Melikhovo (State Literary-Memorial Museum-Reserve
of A.P. Chekhov) is one of the main Chekhov museums in Russia.
Located in the vicinity of the city of Chekhov, Moscow region. Here,
from 1892 to 1899, the writer lived with his parents and immediate
relatives. Before leaving for the Crimea, Chekhov sold this estate,
and after the revolution it fell into neglect.
In the XVIII
and until the middle of the XIX century there were estates of
landowners Naumov and Chufarovsky in Melikhovo. In the second half
of the XIX century - the Kuvshinnikovs (two estates, one of which
later passed to Varennikovs, both lost) and the Sergeevs settled
here. The last
owner since 1888 is artist N.P. Sorokhtin. From 1892 to 1899 - A.P.
Chekhov, then until 1908 - manufacturer S.N. Konshin. The last owner
until 1917 was Baron ND Stewart.
The wooden one-storeyed main house of the Melikhovo estate was constructed in 1840s with subsequent alterations, restored in the 1960s, has been preserved. The outhouse of 1894 was designed by A.P. Chekhov, a kitchen and a shed of 1890s, a small park with a garden and a pond. In the estate there were many famous figures of Russian culture. The wooden church of the Nativity of Christ, erected in 1757 by A. Naumov and rebuilt after the fire of 1994. Local village cemetery is located nearby with some old tombstone. The bell tower erected by the project and with the funds of A.P. Chekhov, dismantled earlier. The church was attributed to the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in the estate Vaskino. At the edge of the village Melikhovo a wooden building of the school was built thank to the effort of A.P. Chekhov. Today an exposition "Zemskaya school of the end of the XIX century" is held within its walls.
In the XVIII and until the middle of the XIX century
in Melikhovo there were estates of the landowners Naumovs and
Chufarovskys. In the second half of the 19th century - the Kuvshinnikovs
(two estates, one of which later passed to the Varennikovs, both were
lost) and the Sergeevs. The last owner since 1888 is the artist N. P.
Sorokhtin. From 1892 to 1899 - A.P. Chekhov, then until 1908 -
manufacturer S.N. Konshin. Last owner until 1917 Baron N. D. Stuart.
The wooden one-story main house of the 1840s with subsequent
alterations, restored in the 1960s, an outbuilding of 1894, built
according to the project of A.P. Chekhov, a kitchen and a barn of the
1890s, a small park with a garden and a pond have been preserved. The
estate was visited by many famous figures of Russian culture. In the
village cemetery there is a wooden church of the Nativity of Christ,
erected in 1757 by A. Naumov and restored after a fire in 1994. The bell
tower, erected according to the project and at the expense of A.P.
Chekhov, was dismantled earlier. There are old tombstones in the
cemetery. The church was assigned to the Church of the Nativity of the
Virgin in the Vaskino estate. On the edge of the village in a wooden
school building, opened through the efforts of A.P. Chekhov, there is an
exposition "Zemskaya school of the late 19th century."
The decision to establish the museum as a branch of
the Serpukhov Museum of Local Lore was made in 1939. In 1941, the museum
opened to visitors, and Pyotr Nikolaevich Solovyov became its first
director. The writer's sister M. P. Chekhova and his nephew S. M.
Chekhov took an active part in recreating the atmosphere of the
Chekhov's house.
The museum reflects the activities of Chekhov as
a writer, doctor, public figure. The collection of the museum in
Melikhovo has more than 20 thousand exhibits. The museum contains
paintings by artists - friends of the writer: I. Levitan, V. Polenov, N.
Chekhov, P. Seregin and others. Melikhovo is a venue for concerts,
theater and music festivals, exhibitions, and Christmas trees.
One of the first monuments to the writer in the USSR was erected on the
territory of the museum in 1951 (sculptor G. I. Motovilov, architect L.
M. Polyakov)
Melikhovo is a historic estate located in the village
of the same name, approximately 70 kilometers south of Moscow in the
Chekhovsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia. Originally a modest rural
property, it gained prominence as the home of the renowned Russian
writer and playwright Anton Pavlovich Chekhov from 1892 to 1899. During
this period, Chekhov produced some of his most celebrated works, making
Melikhovo a pivotal site in Russian literary history. Today, it
functions as the State Literary and Memorial Museum-Reserve "Melikhovo,"
preserving the estate's buildings, gardens, and artifacts to reflect its
late 19th-century appearance. The estate spans about 213 dessiatinas
(roughly 230 hectares or 570 acres) of land, including fields, birch
woods, small rivers, a wooden church, and around 40 peasant households
in the surrounding village. The site's history encompasses its
pre-Chekhov origins as a gentry estate, its transformation under
Chekhov's ownership, turbulent post-Revolutionary changes, and its
eventual restoration as a cultural landmark.
Pre-Chekhov History
(Origins to 1892)
The estate's roots trace back to the mid-19th
century in a small rural settlement that, by 1890, featured three
country estates and a population of around 300 residents. The main
wooden house was constructed in the 1840s in the Russian neoclassical
style, characterized by its one-story structure, simple lines, and
functional design. By the late 19th century, it was owned by Nikolai
Pavlovich Sorokhtin, a set decorator for the Hermitage summer garden
theater in Moscow. Sorokhtin remodeled the house in a more picturesque
style, adding decorative elements to enhance its aesthetic appeal.
Facing financial difficulties, Sorokhtin placed an advertisement for the
sale of the estate in the newspaper Moskovskiy Vedomosti (later known as
Courier) in early 1892.
The surrounding area was typical of rural
Moscow Governorate (now Oblast), with neighboring gentry estates like
Babkino (owned by artist A.S. Kiselev), which Chekhov had visited
previously and found inspiring. The village of Melikhovo itself was
unremarkable, centered around agriculture, with peasant households
engaging in farming, woodworking, and local trades. The estate included
basic outbuildings, a garden, park, large trees, and long linden alleys,
but it was not a grand manor—more a practical country retreat.
The Chekhov Period (1892–1899)
Anton Chekhov, then a 32-year-old
successful writer and physician, discovered the advertisement and met
Sorokhtin on February 2, 1892. He purchased the estate on February 22
for an undisclosed sum, describing it in a letter to his friend V.V.
Bilibin as a promising property despite its modest scale. The Chekhov
family—Anton, his parents Pavel Yegorovich and Evgenia Yakovlevna, his
sister Maria Pavlovna, and occasionally his brothers—moved in on March
1, 1892, with Anton arriving on March 4. Chekhov viewed Melikhovo as an
escape from urban life in Moscow, allowing him to focus on writing,
medical practice, and community involvement. He later called this
seven-year period the most fruitful of his life.
Daily Life and
Community Contributions
Chekhov renovated the estate, describing the
house as spacious, light-filled, warm, with an iron roof, terrace, and
Venetian windows, though he humorously noted its "silly appearance" from
outside. His study doubled as a medical office, where he provided free
treatment and medicines to thousands of patients, often from dawn.
During the 1892–1893 cholera epidemic, he oversaw care for 26 villages,
seven factories, and a monastery. He also built three model schools,
participated in the Serpukhov district council, and conducted the 1897
census, personally enumerating locals in Melikhovo and Bershovo.
Family life was collaborative: Maria took up painting, turning Chekhov's
study into her studio, while Pavel managed household tasks and played
violin. Guests were frequent, including writers like Lev Tolstoy,
artists like Isaac Levitan and Vasily Serov, and actress Lidiya (Lika)
Mizinova, who inspired characters in his works. Evenings featured music
on a C. Bechstein piano (acquired from a neighboring estate), parlor
games like loto, and gypsy songs. Chekhov enjoyed gardening with Maria,
planting flowers, vegetables, and exotic crops like artichokes; the
garden's aromas and layout influenced The Seagull. Recreation included
fishing, mushroom hunting, and socializing.
In 1894, Chekhov added a
two-story guest cottage (now known as the "wing" or outbuilding), where
he wrote key works; the lower floor served as a medical room. His
writing routine was irregular, often interrupted by duties, but
productive: simple meals like coffee and bouillon fueled his sessions.
Literary Output
Melikhovo inspired 42 major works, including
short stories like Ward No. 6 (1892), The Black Monk (1894), The House
with the Mezzanine (1896), Peasants (1897), and the trilogy The Man in a
Case, Gooseberries, and About Love (1898); plays The Seagull (1895) and
Uncle Vanya (1896); and his book Sakhalin Island (1895). Elements from
the estate—such as the alley to a pond, red moonrises, and family
games—appear in The Seagull. News of Pyotr Tchaikovsky's death in 1893
reached here, prompting Chekhov to dedicate Gloomy People to him;
Tchaikovsky's music was a staple.
Pavel Chekhov's death in October
1898, while Anton was in Yalta for his tuberculosis, deeply affected the
family, leading to the estate's sale in 1899 as life there felt
unsustainable without him. Chekhov moved to Yalta for warmer climate.
Post-Chekhov History (1899–Present)
In 1899, the estate was sold
to Baron Nikolai Stuart (or Stewart), a lumber merchant, who used it as
a summer residence until the 1917 Russian Revolution. Only Chekhov's
grand piano and writing desk remained from his era. After the
Revolution, Stuart was arrested and executed by the Bolsheviks, and the
property was nationalized in October 1918. Declared historically
significant, it was initially neglected. By 1927, it became a state farm
(Sovkhoz) named after Chekhov, with new agricultural buildings
constructed nearby, leading to the gradual deterioration and partial
destruction of the original structures. A commemorative plaque was
installed, but the main house was demolished, and the guest cottage fell
into ruin.
Restoration efforts began in 1940, with a museum opening
in January 1941 to mark the 80th anniversary of Chekhov's birth.
However, the German invasion in June 1941 forced its closure during
World War II. In June 1944, it was declared a state monument, and
restoration resumed. The museum reopened on September 25, 1944. The
guest cottage was rebuilt in 1954, and the main house was reconstructed
between 1957 and 1960 using original plans and photographs. The Sovkhoz
buildings were relocated and demolished in the 1960s, allowing for
garden replanting. Ongoing work, including artifact collection and
landscape restoration, continued through 2011.
Today, Melikhovo is a
thriving museum-reserve, attracting visitors for tours, literary events,
and cultural programs. It preserves the main house, guest cottage,
gardens (with replanted trees and flowers), and exhibits like Chekhov's
study and family artifacts. Recent events include a 2025 Peace Road tour
highlighting its legacy. The site embodies Chekhov's humanistic spirit,
blending literary heritage with rural Russian history.
Melikhovo is a small rural settlement in southern Moscow Oblast, Russia, best known as the former estate of writer Anton Chekhov, now preserved as a museum. Geographically, it represents a typical landscape of the East European Plain's forest-steppe transition zone, characterized by gentle rolling plains, river valleys, and mixed forests. The area's geography is shaped by glacial activity from the Pleistocene era, resulting in morainic hills, alluvial soils, and a network of small rivers and ponds. With a population of around 300 in the late 19th century, Melikhovo's environment includes cultivated gardens, neighboring woods, and man-made features like a small pond, all embedded in the broader topography of Chekhovsky District. This in-depth description draws on the region's flat to undulating terrain, humid continental climate, and diverse natural features, which support agriculture, forestry, and wildlife.
Melikhovo lies in Chekhovsky District, Moscow Oblast, approximately 64 km (40 miles) south of central Moscow, near the town of Chekhov (formerly Lopasnya until renamed in 1954 after the writer). Its precise coordinates are 55°07′N 37°39′E (or approximately 55.117°N, 37.650°E), placing it in the European part of Russia within the latitudes 54°–57°N and longitudes 35°–41°E of Moscow Oblast. The district itself spans about 866 km² (334 sq mi) and borders other southern districts like Serpukhovsky to the southwest and Stupinsky to the southeast. Melikhovo is positioned on the Moskvoretsko-Oksk Plain, just north of the Oka River basin, which forms a natural southern boundary for much of the oblast. This location integrates it into the broader Central Russian Upland transition, with proximity to major transport routes like the M2 highway connecting Moscow to southern Russia.
The topography of Melikhovo and Chekhovsky District is predominantly flat to gently undulating, typical of the East European Plain's southern margins. Elevations average around 174 m (571 ft) above sea level, with minimal variation—ranging from lowland valleys at about 120–150 m to subtle hills reaching up to 200–254 m in nearby areas. The terrain features morainic deposits from ancient glaciers, creating a mosaic of plains, shallow river valleys, and occasional karst formations (sinkholes and caves) in adjacent Serpukhovsky District. In Melikhovo itself, the landscape is subtle: the estate includes a fine garden with straight alleys, a small man-made pond (described by Chekhov as "miniature, like a fish tank"), and surrounding low-relief fields that give an expansive feel when viewed closely. Slopes are generally mild, supporting agriculture, but the southern edges near the Oka River transition into the Central Russian Upland with more pronounced gullies and ravines (up to 236 m near Pushchino). Overall, the area lacks dramatic relief, with glacial lowlands and alluvial plains dominating, making it suitable for rural settlements and farming.
Melikhovo experiences a humid continental climate (Dfb in Köppen classification), characterized by cold winters, warm summers, and moderate precipitation distributed throughout the year. Annual average temperatures range from +3.5°C to +5.5°C, with a slight increase in continentality toward the southeast. Winters last 130–150 days (November to March), with January–February averages of -9°C to -12°C, occasional drops to -45°C, and up to 50 thaw days. Snow cover persists from November to mid-April, accumulating 25–50 cm deep, with soil freezing to 65–75 cm. Summers are short and mild, with July averages of +18°C to +20°C and extremes up to +40°C (as in 2010 heatwaves). Annual precipitation is 450–650 mm, peaking in summer (75 mm monthly average), though droughts occur every 25–30 years. Humidity is relatively high year-round, contributing to foggy conditions in lowlands. Seasonal winds are predominantly westerly from the Atlantic, but southeastern influences bring drier air. This climate supports deciduous forests and agriculture but poses challenges like spring floods and winter isolation.
The hydrography of Melikhovo is tied to the Oka River basin, with several small rivers and artificial water bodies dotting the landscape. The Lopasnya River, a tributary of the Oka, flows through Chekhovsky District, providing drainage and historical navigation routes. Rivers here are calm, with developed floodplains fed primarily by snowmelt, leading to April–May floods followed by low summer levels; they freeze from late November to mid-April. Melikhovo's estate features a small pond built by Chekhov, enhancing local microhabitats. The district lacks large lakes, but glacial-origin ponds and marshes are common in lowlands. Groundwater is abundant, with mineral springs in nearby areas like Serpukhov, used for spas. Overall, the region's over 300 rivers (many >10 km) emphasize its role in the Volga and Oka watersheds, supporting fisheries (e.g., perch, pike) and water supply for Moscow via canals and reservoirs.
Forests cover over 40% of Moscow Oblast, and in
southern districts like Chekhovsky, they transition from
coniferous-deciduous mixes to broad-leaved stands. Around Melikhovo,
vegetation includes oak, lime, maple, and elm, with spruce in upland
transitions (e.g., upper Lopasnya). Neighboring woods are noted for
mushroom collection, while the estate's garden features alleys and small
trees. South of the Oka, pine steppe forests dominate, but cultivation
has replaced many natural meadows. Swamps occur in eastern lowlands,
with introduced species like Canadian maple altering biodiversity.
Fauna is diverse, with over 170 bird species (e.g., nightingales,
woodpeckers, herons) and mammals like moose, wild boar, foxes, beavers,
and hares. Southern areas host species like speckled ground squirrels
and beech martens. Reptiles (e.g., European adder) and amphibians (e.g.,
common frog) thrive in wetlands, while insects include over 300 bee
species. Protected areas nearby, such as Prioksko-Terrasny Nature
Reserve in Serpukhovsky District, preserve wisents and other wildlife,
highlighting the region's ecological importance despite human impacts.
Soils in Melikhovo and Chekhovsky District are primarily infertile podzols, requiring fertilizers for agriculture, with gray forest soils common between the Oka, Moskva, and Klyazma rivers. River valleys feature fertile alluvial deposits, while lowlands have boggy sandy loams. South of the Oka, chernozem soils support more intensive farming, but in the district, loams predominate on hills. Natural resources include construction sands, clays (e.g., refractory white clays near Gzhel), limestones, and peat from lowlands. Minor deposits of phosphates and potassium salts exist, alongside mineral springs. Environmental concerns include soil pollution from fertilizers and urban waste, particularly near Moscow, but the area's forests and rivers contribute to regional carbon sequestration and biodiversity.
Bobkov, Konstantin Vasilyevich (2004 - present)
Bychkov, Yuri Alexandrovich (1994-2004)
Abramenkova Lyudmila
Zakharovna (1987-1994)
Avdeev, Yuri Konstantinovich (1951-1987)
Kornyushin Pyotr Kuzmich (1949-1951)
Simanov Sergey Ivanovich
(1945-1949)
Vanag Petr Ivanovich (1943-1944)
Solovyov, Pyotr
Nikolaevich (1940-1941)