House-Museum of A. P. Chekhov

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A lot of places in Yalta are connected with the name of the eminent Russian writer. After visiting it several times, Chekhov fell in love with this peculiar Southern town. Therefore, in 1898 having come to Yalta for treatment on doctors' advice, he decided to stay here for good. He bought a piece of land in the Upper Autka village near the town and built a two-storey house with garden, popularly known as the White Dacha.

Here, despite of worsened affliction (he suffered from lungs condition), Chekhov continued to write. The writer created over a dozen of his famous works here, plays 'The three Sisters' and 'The Cherry Orchard', narratives 'The Lady with the Dog' and 'The Bride' are among them. Many prominent representatives of creative intelligentsia of that time stayed at the cozy Chekhov's Dacha: writers Maxim Gorky and Ivan Bunin, painters Isaac Levitan and Viktor Vasnetsov, prominent composer Sergei Rakhmaninov and singer Feodor Chaliapin.

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov spent in Yalta the last five years of his life. After the writer's death his sister decided to preserve the White Dacha as national heritage. Moreover, people constantly came to the Chekhov's house in order to see how the writer lived, to learn about his life and work. That is how the House-Museum of A. P. Chekhov appeared. Soon it became a national property. In 1966 the building for new literary exposition was constructed on the adjoined territory.

The interiors of writer's dining-room, bedroom and study remained exactly the same as they were during Chekhov's life. Historic and literary exposition that tells about writer's life and work and consists of over 16 thousand exhibits is situated in one of the rooms now. Among them Chekhov's autographs, editions published during the author's lifetime, personal belongings and photographs, as well as eight pictorial works of author's friend Isaac Levitan are of special value.

Separate part of the House-Museum's exposition is devoted to the Chekhov's active participation in the public life of Yalta, his charity. The writer was a trustee of female gymnasium, helped build and maintain schools, collected money for famine relief in Volga River basin.

Getting here. The best way to see this house is to take a trolleybus №1 to the station 'Pionerskaya' or route taxis № 4, 6, 17 to the station 'House-Museum of A. P. Chekhov'.