Rostropovich Family House-Museum

About museum

The unique complex "Rostropovich Family House-Museum" is the first museum in Russia dedicated to the life and work of Mstislav Rostropovich and his family. It was opened on November 14, 2001 in Orenburg at 25 Ziminskaya Street. This was the house of Elena Adolfovna Lontkevich, a friend of Rostropovich's future wife, in which the Rostropovich family lived during the evacuation (from 1941 to 1943). At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War the Rostropovich family moved to Orenburg and settled in two rooms of the Lontkevich house. The interior and household furnishings of the mid-20th century have been recreated very accurately. The museum exhibits photographs of the musician's mother, father, sister and himself. On display is a book presented to Slava Rostropovich by Mikhail Chulaka, a composer who came to Orenburg during the war. The grandfather and grandmother of Leopold Vitoldovich were founders of professional musical education throughout the Orenburg region. At the museum, visitors can learn about the Orenburg roots of the world-famous musician.