Bulgakov Museum Needs No Advertisement: It has Legend

"Our exhibition is a moving structure," says museum curator and founder Kira Pitoyeva. "In other words, it is constantly being replenished with new exhibits. The number of exhibits has increased 20-fold since the museum's first stage was opened in 1993. Incidentally, when we were only getting off the ground, we had no exhibits but the most important one, the house itself. We have no guides, excursions are conducted by research associates."

"They say you are often visited by children."

"Yes, and we are proud of this. The children also bring adults. This probably happens because family and peace is one of the cornerstones of our concept. When we were establishing our museum, we thought precisely of this. Today everyone talks about family values, but as recently as ten years ago this was considered an unpardonable luxury and Philistinism."

"Your museum has no advertisements in the city."

"We do not need to be advertised, for we have legend, the legend about the Turbins' House which can give you shelter and where you can endure hard times, standing, hand in hand, behind the cream-colored curtains. So 'We shall live!' as a GliПre romance says. I am raising my replacement, our family lives here, and our children are growing up. It would be indecent in front of Bulgakov to merely physically survive. We must live, and live decently."