Expectations and reality. Yasnaya Polyana and Kozlova Zaseka

23.12.2021

Born into the noble family of Maria Nikolaevna, nee Princess Volkonskaya, and Count Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy in the Yasnaya Polyana estate in Krapivensky district of the Tula province, he was the fourth child. The happy marriage of his parents became the prototype of the heroes in the novel “War and Peace” - Princess Marya and Nikolai Rostov. Parents died early. The future writer was educated by Tatyana Aleksandrovna Ergolskaya, a distant relative, and educated by tutors: the German Reselman and the Frenchman Saint-Thomas, who became the heroes of the writer’s stories and novels. At the age of 13, the future writer and his family moved to the hospitable house of his father’s sister P.I. Yushkova in Kazan.

In 1844, Leo Tolstoy entered the Imperial Kazan University at the Department of Oriental Literature of the Faculty of Philosophy. After the first year, he failed the transition exam and transferred to the Faculty of Law, where he studied for two years, plunging into secular entertainment. Leo Tolstoy, naturally shy and ugly, acquired a reputation in secular society for “thinking” about the happiness of death, eternity, and love, although he himself wanted to shine. And in 1847, he left the university and went to Yasnaya Polyana with the intention of pursuing science and “reaching the highest degree of perfection in music and painting.”

In 1849, the first school for peasant children was opened on his estate, where Foka Demidovich, his serf and former musician, taught. Yermil Bazykin, who studied there, said: “There were about 20 of us boys, the teacher was Foka Demidovich, a yard man. Under father L.N. Tolstoy he performed the position of musician. The old man was good. He taught us the alphabet, counting, sacred history. Lev Nikolaevich also came to us, also studied with us, showed us his diploma. I went every other day, every other day, or even every day. He always ordered the teacher not to offend us...”

In 1851, under the influence of his older brother Nikolai, Lev left for the Caucasus, having already begun to write “Childhood”, and in the fall he became a cadet in the 4th battery of the 20th artillery brigade, stationed in the Cossack village of Starogladovskaya on the Terek River. There he finished the first part of “Childhood” and sent it to the magazine “Sovremennik” to its editor N.A. Nekrasov. On September 18, 1852, the manuscript was published with great success.

Leo Tolstoy served for three years in the Caucasus and, having the right to the most honorable St. George Cross for bravery, “ceded” it to a fellow soldier, as giving a lifelong pension. At the beginning of the Crimean War of 1853-1856. transferred to the Danube Army, participated in the battles of Oltenitsa, the siege of Silistria, and the defense of Sevastopol. Then the story “Sevastopol in December 1854” was written. was read by Emperor Alexander II, who ordered to take care of the talented officer.

In November 1856, the already recognized and famous writer left military service and went to travel around Europe.

In 1862, Leo Tolstoy married seventeen-year-old Sofya Andreevna Bers. Their marriage produced 13 children, five died in early childhood, and the novels “War and Peace” (1863-1869) and “Anna Karenina” (1873-1877), recognized as great works, were written.

In the 1880s Leo Tolstoy experienced a powerful crisis, which led to the denial of official state power and its institutions, the awareness of the inevitability of death, faith in God and the creation of his teaching - Tolstoyism. He lost interest in the usual lordly life, he began to have thoughts about suicide and the need to live correctly, become a vegetarian, engage in education and physical labor - he plowed, sewed boots, taught children at school. In 1891 he publicly renounced copyright on his literary works written after 1880.

During 1889-1899 Leo Tolstoy wrote the novel “Resurrection,” whose plot is based on a real court case, and scathing articles about the system of government - on this basis, the Holy Synod excommunicated Count Leo Tolstoy from the Orthodox Church and anathematized him in 1901.

On October 28 (November 10), 1910, Leo Tolstoy secretly left Yasnaya Polyana, setting off on a journey without a specific plan for the sake of his moral and religious ideas of recent years, accompanied by the doctor D.P. Makovitsky. On the way, he caught a cold, fell ill with lobar pneumonia and was forced to get off the train at Astapovo station (now Lev Tolstoy station in the Lipetsk region). Leo Tolstoy died on November 7 (20), 1910 in the house of the station chief I.I. Ozolin and was buried in Yasnaya Polyana.

Moving from Tula towards “Yasnaya Polyana” - the estate of L.N. Tolstoy, we will certainly see two road signs. To the right - to Yasnaya Polyana itself, to the left - to the Kozlova Zaseka station-museum. So we thought, why not pay attention to this no less interesting place, which also played a certain role in the life of L.N. Tolstoy and make it logical continuation of the Yasnaya Polyana cache...
Kozlova Zaseka- railway station at the Tula branch of the Moscow Railway. The history of the name of the station dates back to the 14th century, when this place near Tula was located on the southern outskirts of the Moscow principality and was a fence that served to protect against enemy raids. It was named “Kozlova” in honor of the local governor Ivan Kozlov. In 1868, the Moscow-Kursk Railway opened and the station closest to Yasnaya Polyana was named “Kozlovaya Zaseka”, where Leo Tolstoy lived and worked. This is where the writer’s mail came, this is where he made phone calls. On November 7, 1910, the writer’s life was cut short: leaving Yasnaya Polyana, Tolstoy fell ill on the train and died in the house of the head of the Astapovo station of the Ryazan-Ural Railway. 2 days later, the funeral train with the coffin of Lev Nikolayevich was already arriving in Yasnaya Polyana at the Kozlova Zaseka station at half past seven in the morning. Since then, the hands of the station clock have forever frozen at this mark. In 1928, in the year of the centenary of the writer’s birth, the station was renamed “Yasnaya Polyana”; in 2001, its historical name was returned to it, restoration work was carried out and the exhibition “Leo Tolstoy’s Railway” was opened.
Today, the station complex-museum includes: a station, a pantry, a luggage shed, a platform, parking for vehicles and buses, a cellar, an adjacent landscaped area (with lawns, paved paths), and a drinking well. The interior decoration of the station - mirrors, clocks, curtains, lamps, benches - is designed in the style of Leo Tolstoy's era. The platform from the beginning of the last century was restored according to drawings and sketches: a wooden canopy was built, a bell appeared on the station wall, signaling the departure of the train, the platforms were equipped with lanterns and wooden benches. On September 9, 2001 - on the birthday of the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy - a solemn opening ceremony of the Kozlova Zaseka station (Yasnaya Polyana) and the commissioning of the Yasnaya Polyana express (Moscow - Tula - Kozlova Zaseka) took place.
An exhibition “Leo Tolstoy’s Railway” was opened in one of the station premises.
The exhibition presents objects from the beginning of the 20th century, allowing visitors to imagine the appearance of the station at the time Leo Tolstoy departed on his final journey. Here you can see a model of a train of those years, old photographs, travel items (briefcase, umbrella, cane-seat), telegraph, telephone.

The great Russian writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy never liked railways. In his mature years, having survived his “secular” youth, he was a conservative man and at some points opposed many innovations. However, his opinion about the active construction of railways in the Russian Empire was consistently negative - he believed that this element of progress brings only troubles to humanity.

Very soon – on May 20, “Manor Express” will make its second trip outside the Moscow region. We will get acquainted with the Tula estate of Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy - the world-famous estate "Yasnaya Polyana" and try to experience all the features of the intimate, bright and surprisingly inspiring family nest of the great writer.

However, our knowledge of the sights of the Tula region associated with the name of Tolstoy will not be limited to Yasnaya Polyana. Passengers of the "Manor Express" will visit the ancient station "Kozlova Zaseka", which for many years played an important role in the life of the writer, and later became one of the starting points on his journey to eternity.

I invite you to the journey of the “Manor Express”, which will take place this weekend, May 20. And on the eve of the trip, I present to your attention a short material about the history of the Kozlova Zaseka station and its role in the fate of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy.

Tolstoy supported his arguments about his dislike for the railway with weighty arguments: firstly, during the construction of railways, the “cheap” route of workers and peasants was always used, many of whom died in the course of their work, and secondly, Tolstoy did not recognize the separation of passenger cars to various “classes” of comfort, considering this an ugly way of self-affirmation for rich people, and, of course, he found something mystical and even sinister in the appearance and atmosphere of locomotives, rails, trains and other important components of the railway infrastructure.

Years later, we may well notice that Lev Nikolaevich’s dislike for the railway was a fateful premonition. And the main station of his life was the Kozlova Zaseka railway platform, located 4.5 kilometers from his Yasnaya Polyana estate. It began operating in 1868. The construction of the station became a necessary logistics solution after the opening of the Moscow-Kursk railway. Leo Tolstoy noted the launch of a railway station almost next to his estate with a traditional – skeptical reaction. However, as if fate itself had decreed that “Kozlova Zaseka” played a huge role in his life.
Meanwhile, the new station opened successfully and became one of the busiest places in the area. “Kozlova Zaseka” received its unusual name in honor of the abatis forests that form an entire defensive line that shelters the Tula lands from enemy raids. And the station received the first part of its composite name thanks to the local governor Danila Kozlov.

The architectural complex of the Kozlova Zaseka station in the 19th century consisted of a goods office, a station, summer ticket offices, a cafeteria, a railway house and other related buildings. “Kozlova Zaseka” was not distinguished by its rich decor and fancy architectural solutions. However, this station had one unusual stylistic feature that should be noted. The steps of the main building leading to the waiting room were decorated with rails manufactured at the Demidov plant in 1881. This decorative element was very symbolic: it not only indicated the ownership of this building, but also immortalized the name of the famous Tula dynasty of industrialists in the history of the station.

In those years, small stations were centers of social life for residents and visitors of the surrounding area. Here travelers were met and seen off, telegrams were sent and telephone calls were made. Over time, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy also became an active user of the station. At Kozlovaya Zaseka, the Tolstoys received mail, met their friends who came to stay in Yasnaya Polyana, and used the local telephone. “Kozlova Zaseka” regularly became the end and intermediate point of the famous horseback riding and walking tours of the residents of Yasnaya Polyana.

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“Kozlova Zaseka” is also known on the other, sad side. Leo Tolstoy had a presentiment that railway stations might play a fatal role in his fate. The mystical prophecy was destined to come true. On November 20, 1910, as a result of an aggravated illness, the great writer died in the house of the head of the Astapovo station.

On November 9, 1910, a mourning train with the body of Leo Tolstoy arrived at the Kozlova Zaseka station. The coffin with the writer's body was met by thousands of people, among whom were his relatives, friends, admirers of his talent and concerned residents of the surrounding area. This moment went down in Russian history forever.

After the revolution, the station continued to operate - in 1928, on the centenary of the birth of the writer, “Kozlov Zaseka” was renamed “Yasnaya Polyana”. Gradually, the importance of this station became less significant, and the ancient buildings themselves began to collapse.

In 2001, Kozlovaya Zasek was returned to its historical name. And soon large-scale restoration work began on the territory of the ancient station. Historians and construction specialists, in accordance with archival photographs and documents, managed to restore the original appearance of the ancient station. Nowadays, “Kozlova Zaseka” fulfills its transport and logistics role, and in the station there is a wonderful museum, a visit to which is an obligatory part of the most complete and elaborate excursion programs to Tolstoy’s places in the Tula region.

The nearest railway station to Yasnaya Polyana, Kozlova Zaseka, has been restored to the same form as it was during the life of Leo Tolstoy. The greatest novelist of world literature and an original philosopher, it was from here that he used telephone communications, received mail here, and began his travels from here. The modest provincial terminal of the Kozlova Zaseka station has acquired museum status, continuing to serve passengers in the surroundings of the beginning of the last century.

The only significant discrepancy with Tolstoy's time is the increased number of rail tracks, inevitable with the development of railway communication, and the electrification of the road. At the beginning of the 20th century there were only two paths, an island platform between them and a side one from Yasnaya Polyana. Near the railway bridge, Lev Nikolaevich turned his horse while walking, returning to the family estate. Kozlov was also greeted by the funeral train that delivered the writer’s body from the place of his death, Astapovo station.

Biographers of Tolstoy and researchers of his creative and life path outline several versions of his last journey by rail. Some write about an ordinary trip to see their daughter Tatyana, others insist on an aimless spontaneous journey under the influence of spiritual quests. Judging by the descriptions of the strange route of the trip, the second version regarding an elderly man of 82 years old is more likely.

At Kozlova Zaseka station

The name of the area, which was transferred to one of the stations during the construction of the railway, comes from an ancient fortification - zaseki. This was the name given to the ramparts made of randomly piled up tree trunks with pointed (hewn) branches, with which the Moscow principality was fenced off from the raids of southern tribes and Turks. Forest debris impeded the advance of the cavalry, making the task of the defenders easier.

The fortifications south of Tula, then the surrounding area, and then the station were named after the leader of one of the garrisons, governor Danila Kozlov. The Bolshevik authorities celebrated the centenary anniversary of the birth of Leo Tolstoy by renaming the Kozlov Zaseka station to Yasnaya Polyana, which is what it was called until the restoration of the historical name in 2001. In addition, work was carried out to return the station and the surrounding area to the appearance they had in 1910.

As part of the reconstruction, all station buildings and structures were restored to their original condition, as far as possible from the point of view of safe service for current passengers. These include the station itself and a separate pantry building, a luggage compartment and a canopy at the far end of the platform. The wooden fences made of solid timber, the lighting lanterns and the station clock on the platform were restored. Near the entrance to the museum premises, on the right side of the Kozlova Zaseka station, there is a bust of the writer.

Inside the station building

Inside the station building, the atmosphere of a typical small station from the early 20th century has also been restored. The benches in the waiting room, the frames of ticket office windows and other furnishings have been brought into line with their appearance more than a century ago. This is exactly what provincial railway stations looked like then; the transport department did not allow any light displays, retail outlets or other extraneous things.

An antique mirror with a carved frame was placed in the corner of the waiting room. According to the caretaker's description, it is original and stood at this station in those distant times. At a distance there is a model of the Kozlova Zaseka station, where it looks exactly as Lev Nikolaevich saw it. There are only two rail lines on it, and there are no poles or railway electrification wires for electric locomotives. On the tracks there are models of a steam locomotive with old-type carriages, which are now preserved only in railway museums of the or type.

Exposition at Kozlova Zaseka station

The management of Russian Railways, the largest Russian monopolist, organized and paid not only for the restoration of the station. The exhibition Leo Tolstoy's Railway was created, which then became, together with the existing station, a branch of the Yasnaya Polyana museum-estate. The station museum has only one small room; among the exhibits there is no need to look for the personal belongings of the great passenger. However, historical accuracy regarding the time of their origin and use has been maintained.

The exhibition is well graphically decorated with large wall drawings and enlarged copies of old photographs. The exhibits can be divided into two groups – those related to the functioning of the railway and those that belonged to passengers of the distant past. Work equipment includes old communication equipment (telegraph and telephone sets), oil cans for lubrication, and various lighting lanterns for linemen and railway workers. Large and small suitcases and traveling bags, travel clothing and personal belongings of passengers are widely represented.

Concluding our brief overview of the provincial station associated with the great writer, we suggest looking at another high-rise photograph. From this angle, the characteristic differences of the present time are more noticeable - passenger cars of a modern design, long trains of freight gondola cars, which did not exist in the first years of the existence of railways. Particularly striking are the masts of the electrical network that powers modern locomotives.

A visit to the exceptionally rare symbiosis of a museum with a functioning train station is interesting in itself. The awareness of the deep connection of the object of visit with the life of a great compatriot greatly increases the value of this short trip. When planning to visit Yasnaya Polyana, do not forget to include a visit to the Kozlova Zaseka station, the distance between them is less than five kilometers.

For many years we had been planning to visit Yasnaya Polyana, but we still couldn’t get there. Finally, this year it happened.
First of all, we stopped at the Kozlova Zaseka station. It has nothing to do with goats, and received its name from the former governor Daniil Kozlov.
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The name of the station dates back to the 14th century, when this place near Tula was located on the southern outskirts of the Moscow principality and was a fence that served to protect against Crimean Tatar raids.
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In 1868, the Moscow-Kursk Railway opened and the station closest to Yasnaya Polyana, where Leo Tolstoy lived and worked, was named “Kozlovaya Zaseka”.
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This is where the writer’s mail came, this is where he made phone calls. From here he went south in November 1910, where he died at the Astapovo station.
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In 1928, in the year of the centenary of the writer’s birth, the station was renamed “Yasnaya Polyana”; in 2001, the historical name was returned.
5. Birch tree planted in honor of this event by the head of the Moscow Railway Fadeev and the former governor of the Tula region Starodubtsev.

For this event, the station was restored, stylized as at the end of the 19th century, and the area around the station was also put in order.
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7. Let's go inside. It's quite cozy and clean inside.

Not a soul of people. The station is small, passenger trains almost never stop here. The branded train that has been running here from Moscow since 2010 has been cancelled.
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9. Telephone booths are idle.

10. You can send a postcard

11. You can go to the boss.

12. Paths near the station

At the end of the station building there is an exhibition “Leo Tolstoy’s Railway”. Just one room, not many exhibits, costs 20 rubles.
13. Swiss travel watch, early 20th century