Russian museums are not just museums; they are hubs of culture, lectures, tours, films, plays, concerts and other special events. One of the most active is the Marina Tsvetayeva house museum, founded in 1992. For decades one of the residents, Nadezhda Katayeva-Lytkina, fought to preserve the house and legacy of the poet. Marina Tsvetayeva had moved into Apt. # 3 with her husband and first daughter in 1914 and managed to stay in the house until 1922.
After the house was granted landmark status, it underwent desperately needed repairs, and the apartment — what Tsvetayeva called her “house-ship” — was reconfigured to nearly its original layout when the poet lived there. There are some possessions that belonged to the family, but even without a house-full of objects, the apartment somehow conveys the spirit of Tsvetayeva and the dark, but productive, years she lived there.
The museum is closed to visitors due to coronavirus, but today (Sat. March 21) at 12:30 p.m. they are livestreaming their usual weekend tour, led by Yelena Kokurina, in Russian. You can watch it on the museum Facebook page here and ask questions online.
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