Surrounded by beautiful countryside, Spasskoe-Lutovinovo, 65km north of Oryol, is the family estate of Ivan Turgenev (1818–83), where the 19th-century novelist completed his most famous book, Fathers and Sons .
The estate was originally given to the Turgenev family by Ivan the Terrible. Though he spent much of his life in Moscow, St Petersburg, Germany and France, Turgenev thought of Spasskoe-Lutovinovo as his home and returned here many times. He was also exiled here in 1852–53 as a result of his work A Sportsman’s Sketches, which displeased the tsar. To learn more about the writer, see www.turgenev.org.ru.
The main house contains some original furniture, books and Turgenev’s personal effects. There’s an icon hanging in Turgenev’s study that was given to the family by Ivan the Terrible, and the chessboard is set ready to play (Turgenev was a masterful player).
Also on the grounds is the restored family church, which holds regular services. The big oak tree planted as a sapling by Turgenev and the writer’s ‘exile house’ are a short walk from the main house.
Take a marshrutka from Oryol to Mtsensk (R72, one hour, every 30 minutes from 6am to 9pm), then switch at Mtsensk’s bus station to a Spasskoe-Lutovinovo bus (R25, 30 minutes, hourly), or take a taxi (around R170).
