The Nekrasov Museum in Karabik, located near Yaroslavl, allows you to touch the life and work of the great poet. The estate, located in a picturesque place, was for Nikolai Alekseevich the place where he lived comfortably, worked easily and with inspiration.
Karabikha managed to be saved almost in the form in which it was under the master. The museum is always crowded: the life and work of N. A. Nekrasov interest many people.
Golitsyn estate
At the beginning of the XVIII century, the village of Bogorodskoye, which is 15 kilometers from Yaroslavl, and the surrounding lands become the property of the princes Golitsyn. Construction began on Karabitovaya Mountain thirty years after the purchase of land. The estate was called Karabikha. It is worth noting that over the entire period of its existence, it was actively built up in two periods. In Golitsinsky - from the second half of the 18th to the beginning of the 19th century, and Nekrasovsky - from the last third of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th centuries.
Basically, the future palace complex, Karabikha, the future museum of Nekrasov, acquired under Mikhail Nikolaevich, who inherited it. At the beginning of the XIX century, Golitsyn was appointed to the post of Yaroslavl governor and proceeds to the reconstruction of the estate. Built on his instructions, the ensemble looks magnificent and corresponds to the status of the owner.
The fate of the family was such that after a while the palace was left without a master's eye and the estate began to decline. In 1863, it was bought by N. A. Nekrasov.
The estate of N. A. Nekrasov Karabikha
The estate was acquired by the poet for a summer vacation, he spent more than ten seasons here. The poet was very fond of these places and pulled out here at every opportunity. He spent hours wandering around the neighborhood with a gun, bringing home some booty. But it was here that he thought and worked especially well.
The economic affairs were conducted by the poet’s brother, Fedor Alekseevich. He wisely managed the estate, settling here with his family. After his death, his children and grandchildren lived in Karabikha.
Alexey Nikolaevich is going through a difficult stage in his life. The aggravation of the political struggle entailed the arrest of friends and like-minded people. Having published the manuscript of N. G. Chernyshevsky “What to do?” In “Sovremennik”, which he wrote while sitting in the Peter and Paul Fortress, Nekrasov falls into the list of unreliable. Only in Karabik he was able to calm down and continue work. In the first year of his stay in this place, “Frost, Red Nose”, “Orina, the soldier’s mother” were written, a large poem “Who lives in Russia well” was conceived.
Through the efforts of his brother, the future Karabikha Museum-Reserve was put in order, and guests began to come here. The estate near Yaroslavl was visited by A.N. Ostrovsky, M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, D.V. Grigorovich. Since 1870, Nekrasov came to Karabikha with F.A. Viktorova (Zinaida Nikolaevna). They had a wonderful time. Over the years, such works as “Russian Women”, Princess M. N. Volkonskaya, “Princess Trubetskaya”, and many poems have been written. Nikolai Alekseevich continued to work on the chapters of the poem "Who Should Live Well in Russia".
In 1875, the poet’s physical condition noticeably worsened, and in the beginning of summer, he and Zinaida Nikolaevna came to Karabikha for the last time. He still walked around the area a lot, finished many years of work on the poem "Contemporaries" and left the estate in early August. In 1877, Nikolai Alekseevich married Zinaida Nikolaevna (F.A. Viktorova), and died in December.
Karabikha - Museum-Reserve of N. A. Nekrasov
In 1946, on the eve of the celebration of the 125th anniversary of the poet’s birth, a decision of the Council of Ministers of the USSR decided to restore the estate of Karabik and create a museum complex in it.
The collection of exhibits began with the transfer of items of value to the Yaroslavl Museum of Local Lore and the orphanage located on the estate in the prewar and war years. Relatives of the poet, the descendants of his brother, who lived in Karabik all these years, also donated family books, photographs, and documents to the museum. Then the collection was replenished with typological things of the XVIII-XIX centuries, found in the vicinity of Karabikha.
The first exhibition at the Nekrasov-Karabikhe Museum was opened in 1949, and two years later A.F. Tarasov completed work on the memorial department. Over time, the museum's depository was replenished with new exhibits, departments and exhibitions opened. Currently, the institution owns 50 thousand exhibits. Reviews about the museum-reserve of N. A. Nekrasov in Karabikha, about the expositions and exhibitions created on the basis of the collected collections are always only positive.
"Do not be afraid of bitter oblivion …"
A permanent exhibition with this name has been operating since 2002. It is dedicated to the time that Nikolai Alekseevich spent on his estate near Yaroslavl. The tour takes place in two buildings, one of which is called the "Big House", and the second is the "East Wing". In addition to these buildings, the West wing belongs to the residential part.
Large manor house
The snow-white two-story house was previously connected by galleries with symmetrically located outbuildings. Currently, these are three separate buildings. The porticoes on the north and south sides of the building are supported by columns, and the roof is crowned with an observation tower, the entrance to which is provided via an internal staircase.
On the ground floor at the entrance there is a bust of Nikolai Alekseevich. Description of Karabikha, N.A. Nekrasov Museum-Reserve, and a tour of the house begin on the second floor.
The office of the brother of the poet, who lived here as a manager, opens the exhibition. The fireplace is decorated with black marble and the same dark furniture. A desk and a large vertical mirror are made in the same style. Paper basket with initials "N. N. " previously belonged to the poet. She was brought from St. Petersburg after his death. The balcony offers panoramic views of the front door and outbuildings.
Next is the office of Natalia Pavlovna, the wife of Fedor Alekseevich. Ladies' writing table, always standing in this room, differs from the previous one in size, color and carved decor elements.
The living room with beautiful typeset parquet has always met this purpose. Ombre and tea tables, comfortable armchairs, a piano - all this presupposes a calm and comfortable pastime. Nikolai Alekseevich, buying the estate from the Golitsyns, retained part of their furniture. The family has always been careful about these pieces of furniture art. In the living room there is a headset of the previous owners.
On a narrow staircase you can climb to the roof and see the views from the platform of the belvedere. Manicured parks, buildings and lawns are the merit of the museum staff, who give the surrounding landscape the views of that time.
East wing
Restoration work in the outbuilding was completed in 2010, and at the same time there was opened the exhibition "Personal rooms of N. A. Nekrasov." When arriving in Karabikha, Nikolai Alekseevich always lived in the outbuilding, he considered this building the most comfortable.
The main staircase to the second floor is not as impressive as in the Big House, but it is beautifully decorated with carved balusters and bent railings.
Since food was being prepared on the ground floor, a dining room was set up next to the stairs. A small room designed for daily, not smart, use. The furniture is simple but comfortable.
The living room is large and bright, decorated with vertical mirrors. Furniture is more comfortable than sophisticated. The room has a fireplace, which is decorated with stuffed birds. One of the chairs is pulled very close to the fire. This is incomprehensible, since they lived in these rooms only in the summer. In the corner of the living room stands a musical instrument, in this house they loved music. It is believed that the poet worked most often in this room.
The exposition of the Karabikha Museum-Reserve continues with the following two rooms: the poet’s study and bedroom. These were private rooms. And if relatives and friends could tell at least something about the office, no one could give a description of the bedroom. Her furniture has not been preserved.
In his office, Nekrasov was engaged in editorial work, editing and business correspondence. It was forbidden to disturb him at this time.
Parks of Karabikha. Lower park
On the side of the mountain, right behind the Big House, a landscaped English park was laid out. Performed by an experienced craftsman, he gives the impression of naturalness, pristine natural landscape. In fact, you should work hard to cultivate such splendor.
In landscape parks, trees are planted according to certain rules. There is a separate one - this is a tapeworm, and there may be compositions from several trunks of the same or different types.
In the Lower Park of the Nekrasov-Karabikhe Museum, the gardener used trees with spreading crowns: linden, oak, maple. A feature of this corner of nature is the alternation of open places with shady oak forests. Depending on the mood, you can take refuge among the trees and think about something, or you can bask in the sun while admiring the clouds. Winding paths, like random paths, will lead you through all corners of the landscape Lower Park. On the way there will be streams, bridges across them, cascades of ponds.
Upper Pond in Lower Park
There are two ponds on the territory of the Lower Park: Upper and Lower. Both of them are artificially created and are interconnected by Gremikha stream. Hence the second name - Cascade Ponds. The upper pond is notable for the fact that in the middle of it is an island. This design was very fashionable at that time. There was a secluded, romantic place to relax. The trees planted around, growing, created shady coolness. Reviews about the Karabikha Museum-Reserve, the park with ponds and their condition are always encouraging. Visitors are pleased with the well-groomed natural areas.
Water in the Upper Pond is constantly being updated due to the many keys that hit from the bottom. The excess, overflowing through the dam, rushes into a lower pond in a small waterfall.
Big glade
It is located in the center of the Lower Park and is adjacent to the Big House and outbuildings. The main attraction here was a huge cedar that grew during the time of Nekrasov. It is known that the author arranged the first reading of his poem “Russian Women” in a clearing.
This served the idea of creating the annual Nekrasov Readings festival, which takes place in early July. The theme of the poetry festival held in Karabikha, the Nekrasov Museum, changes every year. Young authors and eminent, famous masters are performing. Those who wish can attend master classes.
Upper park
The upper park, created at the beginning of the XIX century, is regular. An octagonal star taken in a square is the original and recreated form now. Previously, only lindens were planted in the park, the crowns of which were trimmed decoratively. Today, the main tree here is birch, although there are several linden trees over 200 years old.
