Clean Ponds: Dostoevsky's Library

Moscow, like most major cities in Russia, cares about its residents and guests. It creates and preserves quiet corners of culture, where history talks from book pages. Libraries, from very small to the largest, are scattered throughout the capital and store in themselves huge treasures - ancient chronicles, books, documents that have become, thanks to them, accessible to any person. One of them is Dostoevsky's library in Moscow.

Clean Ponds

The place in question will be on Chistoprudny Boulevard, 23. This is the famous district of Moscow - Chistye Prudy. Its name is associated with the activities of Peter I's associate Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, who lived nearby on Myasnitskaya Street at the beginning of the 18th century. True, at that time this district was called quite differently - the Poganaya puddha, or the Poganyi marsh. And not because there was a wetland here. As now, there was a pond in this place, only a very dirty one, as wastes from nearby meat shops and a slaughter house merged and dumped into it. Menshikov ordered the pond to be cleaned. Since then, the modern name of the territory has become popular.

The history of the appearance of the house №23 on Chistye Prudy

After a while, the slaughterhouse was moved outside of Moscow, and these merchants began to settle the land. In 1900, an apartment house designed by V. Barkov was built here for the house owner Elena Andreevna Teleshova. Teleshova herself did not live in this house.

Originally this building was four-story. Later, three more floors were added. It is interesting that the facade of the house is not even, but concave. This is not characteristic of the structures of the era and purpose.

History of the Library

At the beginning of the XX century, in 1907, in the house of writer ND Teleshov on Chistoprudniy Boulevard opened a public "Modern Library". It was located on the first floor. After the revolutionary events of 1917, the building was nationalized, and the library that was operating in it was transferred to the new authority.

In 1921, the library was given the name of the writer Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky.

During the Soviet period, not only the subscription and the reading room worked here, but also the Club of fans of reading "Contemporary", the association of creative people "Clean Ponds" and lovers of literature "Key", as well as an aesthetic studio for children.

Once again, the library of Dostoevsky was opened on November 19, 2013. The premises were light, instead of traditional writing desks and cumbersome chairs, coffee tables and a variety of soft banquettes for readers of all ages were delivered. Since the building has two rooms that are isolated from each other, this allows one of the spaces for lectures and film screenings to be used, without prejudice to ongoing library work. However, some Muscovites are questioning the appropriateness of the changes. For example, instead of old bookcases very high racks were installed, on the upper shelves of which it is very difficult to get. Designed by the designers of the light solution of the book depository is not very successful. A "firing" of the library cats Romochka and Stjepoka expose books to the threat of damage to rats. In addition, it is unclear why the picture of the writer was removed from the library of Dostoevsky, because now in library interiors nothing relates to the name of the institution. Well, except that the availability of a number of unique publications, some of which contains works by the writer.

The modern library

With the resumption of work in 2013, the library entered the top ten cultural institutions of the city, included in the project to create modern media centers.

To match the spirit of the times, Dostoevsky's library had to introduce an innovation in the system of its work - everyone who wants here can read books at night. The only problem is that this time of work of the institution is paid. The cost of the first hour of using resources - 100 rubles, the subsequent - 50 rubles. The time of "night" starts at 22 hours and ends at 5.30 in the morning, to the opening of the subway and the beginning of the transport operation. Among the available resources: the Internet, Wi-Fi, the publication of library funds both in the subscription mode and in the reading room mode. It is planned to open here courses on computer literacy for anyone.

In the spring of 2017, in the library of Dostoevsky, a series of intellectual games for the leaders took place for the right to join the erudite team of the intellectual club "Green Suitcase".

The Dostoevsky Library on Chistye Prudy is one of the intellectual shelters for lovers of a good book and a popular educational and educational center of Moscow.