Expectations and reality. Yasnaya Polyana and Kozlova Zasek

23.12.2021

He was born into a noble family of Maria Nikolaevna, nee Princess Volkonskaya, and Count Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy in the Yasnaya Polyana estate in the Krapivensky district of the Tula province as the fourth child. The happy marriage of his parents became the prototype of the characters in the novel "War and Peace" - Princess Marya and Nikolai Rostov. Parents died early. Tatyana Alexandrovna Yergolskaya, a distant relative, was engaged in the upbringing of the future writer, education - 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 in the Department of Oriental Literature of the Faculty of Philosophy. After the first year, he did not pass the transitional exam and transferred to the Faculty of Law, where he studied for two years, plunging into secular entertainment. Leo Tolstoy, naturally shy and ugly, gained a reputation in secular society as "thinking" about the happiness of death, eternity, love, although he himself wanted to shine. And in 1847 he left the university and went to Yasnaya Polyana with the intention of doing science and "achieving 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, a former musician, taught. Yermil Bazykin, who studied there, said: “There were about 20 of us boys, the teacher was Foka Demidovich, a courtyard man. Under father L.N. Tolstoy, he acted as a musician. The old man was good. He taught us the alphabet, counting, sacred history. Lev Nikolaevich also came to us, also worked 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 completed the first part of Childhood and sent it to the Sovremennik magazine to its editor N.A. Nekrasov. On September 18, 1852, the manuscript was printed with great success.

Leo Tolstoy served three years in the Caucasus and, having the right to the most honorable St. George Cross for bravery, "conceded" to his 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, the defense of Sevastopol. The then written story "Sevastopol in December 1854" was read by Emperor Alexander II, who ordered to take care of a talented officer.

In November 1856, the already recognized and well-known writer leaves military service and leaves to travel around Europe.

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

In the 1880s Leo Tolstoy survived a powerful crisis, which led to the denial of official state power and its institutions, the realization of the inevitability of death, faith in God and the creation of his own doctrine - Tolstoyism. He lost interest in the usual aristocratic life, he began to have thoughts of suicide and the need to live right, be a vegetarian, engage in education and physical labor - he plowed, sewed boots, taught children at school. In 1891, he publicly renounced the copyright to 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 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 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 the Astapovo station (now Lev Tolstoy station in the Lipetsk region). Leo Tolstoy died on November 7 (20), 1910 in the house of the head of the station 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 - actually to Yasnaya Polyana, to the left - to the station-museum "Kozlova Zasek". 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 notch 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 was opened and the station closest to Yasnaya Polyana was called Kozlovaya Zaseka, where Leo Tolstoy lived and worked. Here the mail came to the writer, here he called by phone. 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 Nikolaevich was already arriving in Yasnaya Polyana at the Kozlova Zasek station at half past six in the morning. Since then, the hands of the station clocks 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 canteen, a luggage shed, a platform, a parking lot for vehicles and buses, a cellar, an adjacent landscaped area (with lawns, paved paths), and a mine-drinking well. The interior of the station - mirrors, clocks, curtains, lamps, benches - are designed in the style of the era of Leo Tolstoy. According to the drawings and sketches, the platform of the beginning of the last century was restored: a wooden shed was built, a bell reappeared on the wall of the station, giving a signal before the departure of the train, the platforms were equipped with lanterns and wooden benches. September 9, 2001 - the birthday of the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy - a solemn opening ceremony of the Kozlova Zasek station (Yasnaya Polyana) and the launch of the Yasnaya Polyana express train (Moscow - Tula - Kozlova Zasek) took place.
In one of the station premises, the exhibition "Railway of Leo Tolstoy" is open.
The exhibition presents objects from the early 20th century, allowing visitors to imagine the appearance of the station at the time of Leo Tolstoy's departure on his last journey. Here are a model of a train of those years, old photographs, travel items (a briefcase, an umbrella, a cane-seat), a telegraph, and a telephone.

The great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy never liked railways. In his mature years, having experienced a "secular" youth, he was a conservative person 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 misfortune to mankind.

Very soon, on May 20, "Usadebny 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 Yasnaya Polyana estate and try to experience all the features of the chamber, 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 old Kozlova Zaseka station, 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 small material about the history of the Kozlova Zasek station and its role in the fate of Leo Tolstoy.

Tolstoy confirmed his arguments about his dislike for the railway with weighty arguments: firstly, during the construction of railway lines, the “cheap” way 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 into various “classes” of comfort, considering it an ugly way of self-affirmation of 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 Nikolayevich's dislike for the railway was a fateful foreboding. And the main station of his life was the Kozlova Zaseka railway platform, located 4.5 kilometers from his Yasnaya Polyana estate. She began acting in 1868. The construction of the station became a necessary logistical solution after the opening of the Moscow-Kursk railway. The launch of the railway station almost next to his estate, Leo Tolstoy noted the traditional - skeptical - reaction. However, as if fate itself decreed in such a way that the "Kozlova Zasek" played a huge role in his life.
In the meantime, the new station has successfully opened and has become one of the busiest places in the area. The Kozlova Zasek got its unusual name in honor of the forests that form a whole defensive line that shelters the Tula lands from enemy raids. And the station received the first part of its compound name thanks to the local voivode Danila Kozlov.

The architectural complex of the station "Kozlova Zaseka" in the 19th century consisted of a commodity office, a railway station, summer cash desks, a canteen, a railway house and other related buildings. "Kozlova Zaseka" was not distinguished by the richness of decor and bizarre 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 finished with rails made at the Demidov factory in 1881. Such a 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 the 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 Zasek, the Tolstoys received mail, met their friends who had come to visit Yasnaya Polyana, and used the local telephone. "Kozlova Zaseka" regularly became the final and intermediate point of the famous horse and foot walks of the inhabitants of Yasnaya Polyana.

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Known "Kozlova Zasek" and on the other, sad side. Leo Tolstoy foresaw that the 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 exacerbated illness, the great writer died in the house of the head of the Astapovo station.

On November 9, 1910, the funeral train with the body of Leo Tolstoy arrived at the Kozlova Zaseka station. The coffin with the body of the writer 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 has gone 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 Zasek, it was renamed Yasnaya Polyana. Gradually, the significance of this station became less significant, and the ancient buildings themselves began to collapse.

In 2001, the Kozlovaya Zaseka got its historical name back. And soon large-scale restoration work began on the territory of the old station. Historians and builders, in accordance with archival photographs and documents, managed to restore the original appearance of the old station. Today, Kozlova Zaseka fulfills its transport and logistics role, and the station houses a wonderful museum, a visit to which is an obligatory part of the most complete and well-developed excursion programs around Tolstoy's places in the Tula region.

The Kozlova Zasek railway station nearest to Yasnaya Polyana has been restored in the form 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 the telephone, received mail here, and started his travels from here. The modest provincial station of the Kozlova Zasek station acquired a museum status, continuing to serve passengers in the entourage of the beginning of the last century.

The only significant inconsistency 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 tracks, an island platform between them and a side platform from Yasnaya Polyana. Near the railway bridge, Lev Nikolaevich turned his horse during walks, returning to the family estate. I met Kozlov Zasek and the funeral train that delivered the body of the writer from the place of death, Astapovo station.

Biographers of Tolstoy and researchers of his creative and life path present several versions of his last journey by rail. Some write about an ordinary trip to 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 in relation to a man of advanced 82 years is more likely.

At the Kozlova Zasek station

The name of the area, which was transferred to one of the stations during the construction of the railway, came from an ancient fortification - a notch. This was the name of the ramparts of randomly piled tree trunks with pointed (hewn) branches, with which the Moscow principality was fenced off from the raids of the southern tribes and Turks. Forest blockages impeded the advance of the cavalry, facilitating the task of the defenders.

The fortifications south of Tula, then the surrounding area, then the station were named after the leader of one of the garrisons, governor Danila Kozlov. The Bolshevik authorities celebrated the centenary of the birth of Leo Tolstoy by renaming the station Kozlova Zasek to Yasnaya Polyana, which 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 brought to their original state, as far as possible from the point of view of the safe service of current passengers. Among them are the station itself and a separate pantry building, a luggage compartment and a shed at the far end of the platform. Wooden railings made of solid timber, lighting lanterns and station clocks on the platform have been restored. Near the entrance to the museum premises, from the right end of the Kozlov Zasek station, there is a bust of the writer.

Inside the station building

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

An antique mirror in a carved frame was placed in the corner of the waiting room. According to the description of the caretaker, it is original and stood at this station in those distant times. At some distance there is a layout of the Kozlova Zasek station, where it looks completely the same as Lev Nikolaevich saw it. It has only two rail lines, there are no poles and wires of railway electrification for electric locomotives. On the tracks there are mock-ups of a steam locomotive with old-type cars, which are now preserved only in railway museums of the or type.

Exposition at Kozlova Zasek station

The management of Russian Railways, the largest Russian monopoly, organized and paid for not only the restoration of the station. The Leo Tolstoy Railway exposition was created, which later became, together with the existing station, a branch of the Yasnaya Polyana Museum-Estate. The station museum has only one room of small dimensions; among the exhibits there is no need to look for personal belongings of the great passenger. However, historical accuracy in terms of the time of their origin and use is observed.

The exhibition is nicely graphically framed with large wall paintings 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. From the working inventory there are old means of communication (telegraph and telephone sets), oilers for lubrication, various lighting lamps for linemen and railway workers. Large and small suitcases and suitcases, travel clothes and personal belongings of passengers are widely presented.

Concluding a brief overview of the provincial railway station associated with the great writer, we offer you to look at another high-altitude photograph. From this perspective, the characteristic differences of the present time are more noticeable - passenger cars of a modern design, long trains of freight gondola cars, which was not the case in the early years of the existence of railways. Especially striking are the masts of the electrical network that feeds modern locomotives.

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

For many years we were going to visit Yasnaya Polyana, but still could not get there. Finally, this year it happened.
First of all, we stopped at the Kozlova Zasek station. It has nothing to do with goats, and got its name from the former governor Daniil Kozlov.
1.

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 notch that served to protect against Crimean Tatar raids.
2.

In 1868, the Moscow-Kursk railway was opened and the station closest to Yasnaya Polyana, where Leo Tolstoy lived and worked, was named "Kozlovaya Zaseka".
3.

Here the mail came to the writer, here he called by phone. From here he went in November 1910 to the south, where he died at the Astapovo station.
4.

In 1928, in the year of the centenary of the birth of the writer, the station was renamed Yasnaya Polyana, in 2001 the historical name was returned.
5. Birch, 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 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. Inside is quite comfortable and clean.

The people - not a soul. 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. Phone booths are idle.

10. You can send a postcard

11. You can go to the boss.

12. Ways near the station

At the end of the station building is the exhibition "Railway Leo Tolstoy." Only one room, there are not many exhibits, it costs 20 rubles.
13. Swiss travel watch, early 20th century