n December 9, 1999, it was 105 years since the foundation of the first Russian memorial music museum of the great Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893).

View of the house from the park (central alley).

Eighty five kilometers to the north-west of Moscow, in Klin and its environs, in Maidanovo and Frolovskoye estates, Tchaikovsky spent the last eight and a half years of his life. During those extremely successful years the operas "Charodeika", "Cherevichki", "Iolanta" were created, "The Queen of Spades" was orchestrated, ballets "The Sleeping Beauty" and "The Nutcracker", symphonies "Manfred", No 5 and No 6, romances, piano and orchestra compositions were written.

Road leading to the house from the gate.

On May 5, 1892, P.I. Tchaikovsky settled in the house in the outskirts of Klin and lived his last seventeen months there. In this quiet corner he found ideal conditions for his work: here he completed the scores of "Iolanta" and "The Nutcracker", wrote 18 piano pieces, 72 compositions, "The Night" vocal quartet, romances, composition No 23 to the poem of D. Ratgauz, Third piano concert which was his last composition. The manuscript is dated "October, 1893. Klin."

Lime alley.

In this house Tchaikovsky wrote Symphony No 6 which he considered his "best and most elaborated composition". And it was from this house that he left for his last concert trip to St. Petersburg on October 7, 1893.
In 1894, the first Russian memorial music museum was opened in the Klin house.

Fragment of the first show-case, made to M.I. Tchaikovsky's order.

The Museum was initiated by the composer's brother, first biographer, playwright and librettist Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky. His nephew Vladimir Davydov and P.I. Tchaikovsky's servant Alexei Ivanovich Sofronov (who presented to the Museum personal property left to him according to the composer's will) helped to carry out the plan.
As the result of their activity a new type of memorial museum appeared which completely preserved not only the interior, where Tchaikovsky spent his last years, but his archive - valuable music and literary heritage.

Library of Russian literature in the sitting-room.

Since then the Museum has carefully preserved P.I. Tchaikovsky's personal belongings, furniture, library (some books have the composer's marks) and , above all, the Becker's piano which still sounds. The most valuable part of the collection presents P.I. Tchaikovsky's manuscripts, diaries, music, vast correspondence.

Book-case with music of Tchaikovsky's favorite composers: V.A. Mozart, M.I. Glinka.

In the course of a hundred years the Museum was being completed and now it contains the richest collection of 200 000 items.

Study - sitting-room of P.I. Tchaikovsky. Mantel clock.

After M.I. Tchaikovsky's death the Museum acquired his personal archives and the archives of Tchaikovsky, Davydov and Assier families and their descendants.
Since the 1920s there have been received personal archives of P.I. Tchaikovsky's contemporaries: S.I. Taneyev, A.S. Arensky, A.A. Brandukov, E.K. Pavlovskaya, N.V. Salina, U.O. Avranek, etc.