Gogol, Chekhov and Dostoevsky dined here. Exploring the history of Moscow’s cultural institutions and architectural monuments
The capital’s cultural institutions have a rich history. For example, some of them are located in buildings that are recognized as architectural monuments.
“Today, cultural institutions are multi-format centers that host interactive exhibitions, concerts, master classes, and lectures, and are open for excursions. But in previous centuries, they were home to aristocrats and noblemen, and were used for lavish parties visited by famous people. Here you can see a transformable stage, an animated portrait of the Russian Emperor and an ancient mirror, which once reflected the faces of Anton Chekhov and Fyodor Dostoevsky,” said Minister of the Moscow City Government and Head of the Moscow Department of Culture Alexey Fursin.
How the Gogol House appeared, the stage on which Romain Rolland wanted his play to be performed, and the museum which has its own underground gallery — learn more on mos.ru.
The Gogol House was the writer’s last residence
At 7a Nikitsky Boulevard, surrounded by a small garden, there is an old manor house. This is the mansion of the Talyzins — Tolstoys, which houses Russia’s only memorial museum dedicated to N. V. Gogol.
Gogol House is an architectural monument that was rebuilt in the aftermath of the Fire of Moscow. Its history can be traced back to the beginning of the 17 th century, when the country house of the Saltykov boyars was located here. The stone building was erected under the collegiate assessor Dmitry Boltin in 1810 on the site of a one-story service building 
After the War of 1812 the burned house was restored by Major-General Alexander Talyzin, who bought the estate in 1819.
“Under the new owner, the layout and design of the building’s interiors were changed, and the main facades remodeled in an Empire style,” adds Vera Vikulova.
Toward the middle of the 19 th century the estate was rented by Count Alexander Tolstoy. In 1848 he invited his friend, the writer Nikolai Gogol to live here. He was given rooms on the right side of the ground floor. On November 5, 1851, the author’s reading of the play The Government Inspector took place in the mansion. Gogol spent the last years of his life on this estate and died here on February 21, 1852.
“The fact that the writer was living on the estate was soon discovered by students. Gogol liked to go out for a stroll along the boulevard, and young people kept on pestering him as he walked. He used to wrap himself in his overcoat to hide himself. It is this habit of the author’s that is depicted by Nikolai Andreev’s sculpture, which is located in the grounds of the Gogol House,” says Vera Vikulova.
During the Soviet years, the house was used for communal apartments. The building was handed over to the library only in 1971. The memorial rooms opened in 1974, and five years later the library was named in honor of Nikolai Gogol.
Today, the Gogol House is a memorial museum and a scientific library. The interiors of the rooms where the writer lived have been recreated based on the memories of his contemporaries. Audio and video effects have also been added. For example, in the room dedicated to The Government Inspector you can see an animated portrait of Nicholas I, who utters the phrase: “What a play! It makes fun of everyone, and me most of all!”
“We have come a long way — from N. V. Gogol Library No. 2 to the Gogol House brand. We are known practically all over the world. We organize the international academic conference Gogol Readings, various exhibitions, lectures and excursions. We also cooperate with other institutions, such as the Bulgakov Museum,” adds mos.ru’s interviewee.
Biological Museum — keeping up with the times
In the Presnensky district on Malaya Gruzinskaya Street (house 15) there is a mansion reminiscent of an old house from a Russian fairytale. The K. A. Timiryazev State Biological Museum has been operating here since 1934. It occupies the former estate of merchant and collector Pyotr Shchukin.
Pyotr Shchukin bought the estate with an old house in 1891, and in 1892 he decided to remodel it. He realized that a wooden structure was not suitable as any fire could destroy his collection. He first built the old museum, which is now at the back of the estate. It was designed by the architect Boris Freidenberg 
The neo-Russian style was in vogue then, so the collector decided that the two-story rectangular house with tiled tent-style roofs and corbel arches would be a perfect fit for his collection of Russian antiquities. The second building was designed by architect Adolf Erichson. Its facades are adorned with stucco and other decorative elements.
“Interestingly, the two buildings were connected by an underground gallery. The collection continued to grow, and after a while Pyotr Ivanovich realized that once again there was not enough space for it. In 1905, the museum gained its own warehouse. There he kept his archive, library, documents and various other items,” adds Marina Kulikova.
In 1912, after the death of Pyotr Shchukin, the museum closed and its collection was gradually moved elsewhere. In 1934, at the request of writer Maxim Gorky, the Biological Museum, founded by academician Boris Zavadovsky, moved here. From the beginning, the concepts of interactivity and viewer involvement were at the forefront. “This is an incredibly advanced idea for the early 20 th century. Boris Mikhailovich wanted to show living science, so in the museum they allowed visitors to touch objects, they demonstrated experiments, and in the taxidermy classes children were taught to preserve animals,” explains Marina Kulikova.
The Biological Museum is the only museum in Russia in which all the branches of biology are represented, and its collection includes more than 106,000 items. It also contains a unique exhibition devoted to human and animal anatomy. Moscow residents particularly enjoy spending time in the greenhouse, which, despite its small size, has about 300 species of plants. The museum buildings and collection are also recognized as a site of national cultural importance.
In 2022, Pavilion No. 31 at VDNKh (the Geology Pavilion) was given to the Museum, following its restoration.
The pavilion is built in the Stalinist Empire style. It hosts the The 12 Characteristics of Life exhibition.
From the Hermitage restaurant to the Trubnaya Square Theater
The light-blue mansion at 29 Neglinnaya Street, building 1, is an architectural monument and a truly legendary site. Today it houses the Trubnaya Square Theater.
The mansion that houses the Trubnaya Square Theater is about 200 years old. Previously there was a manor house here, but it was badly damaged in the fire of 1812. In 1816 it was purchased by merchant Ekaterina Sokolova. In the same year, a stone one-story residential building with a mezzanine in the Empire style was built on the site. It became part of a group of houses built to let to tenants, on the corner of Trubnaya Square and Neglinnaya Street 
In the mid-19 th century, the mansion belonged to Moscow merchant Yakov Pegov, who together with French chef Lucien Olivier decided to open the Hermitage Restaurant. In 1885, after a fire, the restaurant building and the kitchen building were rebuilt to a design by architect Mikhail Chichagov.
Fyodor Dostoevsky and Anton Chekhov, Vasily Kachalov and Feodor Chaliapin visited the establishment, which was described by writer Vladimir Gilyarovsky. It was here that Ivan Turgenev celebrated his 60 th birthday, Maxim Gorky gave a banquet in honor of the premiere of his play The Lower Depths, and a French chef invented the famous salad which has become an essential element on the New Year’s festive table.
After the revolution, the Hermitage Restaurant was closed. In 1989, the School of Modern Drama theater moved in. In 2013, a fire broke out in the mansion, after which restoration began. The restorers were tasked with preserving both the historic interiors and the theater spaces.
In 2018, the theater was opened to audiences again. Three halls were opened — the Hermitage, the Winter Garden and the White Hall. The former has a unique transformable stage that can be adapted to almost any production.
“Some of the rooms still have historic items, such as authentic plaster moldings and an antique mirror. The stage area, which was located in the main hall, has now become a seating area for viewers, and the foyer is decorated with unique frescoes,” adds Dmitry Astrakhan.
In 2023, the institution was renamed the Trubnaya Square Theater. Today it stages classical and contemporary plays and collaborates with renowned playwrights and directors.
“The Trubnaya Square Theater is a venue that focuses on the viewers. We put on plays that address timeless issues. Moreover, meetings with Moscow residents outside of performances are also important to us. That’s why we take part in the city events such as Art Night and Theater Night, and organize concerts for City Day and Victory Day,” says Dmitry Astrakhan.
ZIL: the center of proletarian culture
The ZIL Cultural Center is one of the capital’s most famous arts venues. Built in the south of Moscow in the 1930, it is also a fine example of Soviet Constructivism.
The idea to create a people’s palace was put forward in 1929 by the trade union of metal workers, which represented workers from the Dynamo, AMO, Parostroy and Trubosoedineniye plants. And at the end of 1930 they held an open competition, in which almost all the architectural societies and universities of Moscow and Leningrad took part 
However, none of the proposed designs satisfied the competition jury. As a result, the commission was given to the constructivist architects, brothers Leonid, Viktor and Alexander Vesnin. They took into account the five principles of modern architecture formulated by the French architect Le Corbusier and tried to make the most effective use of all spaces.
“The main features of Constructivism are utilitarianism and maximum functionality, but there are also design solutions that are not obvious at first sight. For example, the shape of the balconies in the theater part is inspired by the lid of a grand piano,” explains Oleg Korchagin.
The ZIL Cultural Center is visited not only by members of the public, but also famous guests. In the past it has been visited by sportsmen Lev Yashin and Valery Kharlamov, cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin and German Titov, and Cuban leader Fidel Castro. And French writer Romain Rolland even wanted to have one of his plays staged in its theater.
The Center has been remodeled twice since its founding. Today, the facades of the Cultural Center are being restored.
“The ZIL Cultural Center is a cultural heritage site, so any work must be performed as carefully and thoughtfully as possible. However, it is also important that the building fits in with modern trends and can meet today’s challenges,” notes Oleg Korchagin.
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Now the Cultural Center is home to more than 30 clubs and studios. It offers dance and vocal classes, and a variety of art activities from traditional wood carving to digital art. Participants in the theater studios perform on three stages. The most sought-after of these is the modern adaptable event hall, which is characterized by the absence of boundaries between the audience and the stage.
The ZIL Center also continues to implement educational projects in the field of art.