The Anna Akhmatova Museum occupies the poet’s former communal apartment in the south wing of the Sheremetev Palace, also known as the Fountain House, on Liteyniy Avenue in St Petersburg. Its preserved rooms and personal objects bring her life and work into focus, with books bearing her handwritten notes, photographs and manuscripts among the collection. An audio guide adds context to the story. In the garden, look for walls marked with lines of poetry; inside, leave time for Brodsky’s American Cabinet.
A poet’s home in the Fountain House
Anna Akhmatova lived for many years in a communal apartment in a wing of the former Sheremetev Palace. The palace, also called the Fountain House, stands on the Fontanka River Embankment and was home to generations of the Sheremetev family. Its south wing now holds the Akhmatova museum.
The museum was founded in 1989, the centenary year of Akhmatova’s birth. Its collection has grown to include books with her handwritten notes, original photographs, manuscripts and personal belongings. Preserved interiors give the rooms a connection to the apartment where she lived, rather than presenting her life only through objects in cases.
Akhmatova’s work and its difficult years
Born in Odessa in 1888, Akhmatova was first published in 1910. She remained in Petrograd after the October Revolution and did not publish for a period from 1923 to 1940. The museum’s material relates to the poet and the people around her, as well as to the period when her work circulated secretly.
An audio guide gives visitors a way to follow the story through the rooms. The museum also uses interactive elements, including garden walls marked with lines of poetry. The displays are intended in part for school groups, but the collection also gives adult readers a chance to return to poems they may know from childhood and consider them in the context of Akhmatova’s life.
Other rooms and connections
The museum complex also includes Gumilyov’s museum apartment and Brodsky’s American Cabinet. Brodsky’s cabinet is a distinct point of connection within the visit, and is located at the end of the Akhmatova museum route.
The Fountain House has a wider cultural history beyond the poet’s apartment: the palace also houses a museum of musical instruments. For this visit, focus on the south wing and the preserved rooms, then take time for the garden if you want to see the poetry written across its walls.
FAQ
Where is the Anna Akhmatova Museum?
It is at Liteyniy Avenue 53 in St Petersburg, in the south wing of the Sheremetev Palace, known as the Fountain House.
What can you see at the museum?
The collection includes Akhmatova’s books, photographs, manuscripts and personal belongings, along with preserved interiors. The museum complex also includes Gumilyov’s museum apartment and Brodsky’s American Cabinet.
Is the museum open on Mondays?
No. The museum is closed on Mondays.
