Vasnetsov House Museum

The Vasnetsov House Museum in Moscow is not just an old mansion, but a real “teremok” in the heart of the capital, where the spirit of Russian fairy tales and the atmosphere of the late 19th century can still be felt today. This is where Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov, the author of the famous “Bogatyrs” and the “Poem of Seven Fairy Tales”, lived and worked. Today the house is recognized as an architectural monument and is part of the State Tretyakov Gallery museum association, remaining one of the most atmospheric museums in Moscow.

Brief information

Address: Moscow, Vasnetsova Lane, 13 District: Meshchansky, not far from the Garden Ring Official website: www.tretyakovgallery.ru Phone: +7 (495) 681-13-29

History of the Vasnetsov House Museum

After moving to Moscow at the end of the 19th century, Viktor Mikhailovich did not want to buy a ready-made house. In 1893 he acquired a plot of land in the Troitskaya Sloboda and conceived of building his own home, which would become a continuation of his artistic world. The artist had a good understanding of architecture and personally designed the layout, facades and interior. Construction was carried out by peasants from Vladimir province and was completed by the autumn of 1894. Vasnetsov lived here with his family until his death in 1926, and many of his landmark works were created in this house. After the artist’s death, the family turned to the Tretyakov Gallery with a request to preserve the house and open a memorial museum. The Soviet authorities supported the initiative — Vasnetsov was regarded as an important predecessor of Socialist Realism and an artist who strengthened national identity. Key stages in the history of the Vasnetsov House Museum:

• 1893–1894 — purchase of the plot and construction of the house based on the artist’s design;
• 1894–1926 — Vasnetsov’s life and work in the house, creation of key paintings;
• 1953 — opening of the memorial museum in the former home of the artist;
• 1986 — inclusion of the house museum in the State Tretyakov Gallery association;
• 20th–21st centuries — development of the exhibition, appearance of temporary displays, guided tours and educational programs.

Architecture of the “teremok”: Neo-Russian style and fairy-tale details

The Vasnetsov House Museum is easy to recognize by its expressive Neo-Russian silhouette. The building combines features of Art Nouveau and ancient Russian architecture with motifs of northern wooden architecture. Striking features of the house:

• white plastered walls with a contrasting log superstructure resembling a wooden terem (traditional tower-like house);
• a green roof that emphasizes the fairy-tale silhouette of the building;
• windows with “melon-shaped” columns and stucco kokoshniks;
• multicolored tiles encircling the facade and enhancing the decorative character of the “teremok”;
• different styles inside the house: a 17th-century boyar-style living room and a “peasant” dining room.

An important feature is that the artist thought through almost every interior detail himself: from window frames and doorways to the shape of the furniture armrests. Thanks to this, the house looks like a complete work of art rather than just a residential building.

The exhibition of the Vasnetsov House Museum

The museum’s collection includes thousands of items — paintings, drawings, furniture, tableware, icons, manuscripts and everyday objects that surrounded the artist during his lifetime. General structure of the exhibition:

• first floor — the family’s living area: dining room, living room and the family members’ rooms;
• second floor — the artist’s spacious studio with a ceiling height of about 6 meters and his working tools;
• utility rooms reminiscent of Russian peasant huts, with stoves and household utensils.

The living part of the house

On the first floor, the atmosphere of the late 19th – early 20th century has been recreated. Here you can see:

• a dining room reminiscent of a peasant house, with massive furniture and a tiled stove;
• a living room in the 17th-century “boyar” style, where the famous “Vasnetsov Wednesdays” were held;
• original chandeliers, tableware, samovars and other items of the era;
• a fairy-tale buffet called “magic tablecloth”, through which dishes were served from the kitchen.

The artist’s studio

The heart of the house museum is the studio on the second floor. A rounded wooden staircase leads to it, reminiscent of an ascent into a temple of the Russian North. Above the entrance there is an image of the Angel of Silence, symbolizing the need for quiet during work. The studio has preserved:

• the working stepladder on which the artist painted monumental canvases;
• Vasnetsov’s original brushes and tools on his desk;
• a carved board with twining stems — a gift from fellow artists Polenov and Repin;
• a part of his personal collection of icons and objects of traditional daily life.

Paintings and the “Poem of Seven Fairy Tales”

The main pictorial “landmarks” of the house museum are paintings from the “Poem of Seven Fairy Tales” cycle. In the studio you can see:

• “The Frog Princess”;
• “The Flying Carpet”;
• “Tsarevna Nesmejana (The Unsmiling Princess)”;
• “Koschei the Deathless”;
• “Baba Yaga”;
• “Sivka-Burka”;
• “The Sleeping Princess”.

There are also works on religious subjects, such as “The Archangel Michael Vanquishing the Devil” and “Nestor the Chronicler”. The famous painting “Bogatyrs”, painted in this house, is now exhibited at the Tretyakov Gallery, but the studio space itself allows you to feel the atmosphere in which the work was created.

Interesting facts about the Vasnetsov House Museum

• The house museum was built according to the artist’s own design, sketches for which he began to make shortly after purchasing the land in the 1890s.
• The interior harmoniously combines elements of different eras: from 17th-century boyar chambers to images of a village house.
• The house contains several stoves made according to Vasnetsov’s drawings and decorated with tiles based on designs by Vrubel.
• The furniture in the living room and some other rooms was made by the artist’s brother, Arkady Vasnetsov, following the author’s sketches.
• The studio holds unfinished works, sketches and a portrait of the artist painted by his daughter.
• The museum’s collection includes more than 24,000 items, from paintings and drawings to icons and objects of decorative and applied art.

Opening hours and ticket prices

The Vasnetsov House Museum is convenient to visit both on your own and with a guided tour. Opening hours (current as of 2025):

• Wednesday–Sunday — from 10:00 to 17:00;
• ticket offices and online ticket sales — until 16:00;
• Monday and Tuesday — closed;
• sanitary day — the last Thursday of the month;
• visits are timed: every hour from 10:00 to 16:00.

Visitor limit: only a limited number of people (usually small groups) can be inside the museum at the same time, so it is better to plan your visit in advance, especially on weekends and holidays. Ticket prices (approximate, as of 2025):

• full ticket — around 400 RUB;
• discounted ticket — 200–250 RUB;
• children and teenagers under 18 — free;
• additional free days — for students and pupils on certain days of the month, and for large families on Saturdays (according to the Tretyakov Gallery rules).

Guided tours of the Vasnetsov House Museum

A guided tour of the artist’s house museum helps you see the living story of the family behind the familiar paintings, hear about the traditions of the “Vasnetsov Wednesdays” and learn why a particular interior object is so important for understanding the master’s work. Important things to know about the tours:

• tours are conducted by staff of the Tretyakov Gallery;
• there are programs for adults, schoolchildren and families with children;
• the cost of a tour for organized groups is calculated separately and depends on the format;
• on holidays and weekends, mixed (open) groups are often organized;
• in summer, additional events are possible: family picnics, creative workshops and unconventional tour programs.

How to get to the Vasnetsov House Museum

The V. M. Vasnetsov House Museum is located not far from the center of Moscow, near the Nikulin Circus, Bolshaya Sukharevskaya Square and the Moscow State University Botanical Garden.

By metro

• Sukharevskaya station (Kaluzhsko–Rizhskaya line) — about 10–15 minutes on foot;
• Prospekt Mira station (Kaluzhsko–Rizhskaya and Circle lines) — about 15–20 minutes on foot;
• Tsvetnoy Bulvar station (Serpukhovsko–Timiryazevskaya line) — also 15–20 minutes on foot.

By bus and tram

• the nearest bus stop is “Meshchanskaya” on Sadovo–Sukharevskaya Street — about 10 minutes on foot;
• buses A and B go to this stop;
• trams No. 7 and 50 go to the “Shchepkina (Ulitsa Durova)” stop;
• from the tram stop it is a short walk through the blocks of the Meshchansky district to the museum.

By car

• from the Garden Ring, in the area of Sadovo–Sukharevskaya, you need to turn onto Shchepkina Street;
• drive about 350 meters and turn into Vasnetsova Lane;
• keep in mind the heavy traffic on the Garden Ring and limited parking options.

Who will especially enjoy the Vasnetsov House Museum

The Vasnetsov House Museum in Moscow is interesting not only for lovers of painting, but also for everyone fascinated by history, architecture and Russian folklore. It is especially worth visiting for:

• admirers of Russian painting of the late 19th – early 20th century;
• families with children who know fairy tales from Vasnetsov’s illustrations;
• tourists looking for non-standard Moscow museums beyond the classic routes;
• students of art and architecture universities;
• travelers interested in the Neo-Russian style and memorial houses.

Visiting tips

• plan your visit for the first half of the day to explore the exhibition at a relaxed pace;
• on weekends and holidays it is better to buy tickets in advance and check the availability of time slots;
• inside the museum there are restrictions: you are not advised to touch exhibits or lean on furniture and staircases;
• for a complete experience, it is worth joining a guided tour — this way you will learn more about the “Vasnetsov Wednesdays”, the house’s guests and the history of each object;
• after visiting the house museum, you can continue your walk around the area, combining it with a visit to the Tretyakov Gallery or a stroll through the center of Moscow.

The Vasnetsov House Museum in Moscow is a rare opportunity to find yourself inside a “living” illustration to Russian fairy tales, where every step, stove and carved cupboard tells its own story about the artist and his era.