This 19th-century town house was the suitably grand childhood home of Vladimir Nabokov, infamous author of Lolita and arguably the most versatile of 20th century Russian writers. Here Nabokov lived with his wealthy family from his birth in 1899 until the revolution in 1917, when they left the country. Nabokov artefacts on display include family photographs, first editions of his books and parts of his extensive butterfly collection, as well as rooms given over to temporary exhibits.
The house features heavily in Nabokov’s autobiography Speak, Memory , in which he refers to it as a ‘paradise lost’. Indeed, he never returned, dying abroad in 1977. Aside from the various Nabokov artefacts, there's actually relatively little to see in the museum itself, save for some charming interiors (don’t miss the gorgeous stained-glass windows in the stairwell, which are not technically part of the museum, but staff will often allow you to take a peek), and the Green Dining Room, which was being renovated at the time of writing.
