L. N. Tolstoy Cultural Center

The resort region of Caucasian Mineral Waters is famous for its healing springs, life-giving mountain air and picturesque landscapes. Zheleznovodsk, the smallest and quietest of its four cities, is located under the Beshtau mountain and is surrounded by greenery. Local springs are unique owing to the high temperature of the water, some of which reaches over 50°С. Opened at the beginning of the 19th century, the springs immediately attracted the attention of the Russian aristocracy. Writers also visited the watering places, including Pushkin, Lermontov, Belinsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov and many others.

One of Zheleznovodsk’s historical buildings – the station of postal stagecoaches – today houses the L.N. Tolstoy Cultural Center. Visitors are introduced to the biography of the writer, the Caucasian period of his life and work, and the history of the creation of his three great novels. Arriving at the Caucasus to fight a war, Tolstoy wrote his first story here (entitled Childhood) and rethought his attitude to war. His Caucasian experience formed the basis for such works as The Cossacks, The Prisoner of the Caucasus, and Hadji Murat.

Stavropol Krai
Stavropol Territory, Zheleznovodsk, 7 Lenina Street
Web site: tolstoymuseum.ru