Yasnaya Polyana
Overview
Yasnaya Polyana is a writer's house museum and the former home of the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. It is located 12 kilometers southwest of Tula and 200 kilometers from Moscow. The estate of Yasnaya Polyana, which translates to "Bright Glade" in English, is where Tolstoy was born, wrote his most significant works, and is buried.
History
Yasnaya Polyana was initially a modest estate owned by the Volkonsky family. In 1763, it was passed on to the Tolstoys. Leo Toloy's parents, Count Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy and Mariya Nikolayevna Volkonskaya, were married in 1823 and moved to Yasnaya Polyana. Leo Tolstoy was born there on September 9, 1828. After the death of his parents, Tolstoy and his siblings were raised by relatives.
In 1856, after serving in the Crimean War, Tolstoy returned to Yasnaya Polyana and established a school for peasant children on the estate. He also began his literary career here, writing the first parts of his novel "War and Peace" and later "Anna Karenina".
Architecture
The main house of Yasnaya Polyana is a typical example of a 19th-century Russian country estate. It is a two-story wooden building with a high basement. The house is surrounded by a large garden, which Tolstoy himself designed and maintained.
The estate also includes several outbuildings, such as a coach house, a kitchen, and a schoolhouse. The schoolhouse is particularly significant as it was here that Tolstoy implemented his educational experiments.
Museum
Yasnaya Polyana was turned into a museum in 1921. The museum preserves the original atmosphere of the house and the estate, with many of Tolstoy's personal belongings on display. The museum also organizes various cultural events and educational programs.
Tolstoy's Grave
Tolstoy's grave is located in a secluded spot in the forest at Yasnaya Polyana. According to his wishes, there is no tombstone or any other marker. The location was chosen by Tolstoy himself as it was a place where his elder brother Nikolay had once shown him a little green stick, which, he said, would destroy all evil in the world when found.