Государственный музей-заповедник А. С. Пушкина

This Pskov village is closely connected
with the creative biography of the Russian
poet Alexander Pushkin. At different periods
of his life the poet visited his native
village, of Mikhailovskoye — first as an exalted
youth, then as a person "driven by
fate" and later as a poet tired of the intrigues
of the nobles and dreaming of peace
and quiet in which to create. Here, in the
old house, belonging to his grandfather he
worked well. Even during the years of
exile, during the Tzar's ruthless reprisals
against his friends, he was calmed by this
wonderful country-side with its green
groves and parks, blue lakes, the calm
Sorotia river and the boundless green
fields.
"The austere Russian country-side in this
region faultlessly acted upon the poet, as
a master influences his pupil, and instilled
in him the qualities of a really national
writer", — wrote the sculptor Sergei Konyonkov.
"Only in Mikhailovskoye could the
poet free himself from the vivid impressions
he acquired in the south, from the
capitals and the comotions of social life."
While secluded in Mikhailovskoye Pushkin
created very many works — "Boris Godunov",
"Gypsies", "Count Zero", chapters
from "Eugene Onegin" and over a
hundred poems, among them such well
known ones as "October Nineteenth", "A
Winter's Evening", "A Wonderful Moment",
"Again I Visited" and many others.
Here, on December 14, 1825, the poet heard
of the arrest, exile and execution of his
friends the "Decembrists". Visiting the
Pushkin estate one cannot but recall the
poet's clear and striking verses. They are
everywhere — in the mansion and the park,
on the road leading to Trigorskoye, on the
wooded hill, on the porch of the "Nurse's
Cottage" and the Mikhailovskoye's apple
grove. His verses have been chiselled out
in marble and granite slabs stand along all
paths that the poet had walked along.
The poet's verses are brought to mind
in another wonderful spot of the Pushkin
reserve — the Trigorsk estate, situated near
Mikhailovskoye and once belonging to his
close friends the Osypov-Wolf family.
Pushkin said that it was "a heaven crowed
by the Muses". The poet dedicated verses
to all members of this large family. There
are many spots on this estate that have
been described by Pushkin in his works —
"Onegin's Bench", "The Sun Watch", "The
Secluded Oak", "The Spot Under the
Ashberry Tree", "The Saddle-Shaped
Birch", "The Green Dance Hall" and other
spots.
Another interesting spot is the park in
Petrovskoye — the estate that used to belong
to the poet's grandfather P. A. Hannibal.
It is famous for its alley of midget
linden trees. The reconstruction of the
Hannibal mansion, of which only the
foundation has been preserved, is now in
progress. The poet was a frequent guest
here.
Between Mikhailovskoye and the Pushkin
Hills, on a large hill, stands the ancient
Assumption Cathedral of the Sviatogorsk
monastery. It was built at the time
of Ivan the Terrible. This is the poet's last
resting place. He met his tragic end in
February 1837. In the center of the grave,
surrounded by a marble balustrade, stands
an obelisque of white marble with a draped
urn on top. The inscription on the granite
base reads
"ALEXANDER SERGEYEVICH
PUSHKIN,
BORN IN MOSCOW ON MAY 26th, 1799,
DIED IN ST. PETERSBURG ON
JANUAR 29th, 1837".
The flow of people to this spot never
ends. Every year hundreds of thousands
of people enter the monastery's gates and
climb the stone steps to this holy spot to
pay their respects to the beloved poet.