates the interior of the noble manor house of the first half of 19th century: interiors of I. I. Wolfe’s study, living room, dining room, featuring objects found during the restoration of Bernovo estate.

According to the recollections of Wolfes’ descendants, during his visits to the estate Pushkin occupied the room called the "small reception room", it housed a large oval table and chairs, a sofa in the Empire style, card-table with a slim leg - furniture that the poet could see, - at the opened bureau - books, brass candlestick. In the display cases there are bone knives from Malinniki, lifelong publication of Pushkin's manuscripts, on which the poet worked in Staritsa area.

The last two halls of the museum were occupied by the exhibitions highlighting the pictures by Yu. L. Kertselli depicting Pushkin places in Tver and Pskov regions, the works by famous painters, sculptors, masters of book illustrations from the collections of the A. S. Pushkin State Museum: S. V. Gerasimov, V. N. Goryaev, N. V. Kuzmin, E. A. Kibrik, N. V. Il'in, T. A. Mavrina etc.

In 1986, on the eve of the centennial of the artist Barbara Dmitrievna Bubnova (great-great-granddaughter of Ivan Ivanovich Wolfe, who lived in Japan in 1922-1958), the museum opened a memorial room and an exhibition of her works. On display were presented illustrations by Barbara Dmitrievna for the works by Pushkin, translated into Japanese by her students, as well as engravings, watercolors of landscapes of Japan, portraits made by the artist.

The museum of Alexander Pushkin in Bernovo is a harmonious architectural ensemble with a picturesque natural park, which had preserved plantations from 18th century. In the depths of the park is arranged a hill of "Parnassus" with a spiral track lined with acacias. According to legend, Pushkin liked to rest there.

In 1971, near the Wolfe's house was risen a monument to the poet by sculptor Ivan Rukavishnikov. There are also memorial plaques in the park near a pond, on the hill "Parnassus" and at the pool. Since 1970, the first Sunday of June, the village of Bernovo celebrates Pushkin’s poetry.

 

Lit.: Музей А. С. Пушкина в с. Бернове. Калинин, 1983; Музей А. С. Пушкина в Берново [Электронный ресурс] // Музеи России. 1996-2016. URL: http://www.museum.ru/m1969; Казарская Л. На встречу с Пушкиным // Я ехал к вам… Тверь, 1997; Сметанникова Е. История музея в его экспонатах // Вестник Тверского государственного объединённого музея. 2005. № 6.

 

The materials are offered by Tver Regional Universal Scientific Library named after A. M. Gorky