Decembrists Museum - Trubetsky House (Irkutsk)

The Irkutsk Regional Historical and Memorial Museum of the Decembrists is located in the heart of Irkutsk, its historical center. The museum consists of two estates with memorial houses of Princes S.P. Trubetsky and S.G. Volkonsky, opened in 1970 and 1985, respectively.

The collection of the future Irkutsk Museum of the Decembrists began to form in 1925, when an exposition dedicated to the Decembrists was created on the 100th anniversary of the uprising on the Senate Square in the Irkutsk Museum of the Revolution. For 86 years, a large amount of factual material and items related to the stay of the Decembrists on the Irkutsk land have been accumulated.

In the partially recreated historical interiors of the houses, unique memorial relics of the Decembrists are presented - authentic things of the Volkonsky, Trubetsky, Muravyov, Yushnevsky, Ivashev, I.I. Pushchin, D.I. Zavalishin, I.V. Poggio families. The pride of the museum collection is the musical instruments owned by Maria Volkonskaya – the world’s only functioning pyramidal piano of the end of the XVIII century, an amazing beauty and sound piano by the Belgian master “Lichtenthal” of 1831 and a rare music box made in Switzerland in the middle of the XIX century. Special love of visitors are objects from the bead collection, among which bead embroidery of the wives of the Decembrists E.I. Trubetskaya and M.N. Volkonskaya.

For its visitors, the Irkutsk Museum of Decembrists offers a diverse excursion program: “Decembrists in Siberia”, “To the places of the Decembrists in Irkutsk”, “Families of the Trubetsk and Volkonsky”, “Unfortunately faithful sister”, “Noble culture and etiquette”, “Visiting Misha Volkonsky”. The Volkonsky Home Theatre is recreated in the museum. In the repertoire of the theater plays of the first half of the XIX century. The museum regularly hosts literary and musical salons, literary evenings, balls and museum holidays “Days of memory of A.S. Pushkin”, “Lyceum Day”, “Maslenitsa”, “Night at the Museum”. According to tradition, the regional festival "Decabrist evenings" is held annually.

A special place in the work of the museum is occupied by publishing. Under the auspices of the museum, there are: a documentary series “Polar Star” (since 1979, 27 volumes have been published, including letters, memoirs, works of the Decembrists); a scientific collection “Siberia and the Decembrists”, as well as a popular science series “Polish-Siberian Library”.