Villa of Chaliapin in Kislovodsk is located near the railway station. Chaliapin liked to come to Kislovodsk. He first visited it in 1899 with concerts that took place in the Kursaal. Now the Kursaal is called the Philharmonic Hall of Safonov. It still hosts all the main concerts in Kislovodsk.
Villa of Chaliapin is a beautiful one-story Art Nouveau mansion with turrets, a beautiful roof and stained-glass windows. It was built by the merchant Ushakov and presented to his wife. She rented rooms to visitors of Kislovodsk, so the house was called "Mrs. Ushakova`s Boarding House". In 1911, the wing of this boarding house was rented by Sergei Rachmaninoff, as indicated on a commemorative plaque on the wall of the house.
Chaliapin was in Kislovodsk for the second time in 1904. His concerts in the Kursaal were also a great success. After that, he came here more than once, as Kislovodsk became one of the most popular balneological resorts in Russia. Chaliapin even bought a plot of land here on Khludovskaya Street, but could not build his own villa.
In 1917, the February revolution took place in St. Petersburg. Tsar Nicholas II and his family were sent into exile to Tobolsk, and the country was ruled by a Provisional Government. In Europe, the WWI has been going on for 4 years, which led to famine in major cities of Russia.
Chaliapin decided to wait out these difficult times in Kislovodsk and in the summer of 1917 rented Ushakova`s Boarding House. Chaliapin came here with his wife Maria Petzold and daughters Marina and Marfa. He gave concerts in the Gymnasium. The interest of the public was so huge that the Kursaal could not accommodate everyone. For them, Chaliapin sang for free on the porch of this villa.
Chaliapin lived in this villa for only two months. Due to military and revolutionary events, he was forced to leave Russia, after that his work was banned. Ushakova`s boarding house has been preserved, but it was used as a utility room of one of the sanatoriums. Of the original things, only the fireplace made according to the sketches of Nicholas Roerich and the paintings on the wall made by Nikolay Korovin have been preserved here.
In 1988, the city authorities of Kislovodsk decided to open a museum dedicated to the work of Chaliapin in this house. The museum was named "Villa of Chaliapin". It recreates the interiors of the early 20th century, when the great Russian singer lived here. In addition to the museum exposition, literary and musical evenings are held twice a week at Villa of Chaliapin. Since 1991, fans of his work have been gathering at Villa of Chaliapin on the singer`s birthday, February 13. Famous opera singers who revere the work of Chaliapin come here.
