Samara is a centre of cultural life of Povolzhye. There are many theatres, museums, clubs, monument to our town there is one which is remarkable because it is a single one in Russia.

Many outstanding people lived and worked in our town. They are M. Gorkiy, V. Lenin, Y. Gashek, V. Kuibyshev, Y. Dimitrov. Many remarkable people live in different time: A. Pushkin, D. Davydov, L. Tolstoy, Neverov etc. But only the live of the famous Russian writer A. Tolstoy is tightly connected with Samara from the very beginning.

Alexey Tolstoy was born on the 10_th of January in 1883 in Samara region (in Nikolayevsk, now Pugachov in Saratov district). His father Alexander Nikolayevich Tolstoy was the earl and was a mayor of Samara. His mother Alexandra leontiyevna Turgeneva was a famous writer. Before Alexey's birth his parents divorced and he spent his childhood in the family of his stepfather A. Bostrom in Sosnovka near Samara. Since 1898 A. Tolstoy lived and learned in Samara during some years (till 1910). When his mother and stepfather moved to Samara they bought a house in Saratovskaya Street (now Frunze Street). This house became the centre of cultural life of the old Samara.

Being a write Alexandra Leontiyevna had enormous archives which were found in the 50_ise. It's served as the beginning of A. Tolstoy's museum. The enthusiasm of creation of the museum was a remarkable Limarova Margarita Pavlovna. She collected step by step Alexander leontiyevna's correspondence, A. Tolstoy child's paintings, family photos, the things belonging to the family. Margarita Pavlovna Limarova collected a small exposition devoted to Alexey Tolstoy. At first this exposition was placed at the Historical Museum. Time passed. New documents appeared, new personal thing were bought. In spite of lack of money a pant of archives was bought and some time later the Tolstoy's mother house was also bought. This house is situated in Frunze street, 165. It is an old wooden two-storey building. The building is in a small yard. On the ground floor we may see some rooms which preserved their former view. The old lamps light the hall and the narrow staircase leading upstairs. The furniture of the first floor reminds the old times. Many pieces of furniture are original. There are many documents connected with the life and creation of A. Tolstoy. On the first flood there are many things belonging to A. Tolstoy and his mother. They are collected by Shurochka Perevyakova the Bostroms' adopted daughter. You can see Tolstoy's favourite books, his paintings, his many portraits of his mother, of his grandfather. There are many toys on A. Tolstoy's "Zolotoy Klyuchik" -Buratino, Malvina, Karabas-Barabas etc. There many albums, diaries, letters, newspapers, the fist A. Tolstoy's book "Life", novel-autobiography and many other exhibits.

In the museum many interesting meeting are happened. For example at the opening of the museum A. Tolstoy's son D. A. Tolstoy visited Samara. A. Tolstoy's great grandson Kolya Ivanovskiy visited the museum in 1984. There are many photos of writer's with relatives scientific of the collaborators of the museum and guides. It is necessary to stay some king words about M. P. Limarova the first director of the A. Tolstoy's Museum. She was greatly interested in the life and creation of A. Tolstoy. She creates this museum with great enthusiasm. She had a talent of a scientist, collector and organizer. She made large contribution in the development of Russian culture.

The museum was opened by the celebration of the hundredth anniversary from the birth of the famous Russian write. 

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I want to thank scientific collaborators of the Tolstoy's museum for their helping me. I am also grateful to my English teacher Kucher Tamara Vasiliyevna for the help.