Museum of poem Anna Snegina in Konstantinovo

On the bank of the Oka river is a big house with mezzanine, which belonged to Lydia Kashina, the last owner of the village Konstantinovo. Yesenin first met her in 1916. And it is believed that she was the prototype of the main character of the poem «Anna Snegina». Now in her house there is a Museum of the Poem by Anna Snegina.

The first records of the village Konstantinovo date back to the 17 century. Since that time it had been owned by many noble families, including such famous families as the Naryshkins, the Golitsyns, the Dolgorukovs. Already at the turn of the 20 century the estate passed into possession of Ivan Petrovich Kulakov and then his daughter Lydia Ivanovna Kashina. When she lost her village in 1918, Yesenin who already had acquired some repute in literary circles, could help Kashina to settle in Moscow.

After the museum of Yesenin had been created in Konstantinovo in 1965, the house of Kashina was taken up by a literary exposition, and in 1995, by the Yesenin`s birthday 100th anniversary, there was created the theme exposition: «Anna Snegina» poem museum. 

On the two floors of the Kashina`s house there were reconstructed the interiors of a mansion of that time, the scenes from the everyday life of a noble family. There were also presented the manuscripts and photos of Yesenin and his friends, pictures, pieces of embroidery, personal effects of the poet. All these things help to create the atmosphere, in which Yesenin wrote his famous poem.

This autobiographical poem was written in 1925. The poem has two main characters: Sergusha (Yesenin), who tells the story, and Anna Snegina (Lydia Kashina). The poem was founded on the pleasant memories of Yesenin about his native village, about the House of Yesenin`s parents, the revolution, and about the unrequited youthful love.