Gorky House Museum, Biographical museum in Moscow, Russia.
The Gorky House Museum is an Art Nouveau mansion featuring a dramatic marble staircase shaped like an ocean wave. The rooms display how a wealthy Moscow family lived and worked in the early 20th century.
Built for businessman Stepan Ryabushinsky around 1900, the mansion was seized by the state in 1917. Stalin gifted it to writer Maxim Gorky in 1932, where he remained until his death.
A private chapel inside honors Old Believer practices, showing how the Ryabushinsky family lived their faith in early 20th-century Moscow. Walking through the residence today, visitors can still sense the family's daily spiritual life reflected in the home's design.
The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday with guided tours explaining the architecture and Gorky's life. Plan to spend time moving slowly through the rooms to appreciate the design details and period furnishings.
A jellyfish-shaped chandelier hangs at the base of the marble staircase, catching light in an unexpected way. Colorful mosaic friezes depicting flowering orchids run along the exterior walls, giving the house a lavish botanical quality.
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