Library-reading room named after I. S. Turgenev- the first publicly accessible free city public library in Moscow. Founded in 1885 on the initiative and funds Varvara Alekseevna Morozova to perpetuate the memory of the great Russian writer Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev.
Story
History of creation
The reading room was opened on the initiative of hereditary honorary citizen V. A. Morozova. In 1883, she made a statement about her desire to donate 10 thousand rubles to open a free reading room in Moscow City Duma. Newspaper " Russian vedomosti” dated September 13, 1883 reported: “Yesterday, September 12, the first meeting after a very long vacation took place Moscow City Duma. Comrade mayor M.F. Ushakov presided. At the same meeting, a statement was reported from hereditary honorary citizen Varvara Alekseevna Morozova, in which she, wishing to honor the memory of the deceased I. S. Turgeneva, offers Duma to establish a free reading room in Moscow, run by the Duma, calling it “Turgenevskaya”. For this purpose, Mrs. Morozova donates 5 thousand rubles for the purchase of books and 5 thousand rubles in the form of a fund, the interest from which would replenish the reading room with newspapers, magazines and books; at the same time, she takes upon herself the initial establishment and maintenance of the reading room for the first five years. If, after five years, for some reason she does not want to maintain the reading room at her own expense, and the city refuses to accept her as its support, then all the movable property of the reading room must go to the disposal of the donor. A charter must be drawn up for the reading room. The Duma decided to express gratitude to Ms. Morozova for such a large donation, and to entrust the drafting of the charter to the commission.”
Modern Library
Modern buildingThe buildings transferred to the library were located on the territory of an early 18th century estate that belonged to Grigory Mikhailovich Petrovo-Solovovo To the smaller one.
In December 1994, an agreement was signed with workshop No. 19 of the State Unitary Enterprise "Mosproekt-2" (head of the workshop and chief architect of the project A. R. Asadov, chief engineer of the project S.F. Churikov) for the design of the reconstruction of the building - structure 2. Residential building of the late 19th century. it was necessary to adapt it to the tasks of a public library, modern in the forms of work with the reader and in its equipment. Before reconstruction, the total area of the building was 550 square meters. m., after reconstruction it should have been 1423.8 sq. m. m. The increase in area was achieved through the addition of the 4th and 5th floors and the construction of a glass rotunda, as well as the arrangement of basements.
The building underwent a complete redevelopment. As a result, a system of halls designed for specialized service to users was formed. A distinctive feature of the reconstruction was that for the first time in Moscow, the implementation of the library program was carried out on the basis of high-class architectural and design solutions. Construction work began in the summer of 1995 and was completed by City Day in September 1997 in preparation for the celebration of the 850th anniversary of the founding of Moscow; On September 12, 1997, a presentation of the reconstructed, but not yet furnished with furniture and office equipment, building 2 to the Moscow public took place. It took another year to equip and prepare the building for opening to readers. The official opening of the first stage of the library reconstruction took place on November 9, 1998 as part of the celebration of the “Days of I. S. Turgenev in Moscow”, dedicated to the 180th anniversary of the writer’s birth. The library opened for readers on November 16.
Building 1 was commissioned in 2004. By this time, the restoration of the facades of the 19th century had been carried out, and the forms of the original volume at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries were revealed. on the front courtyard facade, which were restored and included, as a fragment in a kind of frame, in the later facade of the building. Through joint efforts, not only the library and reading room, famous for its history, was returned to the city. I. S. Turgenev, but also a rediscovered monument to old Moscow.
Library today
Today the Library-Reading Room named after. I. S. Turgenev is a complex of 7 specialized halls equipped with the latest electronic equipment, 3 rooms for cultural and educational programs, an exhibition hall, 4 book depositories, and a number of office premises.
The Library's computer network includes 83 automated workstations, of which 29 are reading workstations. All library and bibliographic processes are computerized using the Automated Information and Library System “Absotheque Unicode” (Russia).
The Library's electronic catalog contains about 130 thousand records. There is no card catalog. The main types of library and information services are free. A deposit subscription and an AV subscription are available.
The library collection contains over 100 thousand copies. documents, including:
- book publications of universal subjects in Russian, German, French and English;
- periodicals (newspapers and magazines) in Russian, German, French;
- universal reference books, special reference books, bilingual dictionaries;
- electronic publications (training programs, CD-ROM publications)
- audio-visual documents (talking books, music CDs, films on DVD and video cassettes, electronic sheet music)
Also worth noting are such resources as:
- Thematic collections of materials from periodicals;
Notes
Literature
- Reading room named after I.S. Turgenev // Moscow. Encyclopedic reference book. - M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia, 1992.
- History of the Library-Reading Room named after I. S. Turgenev in documents and memoirs / Comp. M. M. Borisovskaya, M. Ya. Dvorkina, T. E. Korobkina and E. V. Nikolaeva. - M.: Vikmo-M, 2004. - (From the history of Moscow libraries; Issue 4).
- An outline of the activities of the city free library-reading room established by V. A. Morozova in memory of I. S. Turgenev for 25 years of its existence (from January 28, 1885 - January 28, 1910). - M., 1910. - 49 p.
- M. M. Borisovskaya. That same Turgenevka // From the history of Moscow libraries. - . M.: Slovo /SLOVO, 1997. - P. 184-222. (Issue 2: Public libraries of the historical center of Moscow / compiled by M. Ya. Dvorkin and L. M. Inkov);
She was a liberal philanthropist. The type is wonderful in its own way. A beautiful woman, a wealthy manufacturer, she behaved modestly and did not show off her money anywhere.
The Old Believer father valued old and well-designed books. This greatly influenced the interests of V.A. Morozova. In 1885, she donated 10,000 rubles to set up a reading room. One half was supposed to be spent on buying books, and the other half was to be deposited in the bank at interest for further replenishment of funds. Moreover, for the first 5 years V.A. Morozova maintained the reading room at her own expense.
The first paragraph of the library's charter read: In order to provide the opportunity to use books to those segments of the population for whom existing libraries are inaccessible due to the state of their means, the Moscow City Duma is establishing a reading room in memory of I.S. Turgenev.
The library quickly became popular among Muscovites, especially among students of the School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Adopting the successful experience of the Turgenev Reading Room, a library named after A.N. was opened in Moscow in 1888. Ostrovsky, and in 1889 - the library named after A.S. Pushkin.
At first the reading room was located on Turgenevskaya Square. But in 1972 the building was demolished. Then the library moved to the estate of Anna Biryukova in Bobrov Lane.
Guide to Architectural StylesThe building was reconstructed in 1998-2003. Then they discovered that the house had preserved window and doorways from the 17th-18th centuries. Previously it was believed that the building was built in 1803 and rebuilt in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. But it turned out that inside there were chambers of the 17th–18th centuries. In 1895 A.N. Knabe, by order of A. Biryukova, rebuilt the main house: he increased its size, added a third floor, and installed a skylight on the roof above the stairs. At the same time, a neighboring building appeared (building 2).
Despite the fact that after the October Revolution the house was used as communal apartments, restorers managed to restore the appearance and interiors of the estate. And to show the history of the building, fragments of chambers from the turn of the 17th-18th centuries were revealed on the front courtyard façade and in the main hall. Also in 2003, a monument to I.S. was erected in the library courtyard. Turgenev works by S.T. Konenkov and N.F. Kosova.
The relocation of the Turgenev Library did not become a reason to rename Bobrov Lane, since it has a rich history.
The lane appeared in the 16th century simultaneously with the construction of the Church of Saints Florus and Laurus on Myasnitskaya. Then it bore the name of Frolov Lane, and the Myasnitsky Gate was called Frolovsky. These names were inconvenient to pronounce, so after the construction of the Yushkov house on the corner of Myasnitskaya Street, the lane began to be called Yushkov. But at that time there were 3 Yushkov Lanes in Moscow, so already in 1922 it was renamed Bobrov after the merchant Vasily Bobr who lived here in the 16th century. In 1934-1935, the Church of Florus and Laurus was demolished, and the old name of the lane was forgotten.
The history of this house is full of mysteries and unexpected discoveries. Since the building first appears on the plans of 1803, until the mid-2000s researchers dated it to the second half of the 18th century. with reconstructions in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, during the reconstruction of the building for the Turgenev Library, soundings revealed such amazingly preserved forms of window and door openings of the 17th-18th centuries that work was suspended to adjust the project. It turned out that inside the building, which was considered a monument of merchant architecture of the 19th century, there were chambers (residential buildings) of the 17th–18th centuries. The discovery brought major changes to the original plans of the architects. Through the efforts of the architect-restorer L.A. Shitova agreed on an option according to which the corner hall of the library, overlooking Bobrov Lane and the front yard, was made double-height, without overlap between the 1st and 2nd floors. The two most advantageous facades of the early volumes of the building facing this hall were revealed, which made it possible to show the architectural forms of the turn of the 17th-18th and mid-18th centuries to the full height of both floors. Fragment of chambers at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries. was uncovered and restored on the front courtyard façade. The extraordinary design of the hall allows you to feel the uniqueness of the building and the depth of its history.
According to the history of the chambers of the 17th century. Reliable archival data has not yet been discovered, but it was possible to trace the history of the estate in the 18th and 19th centuries. From the beginning of the 18th century. the owner of the plot was Grigory Mikhailovich Petrovo-Solovo Menshoy. He belonged to a fairly ancient noble family, dating back to the Tatar Murza Batur. In 1713, Grigory Mikhailovich was a judge of the Execution Chamber in Moscow. Perhaps at this time he became the owner of the estate in Bobrov Lane. The estate belonged to his descendants until the end of the 18th century. In 1803, the plot passed to the Moscow merchant Vasily Gerasimovich Gerasimov, and then to his daughter Pelageya Vasilievna Biryukova.
The appearance of the estate changed radically in 1895 under the last owner, Anna Aleksandrovna Biryukova. The plan for rebuilding the main house and building a new one was drawn up by Moscow architect Adolf Nikolaevich Knabe.
The main building was increased in size, a third floor was added, and a skylight was installed on the roof above the staircase. The facades of the house received decorative design typical of the second half of the 19th century.
The neighboring building (building 2) was erected simultaneously with the reconstruction of the main manor house. The fairly simple exterior and sparse interior decoration allow us to conclude that this is an inexpensive apartment building with apartments rented out to people with low incomes.
In 1901, according to the design of the architect P.L. Syuzev, the third building of the estate is being built, now belonging to the notary chamber.
After the October Revolution, all three houses were nationalized and converted into communal apartments. In the 1970s, residents were gradually resettled from the buildings of the former estate, and in their place various institutions were located here, in particular the Moscow Federation of Trade Unions.
All four centuries of the existence of the estate on Bobrovy Lane have left their mark on its architectural appearance. In the mid-1990s. The reconstruction of the buildings is carried out by the architect A. Asadov. Architectural critic G. Revzin highly appreciates the architectural design of the building: “Having renovated the old houses, Asadov supplemented them with glass inserts - as if his aircraft crashed into this environment, and the resulting chaos was repaired, the seams were sealed and left. Because of this, the space inside took on the character of a labyrinth, built on contrasts - first we see small, cozy rooms of an old house, then suddenly glass cylinders with iron bridges thrown inside them. The facades of the old building have become the inner walls of glass additions, which is why, when moving around the library, you don’t always understand whether you are inside or outside.
After all, if the essence of Moscow’s urban planning policy is historicism, then the image of temporary strata found by Asadov ideally reflects history, the passage of time.”
Work on the reconstruction of the house with chambers began in 1998 and was completed in 2003.
In the very center of Moscow, not far from Turgenevskaya Square, behind the pretentious bulk of the ET CETERA theater, three buildings of an old city estate are hidden in a small, cozy and summer-bright courtyard with flowers. Two of them are connected by a modern inclusion of a glass-metal pencil transition, on which a curious passerby will read “Library-reading room named after. I.S. Turgenev." The first thought: “a little strange name, something from the past,” the second may be that both the square and the library are named after a famous writer who may have lived nearby or visited one of his hospitable friends. And a very curious person, if he is a little savvy in the history and architecture of the capital, seeing on the facade of a turquoise building - the master's house of the estate, a piece of white plastered wall with a characteristic decor, will understand that he needs to dig deeper than it seems, right up to the 17th century. But let's take things in order.
The first free library in Moscow. Why a reading room?
Now Turgenevka is a modern public library with a good book collection - about 100 thousand books, newspapers and magazines, most of which readers can take home. And in 1885, when the library, founded with private capital and donated to the city, opened in a new building built specifically for it, books could only be read in the reading room. But the hall was good: bright, spacious, with a hundred seats, with huge gas lamps and a stove for heating in the winter. Since its opening, it has never been empty - anyone could use the library, regardless of class, financial and social status. Turgenevka is the first free public library in Moscow.
Where Morozova and Turgenev met, a library or a porterhouse, the rifts of history.
After the death of Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev, who orphaned Russian culture with his passing, which was repeated in obituaries of all major Russian newspapers, the famous Moscow businesswoman and philanthropist Varvara Alekseevna Morozova came to the Moscow City Duma with a proposal to open a free public library with her money in memory of the writer. At her expense, a building was built on Myasnitskiye Gate Square, designed by the famous architect D.N. Chichagov, the same one who then designed the building for the Duma itself near Red Square.
Did Morozova and Turgenev personally meet? The sources are silent about this, and the tour guides of Turgenevka, without composing beautiful fairy tales, remind that the writer and the merchant’s wife had one social circle - a professor at Moscow University, and one of the most popular ideas in this circle was the idea of free enlightenment for everyone.
So Ivan Sergeevich did not live nearby, and the square was named Turgenevskaya precisely because it was decorated with a reading room building. However, if you are interested in Moscow addresses and acquaintances of Turgenev, librarians will help you with this too. A separate “Turgenian” collection, a lovingly collected bibliography, a virtual exhibition on the library’s website - to help those interested and curious.
In general, be sure to take a free excursion to the Turgenev Library. After all, there are so many interesting facts, city stories, funny and sad moments associated with Turgenevka. On a funny note: on the eve of the opening, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, driving past the library building, asked the cab driver what kind of strange house with boarded up windows it was. “I don’t know, master, it must be a porter,” answered the latter. “Although, if it were a porterhouse or a tavern, it would have been opened a long time ago.” Chekhov published this sketch from city life in the “Picturesque Review”, and the next day after the solemn prayer service, Turgenevka began working. The funny thing is that if you look closely at one of the first photographs of the library, you can see a “Beer Shop” sign on the adjacent building.
From the sad: having survived a fire in the 20s. XX century and the bombing of the 40s, and, not having been closed for a day during the war, the library became the last victim on the path of Stalin’s Master Plan for the reconstruction of Moscow. In 1972, the historical reading building was demolished, considering that it interfered with the construction of Novokirsky Prospekt (since 1990 it has been Academician Sakharov Avenue - editor's note). For 25 years Turgenevka was homeless: without being closed on paper, she had no place to work with readers. City officials considered several options for relocating the library. For example, the premises of the famous estate of General Yushkov, which has a glorious history, connected at various points with both the Freemasons (during the time of the general himself) and with the best artistic forces of Moscow. It was here that the famous MUZHVZ, the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, was located since 1844. There was another option for Turgenevka - to occupy several rooms in the famous apartment building of the Rossiya insurance company, which Le Carbusier spoke of as the most beautiful building in Moscow.
However, the Turgenev reading room began its revival much later than its employees and friends - all who spoke in its defense - wanted. In 1998, building 2 (the first stage of reconstruction) of the city estate in Bobrovy Lane was opened to readers. And since 2004 the library operates in both buildings.
Reading room of five centuries.
When entering the reading room for the first time, almost no one can contain their exclamation of admiration. Of course! The hall is spacious, with two rows of windows, and the walls... Look closely: here is the characteristic curb between the floors, torn pediments of the architraves, small window openings - this is a wall of the 17th century, next to it there is a flatter decor, a keystone appears in the architraves - the 18th century, and external two walls – XIX century. Oh, but suddenly we found ourselves not in the hall, but in the courtyard of the main house of the estate! When the owners needed to expand the interior space, they cut out the thick walls up to half a meter and added two more walls, giving uniformity to the entire façade, hiding the earlier volumes under the plaster. Before the general reconstruction of the two buildings, which was necessary to house the library here, the most distinguished old-timers did not remember that the house dates back to the 17th century. But under the guidance of professional restorers, the ancient wall was opened, the knocked-down decor was restored, and then the archives began to reveal their secrets to historians working in Turgenevka. It was discovered that in the 18th century. The estate was owned by the ancient noble family of Petrovo-Solovovo; for the next century it was occupied by the merchants Gerasimovs, then the Biryukovs. Of course, after the revolution, the estate was given to the state and communal apartments and later trade unions were located here.
“Turgenevites” study their history and carefully preserve its evidence: photographs, archival documents, memories of employees, autographs and wishes of friends of the reading room, famous and not so famous.
Cultural space of the metropolis.
Skeptics, hearing the word “library,” raise their eyebrows in surprise: are they really still there? They not only stayed, they not only worked, they gave out books. The library is an open and hospitable cultural space, a platform where reading is combined with communication, work with intellectual pastime. Turgenevka has its own cafe, where young people gather and poetry evenings and concerts are held. In the conference hall of the library, lectures on various fields of knowledge, film lectures, meetings with writers are held, the Turgenev Living Room is a space for poetry and music, there are excellent acoustics and a Yamaha piano does not stand idle. Every month a new exhibition awaits you, and Turgenevka is loved not only by beginning artists, but also by honored masters. In addition, the library actively participates in major cultural events. It was Turgenevka who acted as one of the organizers and initiators of the “Library Night” event, which took place for the second time throughout Russia in April of this year. On an April library night, the magical courtyard of Turgenevka and the entire library were flooded with lovers of reading, cinema, intellectual quests and other exciting activities. If you missed it, don't regret it, it won't be the last time!
Anyone over the age of 14 can enroll in the Turgenev Library. For most events Free admission. Free tour available n the last Saturday of every month starting in September. And yes, no one has asked for a long time if there is WI-FI here: there is wireless Internet and a lot of interesting things!
In September, the beginning of the new season, Turgenevka will delight lovers of Moscow, history, and antiquity with a whole series of events on local history topics. On September 7, City Day, library guests are invited to take part in quizzes and competitions, watch films about the capital, and get acquainted with the unique exhibition “Wonderful City, Ancient City. Moscow in pre-revolutionary editions of the library’s rare book fund,” read or take home books from the rich and well-selected fund on Moscow studies. The famous local historian Denis Romodin will give a lecture “Life in Moscow apartments - from the 19th to the 21st centuries” for everyone. And you can feel the atmosphere of the past and even dance to a gramophone at the exhibition of the project “Moscow that does not exist” “Houses and Things of Old Moscow”. On this day, at the opening day of the exhibition there will be a party in the style of the 20s. with the participation of reenactors. The organizers promise a series of lectures and master classes on makeup, retro hairstyles, as well as presentations of various books throughout the exhibition. Full immersion in history is guaranteed!
Also in September, on Thursdays, the “Smart Moscow” lecture hall will present lectures on the topic “Conscientious Moscow”: famous experts will talk about the city’s master plans, ambitious but unrealized projects, and the construction of the Moscow metro. At the lectures in the “Educational Environment” series, you will learn details of the extraordinary and tragic destinies of representatives of the Romanov royal dynasty. The cycle is timed to coincide with the anniversary widely celebrated this year - the 400th anniversary of the dynasty. Free tours of the library and surrounding area are planned in collaboration with the Department of Cultural Heritage's "Exit to the City" project. Read the poster at
