Decembrist House Museum
Музей-усадьба Волконских
The mansion of the Volkonsky family, Decembrist exiles in Siberia, recreating the life and salons of aristocratic exiles in the 19th century.
After the Decembrist Revolt against the tsar failed in 1825, many aristocratic officers were exiled to Siberia. Their wives followed them to the harsh northern land, becoming legendary figures in Russian literature as the 'Decembrist wives'. The Irkutsk Decembrist Museum consists of two historic houses. The Volkonsky House is a two-storey wooden mansion where Maria Volkonskaya held music salons. The room has been restored with a piano, furniture and a study, and indoor concerts are often held there. Nearby, the Trubetskoy House displays manuscripts, clothing and portraits of the exiles. The two houses are about 1 km apart and sell tickets separately. They are usually closed on Mondays and open 10:00 to 18:00. The museum tells how the exiles brought education, medicine and art to Irkutsk, and understanding this history explains why the city earned the nickname 'Paris of Siberia'. Getting there: in the eastern part of the city centre, a taxi from the 130th Quarter takes about 10 minutes.
Opening hours
Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00 (closed Mondays)
Nearby sights
- Shastin's Lace House (Europe House)
- Irkutsk Central Market
- Church of Our Lady of Kazan
- Sukachev Estate Museum
- Znamensky Monastery
- 130 Kvartal
- Moscow Triumphal Gates & Angara Embankment
- Church of the Holy Cross