Yasnaya Polyana Museum-Estate

About museum

Yasnaya Polyana is one of the few estates that have preserved their historical appearance to this day. What sets it apart from others is that one of Russia's greatest writers, Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, lived and worked here. It is the unique home of an academic in the field of belles-lettres and an unconventional landowner, where he was born, worked, and found rest.

The first records of Yasnaya Polyana date back to 1652. From the mid-18th century the estate belonged to the writer's maternal ancestors, the Princes Volkonsky. During the 18th and 19th centuries a unique manor landscape was created here – parks, gardens, picturesque alleys, ponds, a large greenhouse; an architectural ensemble was formed, which included a large master's house and two wings.

One of the estate's wings eventually became the home for the writer and his family. Tolstoy lived here for more than 50 years, and it was here that he created masterpieces of world literature. All the furnishings and works of art belonged to the writer's family and are authentic. Tolstoy's personal library, numbering more than 22,000 volumes, is under UNESCO protection.