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The House-Museum of Sholokhov is 19

On February, 19, it is the 19^th anniversary of opening the Memorial House of M.A.Sholokhov, the central structure of the writer’s Museum-Reserve.

M.A.Sholokhov lived in this house during the last 35 years of his life. Here he finished his work over the second book of the novel “Virgin Soil Upturned”, wrote the story “The Fate of a Man” and worked over his novel “They Fought for Their Country” till the last days of his life.

On the third anniversary of the writer’s death, his wife, Mariya Petrovna, and his children –Svetlana, Alexander, Mikhail and Mariya – donated the house to the State. When signing the contract Mariya Petrovna said: “My children and I have made up our mind to donate the house and the house ownership to the State on the only purpose of hospitability always reigning here as it used to be in its master’s lifetime”.

In his reply the director of the national M.A.Sholokhov Museum-Reserve, N.A.Bulavin, said: “I am honoured to be a participant in this historic act: the estate of M.A.Sholokhov is being donated to the Russian national culture forever. We thank Mariya Petrovna and her children for this invaluable gift and promise to preserve it and hand down to generations the spirit of kindness and humanity, which Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov had been asserting in his house for over 35 years”.

After the writer’s death his wife became the head of the family and the keeper of the family traditions. While Mariya Petrovna was alive, the house had a dual status of a dwelling house and a museum.

On January, 20, 1992, Mariya Petrovna died. During the summer and autumn of 1993, the house was being repaired and reconstructed: interior finishing of the building, repair of the floors and heating system. During the preparation for opening the memorial house the museum workers got very helpful consultations with the Sholokhovs: Svetlana Mikhailovna, Mikhail Mikhailovich, Mariya Mikhailovna and Valentina Ismailovna.

The house of the writer became the main memorial of the National Museum-Reserve. The opening ceremony was held on February, 19, 1994, on the eve of the 10^th anniversary of the writer’s death. The event was joined by the heads and representatives of administrations of the nearby towns and districts of the Rostov and Volgograd regions, philologists, writers, old residents of Vyoshenskaya and schoolchildren.

Y.S.Melentiyev, the former RSFSR Minister of Culture, said: “This is a great day in the life of the Quiet Don country and in the history of the Russian culture.  Like the main pearl in the spiritual necklace of the Museum-Reserve, the main Memorial House of the great writer is opened in his homeland, in the family nest of the Sholokhovs. From now on, the world-known Sholokhov’s house will always be open for the residents of Vyoshenskaya and thousands of guests from all parts of Russia and the world, for those, who will come to venerate the memory of the great writer, to pass reverently through the rooms – eternal witnesses of his labour and restless thoughts, of his moral heroism, everyday life and immortality…”. The first visitors in three groups began their excursion about the House-Museum. Since that day the writer’s house has opened its doors for visiting as a museum. And henceforth the House has been full of visitors.

Leaving the House the visitors share their impressions about the simplicity and grandeur of the great writer, his successful preservation of his family roots that enabled him to give his love for his country to his children and grandchildren.

Elena Popova