Rachmaninov Family Museum 'Znamenskoye'

About museum

The Rachmaninov Family Museum 'Znamenskoye' is located in the building of the former zemstvo school built by Arkady Alexandrovich Rachmaninov, the grandfather of A.I. Ziloti and S.V. Rachmaninov. It was founded on June 6, 2004.

The Znamenskoye estate (formerly Tarakanovka) of Kozlovsky Uyezd in Tambov Governorate (now the village of Znamenka in Petrovsky District of Tambov Oblast) belonged to members of the Rachmaninov noble family from 1761 to 1917. For one and a half centuries the ancestors of the great Russian composer S.V. Rachmaninov lived in Znamenskoye; his great-grandfather, grandfather and father were born there. Under the Rachmaninovs the estate was one of the cultural centers of Tambov Governorate. A symphony orchestra and a choral chapel were established here, concerts and musical evenings were held regularly, and there was a rich library, a collection of scores and a painting collection.

The museum includes an exhibition dedicated to the Rachmaninov-Ziloti family: furniture, paintings, photographs and documents. The pride of the collection is A.I. Ziloti's piano.

Every year literary-musical and local-history festivals dedicated to the Rachmaninov family take place in the village of Znamenka. Guided thematic tours are organized for visitors.