Khmelita is not only a museum and a manor, it is a large natural, historical and cultural reserve, opened in 1990 in the Vyazemsky district of the Smolensk region. Thousands of tourists annually visit this place to see the unique natural landscapes and visit the ancestral name of A. S. Griboyedov.
History of the Museum-Reserve
Khmelita is a village that appeared in the Smolensk province in 1614. It was named after the Khmelitka River, which flowed nearby, and hops grew on its banks. In 1747, these lands were transferred to the disposal of Fyodor Alekseevich Griboyedov, the grandfather of the famous writer. It was at this time that a large manor house and outbuildings were built on the territory, a park and two ponds were created.
Then the estate passed to Alexei Fedorovich Griboyedov, the writer's uncle. He collected large collections of books and paintings, opened a home theater and often invited noblemen from Moscow to visit. Aleksey Sergeevich was a frequent visitor to the estate, and later the regulars of the Khmelity became the prototypes of his famous comedy.
The estate survived two wars, but burned down in 1954. And only in 1967 the restorer P. D. Baranovsky began to gather a team to restore the historical monument. Since the beginning of the 1970s, the restoration of the manor house, outbuildings, stables and galleries, the recreation of the park and the Kazan Church began.
Description and excursions
The history of the museum begins in 1987, when the restoration of the main building and the creation of the first exhibitions began. On the ground floor there is an exhibition “A. S. Griboyedov and his time ". This exposition tells about the life of the famous writer, his literary, military and diplomatic life. Among the exhibits of the exhibition, the desk of A. S. Griboyedov, a handwritten version of the comedy "Woe from Wit" and the first edition of this work.
Every year the Griboyedov holiday is held in the estate, and in January the writer's birthday is celebrated in these places. Also in "Khmelite" there are thematic and chronological excursions dedicated to the history of the museum-estate.
In 2008, a literary exposition “Visiting A. S. Griboyedov and the heroes of his comedy "Woe from Wit". On the second floor of the estate there is a writer's room with antique furniture of the 18th century, a collection of works by famous playwrights (Schiller, Goethe, etc.). During the excursion, visitors can see the room of Eliza's cousin, Alexei Fedorovich's office, the boudoir of Nastasya Semyonovna (Alexei Fedorovich's wife), the green ceremonial hall, the dining room and the blue living room.
You can come to the reserve for a few days; there is a guest house on its territory, ready to receive 26 people.
Opening hours, address and how to get there
The attraction is located in the Vyazemsky district of the Smolensk region, on the highway Vyazma - Kholm-Zhirkovsky. The distance from Vyazma to Khmelita is 37 km, from Moscow - 260 km.
To get to the reserve from Moscow, you need to go from the Belorussky railway station by train to Vyazma, then change to a minibus to Khmelity. To get from the capital by car, you need to follow the Minsk highway up to 231 km, then turn to Khmelita following the sign.
The estate museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday. Opening hours: from November to April this place can be visited from 9.00 to 17.00, from May to October - from 9.00 to 17.00 on weekdays. On weekends, the museum is open from 10.00 to 18.00.
