MUSEUM OF COMMUNAL LIFE «SERGEI DOVLATOV’S APARTMENT»
the very same legendary communal apartment
corridor
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click to view the room
Communal Apartment
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HOUSE ON RUBINSTEIN STREET, 23
(1910)
(1910)
This is the burned-down turret with a clock that once adorned this courtyard.
At 23 Rubinstein Street stands a building that, if it could speak, would surely tell the story of St. Petersburg is better than any tour guide.
Behind its elegant stucco façade lies not just a structure, but an entire world—a cour d’honneur, spacious and rare for our city. It seems that the architect, weary of the countless well-yards, decided to indulge his imagination. Instead of the usual cramped spaces, he created a small yet luxurious street: balconies, bay windows, and a turret with a clock and a flag at it's center.
Behind its elegant stucco façade lies not just a structure, but an entire world—a cour d’honneur, spacious and rare for our city. It seems that the architect, weary of the countless well-yards, decided to indulge his imagination. Instead of the usual cramped spaces, he created a small yet luxurious street: balconies, bay windows, and a turret with a clock and a flag at it's center.
Once, that clock kept time for the residents, but now it is gone. The turret, too, has not survived. Yet, on old architectural blueprints of the façade, we can see how it once was — majestic, harmonious, almost fairy-tale-like.
The boy on the sled—that is little Seryozha Dovlatov.
"We lived in a dreadful communal apartment. A long, gloomy corridor metaphysically culminated in the lavatory. The wallpaper near the telephone was covered in drawings—a depressing chronicle of the communal subconscious.
Zoya Svistunova, a single mother, painted wildflowers.
The cheerful engineer Gordoy Borisovich Ovsyannikov carefully retouched women’s buttocks.
The not-so-bright Colonel Tikhomirov drew military insignias.
Technician Kharin sketched bottles with shot glasses.
The pop singer Zhuravleva recreated a treble clef that resembled an ear.
I drew pistols and sabers.
Our apartment was hardly typical. It was mostly inhabited by intellectuals.
There were no fights. No one spat in each other’s soup. (Though I wouldn’t bet on it.)"
(S. Dovlatov, "Ours")
Zoya Svistunova, a single mother, painted wildflowers.
The cheerful engineer Gordoy Borisovich Ovsyannikov carefully retouched women’s buttocks.
The not-so-bright Colonel Tikhomirov drew military insignias.
Technician Kharin sketched bottles with shot glasses.
The pop singer Zhuravleva recreated a treble clef that resembled an ear.
I drew pistols and sabers.
Our apartment was hardly typical. It was mostly inhabited by intellectuals.
There were no fights. No one spat in each other’s soup. (Though I wouldn’t bet on it.)"
(S. Dovlatov, "Ours")
EVENTS:
"One day, Colonel Tikhomirov was visited by a distant relative — Suchkov. A tall, clumsy fellow from the village of Dulevo.
‘Uncle,' he said, still standing on the doorstep, ‘please provide some financial assistance — say, three rubles. Otherwise, I might take the wrong path in life…'
‘You've already taken a wrong turn,' said Tikhomirov, ‘by asking for money. And I don’t have any. So don’t count on it.'
The nephew sat down on the communal chest and burst into tears. He stayed like that until lunchtime.
Finally, my mother said:
‘Come in. You must be hungry.'
‘Very,' Suchkov confirmed.
He moved in with us. Ate constantly and wandered around Leningrad. In the evenings, he drank tea and watched television. It was the first time he had ever seen a TV.
Colonel Tikhomirov remained neutral. He simply stopped greeting my mother."
(S. Dovlatov, "Ours")
‘Uncle,' he said, still standing on the doorstep, ‘please provide some financial assistance — say, three rubles. Otherwise, I might take the wrong path in life…'
‘You've already taken a wrong turn,' said Tikhomirov, ‘by asking for money. And I don’t have any. So don’t count on it.'
The nephew sat down on the communal chest and burst into tears. He stayed like that until lunchtime.
Finally, my mother said:
‘Come in. You must be hungry.'
‘Very,' Suchkov confirmed.
He moved in with us. Ate constantly and wandered around Leningrad. In the evenings, he drank tea and watched television. It was the first time he had ever seen a TV.
Colonel Tikhomirov remained neutral. He simply stopped greeting my mother."
(S. Dovlatov, "Ours")
"Keramarh" — the world’s only museum of architectural and artistic ceramics
"D‑Day" — the Annual Festival in Memory of Sergei Dovlatov and His Era
MUSEUM PARTNERS:
Media Presence:
“My maternal grandfather had a rather severe temper. Even in the Caucasus, he was considered a hot-headed man. His wife and children trembled under his gaze.
If something annoyed him, he would furrow his brow and exclaim in a deep voice:
‘ABANAMAT!’
This mysterious word would instantly paralyze everyone around. It instilled a kind of mystical fear.
‘ABANAMAT!’ the grandfather would roar.
And silence would fall over the entire house.”
(S. Dovlatov, "Ours")
If something annoyed him, he would furrow his brow and exclaim in a deep voice:
‘ABANAMAT!’
This mysterious word would instantly paralyze everyone around. It instilled a kind of mystical fear.
‘ABANAMAT!’ the grandfather would roar.
And silence would fall over the entire house.”
(S. Dovlatov, "Ours")
MUSEUM OF COMMUNAL LIFE "SERGEI DOVLATOV’S APARTMENT"
the very same legendary communal apartment
HOW TO BOOK A TOUR?
To book a tour, message us on WhatsApp:
(Please include your name, the date you’d like to visit, and the number of people in your group.)
(Please include your name, the date you’d like to visit, and the number of people in your group.)
OUR UPCOMING GOALS:
• Reconstruct and restore the interior of the rooms to reflect the everyday life of the 1970s.
• Open several additional rooms in the apartment for visitors, including recently acquired spaces.
• Restore the lost entrance doors to the front hall, matching the era and architectural style of the building.
CONTACTS
+7 (995) 232-23-34
+7 (995) 232-23-34
OPENING HOURS
Mon-Fri: 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Sat-Sun: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Mon-Fri: 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Sat-Sun: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM