Text Antonina Kartasheva photo Antonina Kartasheva, Shutterstock

A house in Kiev of almost mythical cultural significance is the House of the Turbins, now a literary museum and memorial to the great writer, Mikhail Bulgakov.

Bulgakov was a Russian writer, playwright, theatre producer and actor.

His best-known novels are The Master and Margarita, Heart of a Dog and The White Guard.

The Bulgakov Museum is located in one of the Kiev streets described in the novel, The White Guard. This Russian classic was written while the Bulgakovs lived at No.13 Andriyivsky’s (Andrew’s) Descent, and now this house is a focal point for tourists and enthusiasts of Bulgakov and his writing. The house was built and

designed by the famous architect, Nikolay Gordenin, in 1888. The apartment that occupied the entire second floor was the most expensive in the building and cost 720 roubles a year to rent. The Bulgakovs lived here for thirteen years, from 1906 to 1919. They enjoyed spacious rooms with high ceilings and, most importantly, the comfort of their special possessions around them. Many things that were part of the writer’s life are now in the museum, such as his clocks, dishes, mirrors and even parquet flooring.

Memorial museums are often established by relatives, but the momentum for this museum came from the residents of Kiev themselves, in

1989. When Bulgakov’s family learned that a museum was being created in the writer’s native country they became active contributors to the project.

They gave many valuable items for the museum to exhibit, and the collection is now ten times larger than when it was first created. Today it has approximately 3,000 items, 500 of which belonged to the Bulgakov family.

Each room is special. The entire apartment, along with its furniture, is white. Only the items that belonged to the writer and his family bring colour, so sepia photographs show up against the pale walls, dark drawings are striking and the bright bustle of Kiev rustles behind white curtains. The presence of the writer is felt in every room. In one room is a piano with the yellowed sheets of the score of Faust. The door next to the piano leads to his office. Entrance to this room

is forbidden as the floor is too delicate, but through the open door you can look into the light and intimate room. When he was a doctor, Mikhail Bulgakov treated patients in this room. Later, he read his first works to his family here.

Today this house is considered to have an almost mystic presence. In the back of one cupboard, behind the snow-white dresses of the writer’s wife, is a secret door. People say that when darkness falls the furniture starts moving around, stars appear on the ceiling and the house itself comes to life.

Every year, on 18th May, a ‘Night in the Museum’ tour takes place. This is part of an international movement to engage younger generations. Bulgakov’s house has participated in this since 2009. Every year, on this May evening, bands perform old music in the museum.

In the morning visitors are met on the porch, where once Bulgakov’s family

would have eaten breakfast at the long table. Today, visitors are surrounded with seasonal flowers and offered tea. From the second floor, you can see a small backyard. In Bulgakov’s The White Guard, there was a war going on behind the windows in the porch.

After visiting the Museum of Bulgakov, you will not only have learnt many interesting facts about the writing of a classic Russian novel, but you will also want to go and read Bulgakov’s books all over again. There is a small shop here where you can get copies of his work. Sometimes ‘days of creative work’ are organised at the museum, usually when the exhibition is being changed, when the museum welcomes visitors and offers readings of Bulgakov’s works in different languages.