Over a period of almost a hundred years, through two revolutions and occupation in World War II, Yasnaya Polyana has been transformed from Leo Tolstoy’s private estate into a complex, world-class museum.
The Tsarist Period (1911-1917)
Following Tolstoy’s death in 1910, his widow, Sophia Tolstaya, sought state support from Tsar Nicholas II. She was given a pension which was partly intended to fund the running of the estate. As the writer’s widow, she did a great deal to preserve Yasnaya Polyana, ensuring that her husband’s study and bedroom remained untouched, and that the furnishings, objects, and photographs throughout the house were inventoried. She participated in the initial cataloguing of Tolstoy’s personal library; she systematized the letters that were kept at the estate, and lent her help to scholars working on biographies of the writer.
The Soviet Period (1917-1991)
In 1919, Tolstoy’s daughter Alexandra received a deed from the government to Yasnaya Polyana which certified that the estate and all the belongings in Tolstoy’s house have “a unique cultural and historical value and, as a national property, are to be under state guardianship.” In 1921 Yasnaya Polyana became a museum which was to function as a cultural and educational center with a library and a school, offering lectures, performances, exhibitions, and tours.
1928 marked the centenary of Tolstoy’s birth. To celebrate this centenary the first exhibit in the Kuzminsky House, “Tolstoy at Yasnaya Polyana,” was opened, first volumes of a 90-volume collected works of Tolstoy began appearing, and a school named after Tolstoy was opened on the estate. Alexandra Tolstaya played an enormous role in creating the museum and developing it in the 1920s. But in 1929 she was forced to leave the Soviet Union for good.
In the 1930s special attention was devoted to rehabilitating and preserving the historic fabric of Yasnaya Polyana. A history of Yasnaya Polyana was undertaken, using written documents and information provided directly from Tolstoy’s contemporaries. Grazing lands were reintroduced, the orchards were restored, and new trees were planted to replace those that had died. This work was carried out under the guidance of the Botanical Garden of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1940 experts from the State Tretyakov Gallery restored paintings in the Tolstoy House (paintings by Repin, Ghe, Kramskoy, and others). Yasnaya Polyana came under the authority of the USSR Academy of Sciences as the museum was becoming a scholarly research center for the study of Tolstoy’s legacy.
In 1941 during World War II, Yasnaya Polyana was threatened with Nazi occupation, so it was decided to evacuate the contents in the Tolstoy House. This evacuation was organized by Tolstoy’s granddaughter Sophia Tolstaya-Esenina. On October 13 th, 110 boxes with exhibits from Tolstoy’s house were sent to Moscow, and then on to Tomsk. Yasnaya Polyana itself was occupied for 45 days. Upon retreating the Germans set the Tolstoy House on fire. However, the fire was successfully extinguished and work on restoring the estate was soon afterward begun. The first restoration was completed by May, 1942. In May 1945 the exhibits were returned to their original locations. But the restoration of Yasnaya Polyana continued for a long time after.
In 1951 a serious restoration of Tolstoy’s home was carried out: the apple orchard, neglected during the war, was rehabilitated and other buildings (e.g., the coachman’s hut and the granary) were reconstructed according to recollections of the village inhabitants and from photographic documentation.
In the 1950s, work on archival materials took on special significance. For each of the estate’s 37 memorial objects, museum workers developed documents containing an exact description of the object, its measurements, its placement, its purpose, and photographs. Since the 1950s Yasnaya Polyana has regularly put out collections of scholarly articles and issued a series of guides to Tolstoy’s home and the nature reserve. In 1953 (the 125 th anniversary of Tolstoy’s birth) a one-volume scholarly description of Tolstoy’s personal library was prepared.
Beginning in the 1960s, the museum’s curatorial activities have broadened: exhibits in the Kuzminsky House and the exhibition hall of the Volkonsky House are changing constantly; the museum organizes traveling exhibitions; its archival holdings have been widened in their scope; and the number of visitors has increased.
In 1971 (the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the museum) “Yasnaya Polyana” welcomed its three millionth visitor. The 150th anniversary of Tolstoy’s birth (1978) was commemorated by museum’s being recognized by the Order of Lenin award. By the time of this jubilee, the publication of a two-volume bibliographical description of the Russian-language books in Tolstoy’s library was completed.
The Post-Soviet Period (1991-present)
Gradually Yasnaya Polyana has evolved into both a museum and a memorial of worldwide significance. The scope of the museum now includes a number of affiliated museums and historic sites. A new stage in the museum’s history began in the 1990s, when the directorship was taken over by Leo Tolstoy’s great-great-grandson, Vladimir Tolstoy. Today, as before, while devoting attention to the museum’s traditional activities, Yasnaya Polyana is also developing in new directions. For example, it is creating alternative types of tourist programs, such as cultural tourism based in Yasnaya Polyana as well as beyond its borders; realizing its potential in the area of education; giving new life to folk traditions; broadening its advertising and publishing activities; introducing new technology; and undertaking joint efforts with foreign countries.
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