Dostoevsky House Staraya Russa

Dostoevsky came to Staraya Russa in 1872 for the mineral waters and his children's health, rented a house on the river, and bought it in 1876 - the only property he ever owned. He spent summers here until his death in 1881 and wrote much of A Raw Youth and The Brothers Karamazov in the study upstairs. The town supplied the setting: Skotoprigonyevsk in the novel maps onto Staraya Russa street by street, and local buildings have been identified with the Karamazov house and Grushenka's house, the latter now a separate museum. His wife Anna kept the house and opened it to visitors; after decades of other uses, an exhibition in two rooms followed in 1969 and the memorial museum opened in 1981. The interiors are furnished with family things - the study with his desk, the dining room, the children's rooms. The town itself is a small spa with a park, salt springs and a fountain, and it was badly damaged in the war.

What to look for

• The only house he owned - bought in 1876 and used until his death in 1881.
• The study - where much of The Brothers Karamazov was written.
• The novel's town - Staraya Russa mapped onto Skotoprigonyevsk street by street.
• Grushenka's house - a second museum in the building identified with the character.

When to go

May to September. Two hours, longer with the town walk. Closed Mondays.

Things to know

Visits are guided, mostly in Russian. The museum is small. The town was heavily damaged in the war, so much of the fabric the novels describe is gone. Transport from Novgorod is by bus and takes about two hours.

Nearby

The spa park and salt springs are in the town; Veliky Novgorod is north.