The museum dedicated to Anton Chekhov’s major social and literary project was established as a public organization in 1989. It was officially opened in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in September 1995.
The museum’s collection features such sections as “Paintings”, “Drawings”, “Archives and Manuscripts”, “Photographs”, “Numismatics and Phaleristics”, “Applied Arts and Household Items”, and “Sculpture”. The exhibits include items that used to belong to the Chekhov family, such as a travel bag, hypodermic needles, a razor, sugar tongs, an icon lamp, and a jam basin.
The museum houses a letter by Anton Chekhov, paintings and drawings by the writer’s nephews, and the largest collection of editions of Anton Chekhov’s book “Sakhalin Island” both in Russian and other languages.
The museum is a member of the Association of Sakhalin Region Museums and the International Community of Chekhov Museums and Libraries. It organizes annual Chekhov Readings, guided tours along the writer’s 1890 route, and temporary exhibitions of collections from other museums. The museum has also launched a project titled “Flipping Through the Pages of Memory” and conducts research work involving the descendants of exiled convicts.
The museum has two permanent exhibitions: “People and Sakhalin through the Eyes of Anton Chekhov” and “‘Sakhalin Island’: An Open-Ended Story”.
