Exhibition "The Exiled Poet in Kurgan"

About exhibition

The V. K. Küchelbecker House‑Museum is the only museum in Russia dedicated to the memory of the Decembrist, poet and lyceum friend of A. S. Pushkin. The museum building is an exact replica of the house where Wilhelm Karlovich Küchelbecker lived with his family during his exile in Kurgan from September 1845 to March 1846. The museum exhibition tells the story of Küchelbecker's family and childhood, his years of study at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, his participation in the events of December 14, 1825, his stays in fortresses in the Baltic provinces and Siberia, and reveals previously unknown facts about the life of Wilhelm Karlovich and his family. In the memorial museum the historical interiors of the drawing room, study, and kitchen‑dining room have been restored, creating the atmosphere of V. K. Küchelbecker's presence. Of particular interest are authentic items from that period: a gondola armchair, a study lantern made of milk glass with hand‑painted decoration, and a travel trunk‑chest. The exhibition also presents materials about the poet's descendants and his literary legacy, including original photographs of the Decembrist's children and grandchildren and the first posthumous editions of V. K. Küchelbecker's diary and works.