Tours
At Yasnaya Polyana you can book a tour of the estate, the Tolstoy House, the Kuzminsky House, and the Tolstoy family cemetery in Kochaki. Guided tours in Russian, English, German, and French are provided.
A walk around the estate will bring you to most charming places, which were so much loved by Leo Tolstoy.
Horseback and sleigh rides
Horse breeding has been a tradition at Yasnaya Polyana since the early 19 th century. There are currently stabled about thirty horses of different breeds, including Russian and English. Equestrian sport festivals and competitions are regularly held at the museum, and special programs have been developed for tourists. Yasnaya Polyana also offers guided horseback rides and sleigh rides. The museum provides you with the necessary equipment. Beginners will be instructed in riding and care of the horses by an experienced trainer.
Festivals and holidays
Folklore festivals, some religious and popular holidays, international research forums and writers’ meetings are held each year at Yasnaya Polyana.
You are welcome to take part in the traditional Russian festivals and holidays. The programs include performances by folklore ensembles, games, contests, and an equestrian show. On Russian Christmas Day (Jan. 7) you can ride in a sleigh, on Shrovetide you can see the bright and colorful rite of burning the Shrovetide scarecrow. On the Trinity church holiday (Whitsunday) you will be welcomed with traditional food and a wide range of local souvenirs for sale.
If you would like to have a wider program, contact the Cultural Tourism Agency “Tolstoy – Yasnaya Polyana” that will offer you:
- visits to the museum-estate “Yasnaya Polyana” (tour of the estate, the Tolstoy House, the Kuzminsky House, and the Kochaki Cemetery);
- horseback and sleigh rides(one-to-six-day programs);
- two- or three-day tours of the museums of Tula and the Tula region;
- accommodation at comfortable hotels; dining at the best restaurants and cafes; transport services;
- educational programs (a thorough study of Tolstoy’s life and writings);
- festive tours on Christmas, Shrovetide and Trinity;
- New Year’s programs;
- assistance in organizing conferences, seminars, and symposia on the grounds of Yasnaya Polyana;
- special programs on an individual basis, including rural tourism;
- the tour Timeless Russian Countryside, which was given the Leaders of the Russian Tourist Business – 2001 Award as the best tour of the year. It includes Moscow museums; the literary museums of Tolstoy, Turgenev, Chekhov, Tsvetayeva, and Griboyedov; the Kulikovo Battlefield and the Borodino Battlefield; the Zadonsk monasteries and holy springs; traditional Russian handicrafts; Russian and Gypsy songs. The tour lasts from 5 to 12 days.
Russia, 300002, Tula,
Oktyabrskaya St., 14.
Tel/Fax: +7 (4872) 39 35 99, +7 (4872) 47 67 12
E-mail: tour@tolstoy.ru
Russian Language Courses at Yasnaya Polyana, the home estate of Leo Tolstoy
At Yasnaya Polyana, his ancestral estate, Leo Tolstoy lived and worked for about sixty years. In the writer's lifetime, people from all parts of the world started to come here.
Now the Leo Tolstoy Museum-estate “Yasnaya Polyana” is one of Russia's major cultural centers, which attracts people interested in Russian culture and the heritage of the great writer Leo Tolstoy.
It is no wonder that museum based courses of Russian as a foreign language were established here. The idea of the courses belongs to Rita Tolstoy – teacher at the International Education Center of the Moscow State University, with her 50-year professional experience. It is so nice and easy to learn the Russian language at Yasnaya Polyana, where everything is permeated with the spirit of the 19 th century and that of Russian literature, the atmosphere and history of Russian country estates.
Russian Courses at Yasnaya Polyana mean
• world-recognized teaching methods of the International Education Center (Moscow State University named after Mikhail Lomonosov)
• skilled and experienced teachers
• programs for all ages and levels (from beginning to advanced)
• various periods of study (from week-end courses to long-term ones, up to several months)
• both group and individual classes (from 1 to 8 people)
• large selection of special courses:
• conversational Russian course (difficulties of Russian grammar, business Russian course, course for children, course “Russian Culture”, Russian literature and history, special course “Leo Tolstoy”)
Classes are mainly aimed at giving foreign students practical skills in the Russian language, teaching them to understand spoken Russian, to read, write and speak Russian, and to use Russian in various fields and communicative situations. Besides, students have an opportunity to get acquainted with Russian culture and Leo Tolstoy's works.
We specially focus on
• fluent and correct spoken Russian
• enlarging your vocabulary
• listening comprehension
• Russian grammar
Teaching is based on communicative methods, mediatory language is not used. Students not only learn words and rules, but first of all they learn to understand and speak Russian. During the classes, we use different forms of teaching, such as role plays, reading and discussing texts, grammatical and lexical trainings. We are always trying to find an individual approach to every student; we are flexible and ready to meet all your needs.
Our Book
For those interested in Leo Tolstoy's life and works our teachers wrote the reader “The World of Yasnaya Polyana”.
The World of Yasnaya Polyana: Reader. Edited by R. A. Tolstaya. – Tula: Yasnaya Polyana Publishing House, 2007
The book is meant for intermediate and advanced learners. It contains a selection of texts as well as questions and tasks. The texts will tell readers about Leo Tolstoy's family and friends. You will come to know why the writer kept a diary all his life and what kind of music he liked, you will see how holidays were celebrated in the Tolstoy family and the way the Yasnaya Polyana school used to work.
Our teachers use the reader in class, but you can also study and read it on your own.
The reader can be obtained at the museum book stall at Yasnaya Polyana, at the museum book store in Tula (Oktyabrskaya st., 12) or ordered at +7 (48751) 76090.
Cultural and Tour Program
Depending on the student's wishes, we are happy to offer
• tour of the Tolstoy House and the Yasnaya Polyana estate (included in the course price)
• tours of museums in Tula and Moscow
• first-hand acquaintance with Russian traditional crafts (traditional Yasnaya Polyana ceramics, wickerwork, weaving, wood-carving)
• tea-party in a 19 th -century peasant house
• horse-back riding at Yasnaya Polyana
High Quality Services
We offer you
• assistance in getting Russian visa
• transfer
• accommodation in the comfortable museum hotel
• Russian cuisine at the museum café “Preshpekt” (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Our students
Since the courses were established, we have welcomed at Yasnaya Polyana students from Germany, France, England, Finland, Switzerland… Those were people of different ages and professions, having different interests. But what unites them all is their interest to the Russian language and literature, Russian culture and traditions, and their wish to understand the Russian soul.
Jan von Heiroth, Finland
“Here, at Yasnaya Polyana, there are wonderful and enthusiastic teachers, it is very easy to learn Russian with them. They teach grammar in a very intelligible way. And I like it. I feel that I understand”.
Kerstin Röhner-Broschell, Germany
“These courses are worth attending, it is worth while coming here. It is interesting, and one can learn and know very much”.
Catherine Pauly, Germany
“I didn't think that I would be able to learn so much and understand the grammar. I am working as hard, as I can…
… I like Russia very much. Before, I only read about Russia, but never visited it. And I feared that, probably, people here are not like I imagined them. It is not so. The people are just like in books by Tolstoy”.
Adrian Hunziker , Switzerland
“Yasnaya Polyana is located quite close to Moscow. And I was sure, I would find true Russian culture here. I learned a lot about Tolstoy, I began to understand Russian grammar better, and I learned plenty of new words. I liked everything very much. The hotel is quiet and nice. The “Preshpekt” café is not far from the hotel, and I had an opportunity to walk and watch the beautiful nature”.
Marie-Francoise Lagente-Sacy, France
“This month enriched my knowledge of Russian grammar… I am grateful to all who helped me to have such a wonderful time at Yasnaya Polyana. All the best, and see you next year!”
Christel Pache , Germany
“Thank you very much for your efforts. With gratitude I say good-buy to Russia and Yasnaya Polyana. In Germany, I will tell my friends only good things about you, and I will be happy to come here again”.
You are welcome to Yasnaya Polyana!
Russia, 301214, Tula Region, Shchekino District,
p/o Yasnaya Polyana
Tel.: +7 (48751) 76090
Tel./fax: +7 (4872) 386709
E-mail: education@tgk.tolstoy.ru
www.yasnayapolyana.ru
“Facets of Russian Culture. The Country Estate”
The Leo Tolstoy Museum-Estate “Yasnaya Polyana” is proud to offer our educational tourism program “Facets of Russian Culture: The Country Estate.”
We at Yasnaya Polyana welcome you to the home of Leo Tolstoy. We offer you a unique experience that will let you grasp the very spirit of an important part of the 19th-century Russia – to feel emotionally involved in the world of Leo Tolstoy and his literary works. And, the opportunity to immerse yourself in the poetic atmosphere of 19 th-century Russian country estates. You will surely appreciate our program! W e have everything to make your visit with us interesting and fascinating. We believe you will enjoy our location, lectures, tours, and interactives.
Our Program
- Gives you insight into a fascinating phenomena of Russian culture – the Russian country estate, rich with historic background, as well as long-held traditions and customs
- Focuses on the art of Leo Tolstoy and on his family life
- Includes a wide range of specially-designed and educational services, including both traditional and customized lectures and tours, plus a great variety of interactive entertainments
You will join us in carrying on the life of an old Country Estate, with the 30 horses in the stables, apple-trees bearing fruit in the huge orchards (including the trees planted in Tolstoy’s lifetime!), the apiary bringing honey, and more. The Yasnaya Polyana estate, with its charming beauty, its old buildings and parks, its woods planted by Tolstoy, and picturesque meadows, has preserved its authentic look and the spirit of Tolstoy’s time.
Our Lectures are vivid and memorable. They are delivered by our team of experts, in an informal and creative atmosphere that inspires reflection and discussion. You will be able to see museum artifacts normally hidden away in our storage, which will let you – in the true sense of the word – feel and touch the past. Subject-matter of the lectures is diverse, and we can touch upon the very topics you are interested in.
The Tours will let you see Leo Tolstoy’s home estate the way he himself saw it. As a writer, Tolstoy is known to everybody, but as a landowner – almost to nobody. We will tell you much about this side of his life – another aspect of his genius.
Exciting Interactives will give you a wonderful opportunity to follow the steps of those who lived at the estate. You may even try your hand at their occupations.
Program Features and Highlights
Special visits to the remote parts of the Yasnaya Polyana estate, whose beauty is not generally revealed to our visitors, and to the rooms of the Tolstoy House that are not included in traditional guided tours; - Dinner on the ivy-covered verandah of an early 19th-century house, with a gramophone playing;
- A little classical concert in the Wedges Park , a tradition that goes back to the time of Tolstoy’s grandfather, Prince Volkonsky;
- Mowing grass in the very meadow Leo Tolstoy used to mow, which inspired a scene in Anna Karenina;
- Making apple jam near the greenhouse where his wife, Sophia, used to make jam for the family.
- Trips to other museums and places of interest, including other country estates.
Options
The program is offered in the most pleasant time of year in this part of Russia , the warm weather season from May to September. But there are some nice opportunities for winter visits as well. Our complete program lasts four days plus arrival and departure days. But our services are very flexible and many options can be arranged. The components and duration can be modified for each group. Depending on your schedule, you might choose
- A one-day trip, or
- A week-end visit to Yasnaya Polyana, or
- A series of week-ends, each with a different topic.
Accommodations and Travel Information
Guests will stay at the hotel “Yasnaya Polyana.” We offer transport services and have English, German, and French-speaking Guides available to accompany your group. Meals are provided at the museum café, “Preshpekt”, and may also be arranged at the estate (on the verandah, in the apple orchard, or even as a picnic by the river) at the standard prices of the café. You can reach Yasnaya Polyana from Moscow by car or bus in just three hours. If you prefer to travel by bus, you should come to Tula first. Busses for Tula leave from the metro station Domodedovskaya almost every hour.
Contact
To plan a personalized visit specially designed to meet your individual or group interests, timeframe, and budget, or for further information, please contact Elena Petrova, Program Coordinator, at Yasnaya Polyana, Tel/fax: + 7 4872 38 67 10 Tel : + 7 48751 76574 or
e-mail IR-Office@mail.ru
Yasnaya Polyana will be “as close an approximation to the ideal of Russian life as possible, because that's what I believe the estate community of the nineteenth century to have been. It was bound together by folk art, music, nature, and shared responsibility, and at its best it provided an environment in which art and culture thrived”.
―Vladimir Ilyich Tolstoy, Director of the Museum-estate of Leo Tolstoy and great, great, grandson of Leo Tolstoy
Educational Program Staff >>
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