Day Trip: Take a Deep Breath of Literary Inspiration at Peredelkino
Peredelkino is a legendary writers’ colony, which was set up to the southwest of Moscow in the 1930s and became an epicenter of literature in the Soviet days. This prosperous little village of colorful dachas is famous for being the residence of outstanding poets, writers, and literary critics of the 20th century who lived and worked here. Today, people from all over the world come to Peredelkino to visit the writers’ village, especially the house museum of Doctor Zhivago author Boris Pasternak.
What Makes Peredelkino Famous?
Peredelkino used to be the center of Moscow's cultural life.
In the 1930s–1960s, every Soviet writer dreamed of having a house in the Peredelkino community, ideally as a neighbor of the Nobel Prize winner Boris Pasternak.
And since houses here were provided to top Soviet writers for life-long use and could not be sold or inherited, the country retreat offers an invaluable and unique experience of the home of many literary masterpieces.
How to Get There?
Peredelkino is located just half an hour from Moscow by train. The best way is to take the express train (elektrichka), which leaves approximately every half an hour from Kievsky railway station to Peredelkino station. Tickets from Kievsky station to Peredelkino cost around 46 roubles and should be bought in advance. You can walk from the station to the House of Creativity in 10–15 minutes.
Key Landmarks
The Pasternak House Museum
Boris Pasternak lived in his house in Peredelkino from 1939 until his death in 1960. It is in this house that Pasternak finished his novel Doctor Zhivago. Peredelkino is also where he heard that he had won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1958.
The house is small but atmospheric. The interior design is very simple, with a few objects from Pasternak's time. You can see a tiny tube television set with a magnifying lens, a grand piano, his writing desk, a few books and the room where he died with his mortuary mask.
His coat is still hanging on a hook; his shoes are still by the door.
On the walls, you can find lots of paintings by his father, Leonid Pasternak. If you play piano, you might even be allowed to play the original Pasternak family piano—the museum wants the house to be always filled with music.
Opening hours: 11 am—6 pm daily, closed Mondays.
Tickets: 250 roubles. For more information about ticket prices for groups and excursions, visit www.pasternakmuseum.ru (in Russian)
The Korney Chukovsky House Museum
Pasternak is not the only Russian luminary to have settled here. Peredelkino also contains museums devoted to Korney Chukovsky and Bulat Okudzhava, as well as the Evgeny Evtushenko Museum Gallery.
Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky (1882–1969) does not fit the traditional notion of the writer. A serious literary critic and essayist, he was one of the most popular children’s poets in the Russian language.
His catchy rhythms, inventive rhymes and absurd characters have invited comparisons with the American children’s author Dr. Seuss.
The Korney Chukovsky House Museum is a memorial located at the writer’s former summer house in Peredelkino.
Opening hours: 10 am–6 pm daily. Closed Mon.
Ticket: 50–150 roubles.
The Patriarch's Residence
Upon arrival at Peredelkino train station, you'll discover a stunning complex with churches, gardens, and a luxurious palace. This is the country residence of the Russian Patriarch. An older church of Transfiguration dates to the early 19th century. Boris Pasternak admired its beauty and even dedicated some of his poetry to this temple.
The complex was reconstructed in the 1990s to become the summer residence of the Russian Patriarch. You can only see the palace from afar, but you can visit some of the churches. The church of Igor of Chernigov (which resembles St Basil's Cathedral) was built recently, but has become a new attraction of Peredelkino.
Dom Tvorchestva (Peredelkino House of Creativity)
Dom Tvorchestva was built in 1955 as a literary residency. The building fell into disrepair after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but reopened its doors several years ago.
Today, Dom Tvorchestva is a space where poets, writers, translators, and artists come together to create and network.
The House of Creativity hosts workshops, fairs, conferences, and other events. Peredelkino’s ‘Book club’ is held every Saturday.
In November, the House hosts a series of classical music concerts every Saturday at 5 pm. Tickets cost 700 RUB.
Travel Tips
With the temperature getting lower by the day, remember to dress warmly for your journey to Peredelkino. Visitors should also sample the delicious local pirozhki. The most convenient option is the cafe of the House of Creativity, which is open daily. It is also recommended to try some pirozhki, kebabs, or baklava in Cafe Peredelki (81 Peredelki). You can take a stroll around the writers’ village, enjoying the peacefulness of the pinewood, the fresh air, and the taste of pirozhki with warm tea at the end of your day trip.
Text by Lý Trang, second-year master’s student of Critical Media Studies, intern at the HSE University English website team