Ivan Turgenev is a famous Russian writer of the 19th century. His brilliant stylistics and skill in describing modern social phenomena had a significant impact not only on subsequent generations of writers in Russia, but also on the world literature of the first half of the twentieth century.

Varvara Petrovna Turgeneva, the writer's mother, lived in the house where the Turgenev Museum is now located in the 40s of the XIX century. In those years, a mansion in the Moscow Empire style with Ionic columns at the entrance was located on the outskirts of the city. Ivan Sergeevich lived here when he came to Moscow. This house was attended by guests of the writer, including many famous cultural figures of Russia.

Among locals, the white-columned mansion is known as the “Mumu House”. It was here that the events that were later described in the story of the same name took place. Varvara Petrovna herself and her servants, including the deaf and dumb serf janitor Andrei, who became the prototype of Gerasim in the story, served as the prototypes of the characters in the work. This was mentioned in her memoirs by Ivan Sergeevich's sister Varvara Zhitova, who also witnessed an outwardly inconspicuous but inhuman drama unfolding in the estate.

The idea of creating a Turgenev Museum in the house on Ostozhenka Street arose back in 1992. The old mansion, which is a typical example of Moscow development after the Patriotic War of 1812, was located in an area that was defined by the city authorities as a museum - zapovednaya This provided ample opportunities for the restoration of not only the mansion, but also the entire household complex. But due to lack of funds, the implementation of the project was delayed, and the museum of the great writer was opened only in 2009. A significant part of the exposition consists of materials collected by admirers of the famous classic and telling about the “Moscow” period of his life.

The Turgenev Museum has restored the atmosphere in which the writer's life took place during his stay in his mother's house. Furniture of those years, an old grand piano, portraits on the walls, household items tell a lot about the era preceding the fall of serfdom in Russia, about the writer and his guests. The museum hosts excursions that tell about the life of the classic of Russian literature, the history of the creation of the story “Mumu” and other works by Turgenev.

The cost of visiting the museum is 250 rubles. Preferential — 100 rubles.