Volkonsky House-Museum Exhibition

About exhibition

The Irkutsk Museum of the Decembrists presents a permanent exhibition located in the house that once belonged to the Decembrist Volkonsky. The house and estate of S. G. Volkonsky are a unique feature of Irkutsk culture. The traditions and daily life of the princely family are shown through partially reconstructed historical interiors, which contain memorial items of the Decembrists. Within the estate enclosure, all the outbuildings have been partially reconstructed: a peasant hut (izba), a stable, a carriage house, a granary and a cowshed. The house is two-story. All the rooms on each floor are connected and form a continuous enfilade. The second floor contained two boudoirs, two bedrooms and two dressing rooms — those of Princess Maria Nikolaevna and her daughter Elena. The princess’s boudoir is the most fully reconstructed interior in the museum. In the center of the second floor, facing the street, is a spacious and cozy library where members of the Volkonsky family used to gather. Beneath the library on the first floor is the ceremonial hall — a living room with three windows facing the street. Literary and musical salons are held here; music from the Decembrist era is played, and lines of poetry by the mistress of the house’s favorite authors are read. On both sides of the living room are two corner studies: those of Sergey Grigorievich and his son Mikhail. The admission ticket to the exhibition also grants access to temporary exhibitions. For information call: +7 (3952) 20-75-32.