Literary and Memorial Museum of F.M. Dostoevsky

The Literary and Memorial Museum of F.M. Dostoevsky was established on May 7, 1971, in the house of postman Lepukhin on Krepostnaya Street (now Dostoevsky Street), where the writer lived for two and a half years-from 1857 to 1859.

This wooden one-and-a-half-story house, located in the very center of the city, wrapped in snow in winter and immersed in the gentle rustle of leaves in summer, breathes the memory of F.M. Dostoevsky, of his great life and immortal works filled with thought and conscience.

It was this house that laid the foundation for the only Literary and Memorial Museum of F.M. Dostoevsky outside of Russia, located on Kazakhstani soil. Over the years, it has become a symbolic cultural landmark of the city.

The events of 1971 gave new impetus to the museum's development. A unique autograph of F.M. Dostoevsky was discovered-his report to a battalion commander dated July 27, 1857, requesting that his stepson Pavel be sent to study at the Omsk Cadet Corps.

The museum’s collections began to expand rapidly, and its role in scientific, educational, and aesthetic outreach to the public increased significantly.

In 1972, at the initiative of regional authorities, a plan was proposed to construct an annex to the memorial house, which would include a spacious literary exhibition, storage facilities, a cinema hall, and a research library. The idea received widespread support from various individuals and organizations, treated with exceptional attention. Notably, the design by architect V. Vlasov, upon which the construction was based, was the 27th version of the project. The people of Semipalatinsk sought to create a unique museum unlike any other dedicated to the writer.

Thus, the concept of a museum-monument was born. The new building was designed in the shape of an open book: the jagged walls symbolized the pages, and the end face-the spine. Thanks to the incredible enthusiasm of the museum staff and the support of the regional leadership, construction was completed in 1976. A light glass vestibule connected the new building with the original memorial house, symbolizing the inseparable link between history and the present.

Recent graduates of the Leningrad Mukhina Higher School of Art and Industry-V. Odnokolkin, G. Kozlitin, V. Gukasov, and S. Shirokov-were invited to design the museum's artistic interior. Their guiding principle was the synthesis of architecture, monumental and decorative-applied arts, and exhibition design.

The exterior compositions were intended to convey the atmosphere and environment in which Dostoevsky lived and worked. This resulted in the creations titled "Creativity", "The Writer’s Study", and "Dostoevsky in St. Petersburg."

The interior installations were aimed at revealing the inner world of Dostoevsky and his characters. Such themes were embodied in compositions like "House of the Dead", "Blood", "Sweat", "Tears", and "Communion."

Relief wall paintings created the necessary emotional setting to experience the complexity of Dostoevsky’s world.

Next to the museum, a paired bronze sculpture of "F.M. Dostoevsky and Ch. Valikhanov", created by Moscow sculptor D. Elbakidze, was installed, completing the overall architectural composition of the complex.

The museum's original exhibition operated for more than 35 years and left no visitor indifferent.

However, time brought new demands, and there arose the need to create a modern exhibition equipped with new technologies that reflected the evolving scholarly perspective on Dostoevsky’s life and works.

At the same time, museum researchers faced the challenging task of respectfully preserving the existing artistic compositions while making them accessible and relevant to contemporary audiences.

The creation and design of the new exhibition took three years, and in October 2011, it welcomed its first visitors.

For over fifty years, the museum has led an active and dynamic life, becoming a pilgrimage site for admirers of the writer’s work from around the world.

Each year, the museum is visited by over 17,000 people and hosts approximately 1,500 excursions and events.

Over the decades, the museum has evolved into one of the richest repositories of literary and historical artifacts. Its collection now includes more than 26,000 items, comprising unique collections of books with autographs, lifetime editions of Dostoevsky and his contemporaries, memoir literature, 19th-20th century periodicals, manuscripts, documents, rare photographs, and visual materials.

The rare book collection contains many editions that are now considered bibliographic rarities, such as "The Honest Mirror of Youth" (1717), "Moral Tales of Mr. Marmental" (1787), "The History of the Russian State" by Nikolai Karamzin (1818), as well as sacred books from the 17th to 19th centuries.

The autograph book collection includes more than 600 volumes in sixteen languages. These books were gifted by renowned literary scholars, writers, and cultural figures.

The museum also possesses a rare collection of graphic and painting works by prominent artists such as V. Maté, N. Rundaltseva, V. Kaulbach, E. Boehm, M. Reuter, A. Korsakova, E. Klyuchevsky, V. Vilner, S. Kosenkov, A. Ushin, V. Mishin, E. Sidorkin, among others.

On the first floor of the memorial house, a permanent exhibition titled "Interior of the Late 19th - Early 20th Century" has been created.

Over the years, the museum has conducted extensive research and exhibition work. The most thoroughly studied period of Dostoevsky’s life is his time in Semipalatinsk (1854-1859). This has led to numerous major reports and publications, many of which have been featured in international academic collections.

The museum has gained recognition not only for its permanent displays but also for its long-standing exhibition activities. Annually, more than fifteen temporary exhibitions are held, based on materials from the museum’s holdings and private collections.

Museum staff actively participate in major international scholarly forums in cities such as Moscow, Staraya Russa, Novokuznetsk, Barnaul, and others.

The Kazakhstani museum of the great Russian writer has rightfully become a venue for dialogue among various schools of Dostoevsky studies and is regarded as an integral part of the global cultural process.

In 2017, by the decision of the Expert Council of the “Sacred Kazakhstan” Research Center, the Literary and Memorial Museum of F.M. Dostoevsky was included in the list of 100 Sacred Sites of Kazakhstan.