Chekhov Library in
Taganrog
Taganrog ( rus, Таганрог, p=təɡɐnˈrok) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of the Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population:
History of Taganrog
Th ...
(full name ''The Central Municipal Public Library named after Anton Chekhov'', russian: Центральная городская публичная библиотека имени А.П.Чехова) is the oldest library in the South of Russia.
Foundation history
The public library along with a small bookstore were officially inaugurated on 23 May 1876 by the
Governor of Taganrog
The Governor of Taganrog (russian: Таганрогское градоначальство) was the head of the Taganrog ''borough'' or ''governorate'' (incorporated municipality with privileges given by royal charter), between October 8, 1802 and ...
Admiral
Johan Hampus Furuhjelm
Johan Hampus Furuhjelm, (russian: Фуругельм, Иван Васильевич; 11 March 1821 – 21 September 1909) was a Finnish-Russian vice-admiral and explorer, commander of the Russian Baltic Fleet, Governor of the Russian Far East, ...
. The City Council gave to the library some of its vacant offices on Grecheskaya Street. Before, there were only private libraries and libraries at the
Boys Gymnasium, Mariinskaya Girls Gymnasium and the Taganrog Naval School.
In March 1878, the Public Library moved into another building granted by the City Council on Petrovskaya Street.
School years of Anton Chekhov
Among the first subscribers were the future world-famous writer
Anton Chekhov, historian
Pavel Filevsky,
Vladimir Bogoraz
Vladimir Germanovich Bogoraz (russian: Влади́мир Ге́рманович Богора́з), who was born Natan Mendelevich Bogoraz (russian: Ната́н Ме́нделевич Богора́з) and used the literary pseudonym N. A. Tan ( ...
, artists
Seraphima Blonskaya and
Dmitri Sinodi-Popov.
Andrei Drossi, the classmate of Chekhov wrote later in his memoirs: "..every Sunday and every holiday we came early in the morning in the city library and spent there hours and hours, forgetting about food, sitting and reading magazines...". At that time, Anton Chekhov lived in Taganrog alone, as the whole family had moved to Moscow. According to archive records, the first books read by Chekhov were books on travel and adventures, then
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best kno ...
,
Harriet Beecher Stowe,
Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (; rus, links=no, Ива́н Серге́евич Турге́невIn Turgenev's day, his name was written ., p=ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tʊrˈɡʲenʲɪf; 9 November 1818 – 3 September 1883 (Old Style dat ...
and
Ivan Goncharov
Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov (, also ; rus, Ива́н Алекса́ндрович Гончаро́в, r=Iván Aleksándrovich Goncharóv, p=ɪˈvan ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪdʑ ɡənʲtɕɪˈrof; – ) was a Russian novelist best known for his ...
, later -
Dimitri Pisarev
Dmitry Ivanovich Pisarevrussian: Дми́трий Ива́нович Пи́сарев ( – ) was a Russian literary critic and philosopher who was a central figure of Russian nihilism. He is noted as a forerunner of Nietzschean philosophy and f ...
,
Vissarion Belinsky
Vissarion Grigoryevich Belinsky ( rus, Виссарион Григорьевич БелинскийIn Belinsky's day, his name was written ., Vissarión Grigórʹjevič Belínskij, vʲɪsərʲɪˈon ɡrʲɪˈɡorʲjɪvʲɪdʑ bʲɪˈlʲinskʲ ...
and
Nikolay Aleksandrovich Dobrolyubov.
Thanks to the library of his home city, Chekhov being a gymnasium student learnt about the periodicals that later published his short stories.
Books from Chekhov the writer
In 1890, mayor of Taganrog
Konstantin Foti asked Chekhov to send his books with author's dedications to the Taganrog Public Library. Anton Chekhov considered this request as recognition from the home city, and replied ''I am happy to be helpful to my homecity, to which I owe a lot and that I love very much''. The first three books were collections of his stories and a book by
Leo Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
with the author's dedication. Chekhov kept the tradition of sending his books, rare books, books with autographs and foreign books with every opportunity from 1890 up until his death in
Badenweiler
Badenweiler ( High Alemannic: ''Badewiler'') is a health resort and spa in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, historically in the Markgräflerland. It is 28 kilometers by road and rail from Basel, 10 kilomet ...
in 1904.
The Chekhov Library and Museum
In 1904, following Chekhov's death, the library was named after the world-famous playwright and short-story writer. A room of the library was also dedicated for the first Chekhov Museum in Russia. In 1906–1907, the City Council discussed the construction of a new building that would house both Chekhov Library and Chekhov Museum. After thorough analysis, the council decided to build a library, paying tribute to the late author Anton Chekhov, assigning for this purpose 25,000 rubles. The commission addressed the friend of Chekhov, architect
Fyodor Schechtel
Fyodor Osipovich Schechtel (russian: Фёдор О́сипович Ше́хтель; August 7, 1859 – July 7, 1926) was a Russian architect, graphic artist and stage designer, the most influential and prolific master of Russian Art Nouveau and ...
in March 1910. He gave his agreement along with the library project in July 1910. The small house built in 1878 was demolished and the new library was officially laid down on 14 September 1910. It was completed in August 1911 and opened its doors in 1912. The music department of the library is located at the historical
Tchaikovsky House in Taganrog.
Gallery
Image:Taganrog cityhall19th.jpg, The old City Hall, home to the City Public Library in 1876–1877, photo taken in 2006.
Image:Taganrog Library1900.jpg, Taganrog public library, between 1878 and 1910.
Image:Schechtel Libraryproject.jpg, The project of the Chekhov Library & Museum in Taganrog designed by the architect Fyodor Schechtel
Fyodor Osipovich Schechtel (russian: Фёдор О́сипович Ше́хтель; August 7, 1859 – July 7, 1926) was a Russian architect, graphic artist and stage designer, the most influential and prolific master of Russian Art Nouveau and ...
(1911)
Image:Chekhov library20.jpg, Chekhov Library & Museum on an old postcard (photo taken between 1911 and 1917).
File:Chekhov Library 2008.jpg, The Chekhov Library until 2008.
File:2010 Tchaikovsky House Taganrog.jpg, Tchaikovsky House in Taganrog used as Foreign & Music Dept. of Chekhov Library. Photographed in 2010.
References
*
Filevskii, Pavel (1898) ''Istoriya goroda Taganroga''. Moskva: Tipo-lit. K. F. Aleksandrova
* ''Encyclopedia of Taganrog'', second edition, Taganrog, 2003.
* The official Chekhov Public Library web site.
External links
Official homepage
{{Authority control
Libraries in Russia
Museums in Taganrog
Library buildings completed in 1911
Anton Chekhov
Literary museums in Russia
1911 establishments in the Russian Empire
Cultural heritage monuments of regional significance in Rostov Oblast