Leonid Sobinov House Museum
The house where the brilliant opera singer Leonid Sobinov spent his childhood and youth now houses a museum in his memory. You will see here a lot of memorabilia – rare photographs, stage costumes, theatrical accessories, portraits – telling about the life of the "Orpheus of the Russian stage" and his friendship with other stars of his time: Chaliapin, Rachmaninov, Stanislavsky. The singer's voice, once known all over the world, is constantly heard in the music house: there is a collection of records that visitors listen to after excursions.
The collection of exhibits for the future museum began to take shape back in 1953, when the singer's widow donated some books, costumes, and photographs to the museum's fund. Then Sobinov's daughter did the same, and then other relatives. Today, the museum has an impressive collection, including amazing things. For example, here you can see one of the main Sobinov family heirlooms: a pillow that "remembers" the first cry of babies born in the family. According to tradition, all newborns, including the future singer, were laid on it first.
The history of the museum is not easy. Work on its creation began back in the 70s of the last century, but it took more than 20 years to open the memorial space to visitors. Years later, the museum was forced to close again for a complex restoration. During this time, many new exhibits have appeared: unique gramophone recordings, poetic autographs of the singer, his portrait in a rare photo engraving technique. Now you can see these and other memorials in the museum, and not far from here there is a monument to Sobinov – one of the most popular local attractions.
You can visit the museum on any day except Monday and Tuesday, it is open from 10:00 to 17:45. The entrance ticket costs 100 rubles for adults, 50 rubles for students. Children under the age of 16 are allowed free of charge. Excursions are held here for guests of any age, and the lesson for younger students "In the house of an extraordinary boy" is very popular. There is also a concert hall, which periodically hosts musical evenings.
