Tula regionA Piece of my Homeland

The Bolotov A.T. Estate Museum at Dvoryaninovo

Done by:4th year student of Tula State Lev Tolstoy Pedagogical UniversityFaculty of foreign languagesSukhorukova Ekaterina

What first associations about Tula region do you have?

Leo Tolstoy

SamovarGingerbread

Gun

However, no one even guesses that Tula is famous for other significant people, things and sights. One of the prominent Tula citizens is considered to be Andrew Bolotov.

Andrew Bolotovis the famous Russian scientist, philosopher, writer, encyclopaedist, one of the founders of Russian agronomy. He was born on 7 (18)th of October in 1738 in his patrimonial countryside «Dvoryaninovo», Alexin County, Tula province, and died on 3rd, according to other sources 4(16)th of October in 1833 there.

This person possessed encyclopedic erudition and truly immense interests. He left to his descendants 350 volumes of various works, including numerous works on the Russian history. He spread potatoes, tomatoes, other vegetables and fruits in Russia.

Dvoryaniovois the countryside in Zaokskij district of

Tula region. Its main sight is the Bolotov Estate Museum.

After his retirement from military service Bolotov went to his father's estate in 1762 and found it in a deplorable state. The renewed house was constructed in 1769 in Dvoryaninovo.

The A. Bolotov Estate Museum

He also created a model of the Russian landscape park with intricately combined plantings and intact forest areas. During the revolution the Bolotov estate was burned. All the family portraits, manuscripts, household items vanished or were transported abroad. The estate itself was ruined and abandoned.

New period of the A. Bolotov Estate Museum

The decision to create the estate-museum was made in 1988 by the USSR government. In the same year the house was reconstructed from Bolotov’s drawings found in Karl University library of in Prague. The museum was opened in the renovated building in 1993.

The reconstructed A. Bolotov Estate Museum

plays the main role in the study and promotion of Bolotov’s scientific heritage. The museum leads public educational work and organizes different exhibitions, conferences and competitions.

The oak that brings eternal longevity

The old oak seen from the windows of the restored house was broken by lightning during Bolotov’s life. It fell on the young elm and grew together. According to the legend, it is possible to find happiness and longevity, if you walk under the arch formed by the oak.

The Unique Programme for Tourists

This estate museum organizes three types of excursion: «Bolotov’s life and scientific

work» «A. Bolotov as the first

Russian agronomist»  «A. Bolotov as the creator of

the landscape park»All of them include excursions in the house, the show-room, ethnographic and mineralogical exhibitions.

The Excursion in the Estate

Major exhibits of the A. Bolotov Estate Museum

• Original letters

• A. Bolotov’s scientific library

• The electronic machine

The electronic machine

Bolotov treated 43 diseases with the help of this machine (electrophoresis)! Even Tula aristocracy went to Dvoryaninovo and wanted Bolotov to heal them!

Other entertainments of «Dvoryaninovo»

• The museum also offers a walk through the neighborhoods, swimming in the ponds, riding on a swing, tea party with herbal tea, Tula gingerbread and jam made from black and red currants collected in the estate. Here you can also relax in the Russian bath with a birch broom.

17t th -18th of OctoberA. Bolotov memorial days

On the 17th – 18th of October, in the days of the memory of A. Bolotov, the museum conducts scientific readings, which include prominent scientists, students and pupils. These days are accompanied by wreath-laying ceremony on the grave of A. Bolotov and end with a festive dinner and concert.

Happy New Year in the estate museum

On the New Year holidays the museum organizes bright shows for children with Santa Claus and the boyar and his family.

Teachers of Sosnovskaya school showed performance

of fairy tale "Cinderella" in the

run-up to New Year celebration.

Reasons to visit this place:

• Chance to immerge into the life of the

Russian scientist

• The museum receives more than 14

thousand visitors

• Unique natural landscapes and intact forest

areas

• The winner of the competition "Changing

Museum in the Changing World" 2007

Sources:1. www.museum.ru/M604

2. myslo.ru/news/arhiv/article-5178

3. nat922.narod.ru/geo/dvorianinovo.htm

4. autotravel.org.ru

5. tatin.photoshare.ru

6. www.exmu.ru

7. a-v-belousov.narod.ru

8. www.bolotovo.ru

9. www.bogoroditskievesti.ru/news/8445-novogodnyaya-

zolushka.html