Minsk. Yakub Kolas Literary and Memorial Museum.

The museum was founded in 1956, and was opened to the public in 1959. It is located in the house where Yakub Kolas lived. This building has become an important part of his biography and creative path. Also, being a historical building of the mid-20th century, it is recognized as an architectural and historical monument. The museum is surrounded by a garden, the trees of which were planted by the hands of Yakub Kolas and his family.

The main fund of the museum is more than 30,000 units. The museum has 10 exhibition halls.  They feature personal belongings of Kolas and his family, his manuscripts, photographs, documents, artworks that perpetuate the image of the national poet and the heroes of his works, as well as materials related to his literary activities.

The exhibitions allow visitors to gain a deeper understanding of his work and influence on Belarusian literature. Among the most interesting exhibits are folklore notebooks with recordings of folk songs, fairy tales and legends made by the poet in the early years of his literary activity, a collection of awards by Yakub Kolas, magnetic tapes recording his voice.

On the ground floor there are bedrooms of the sons of Kolas, a living room, a dining room, a veranda and a kitchen, and on the second floor there are offices of the sons of Danila and Mikhail Mickiewicz, an office and a bedroom of Kolas, a large living room. 

The museum actively organizes exhibitions, lectures, master classes and literary evenings, which contributes to the popularization of Belarusian literature and culture. Thematic and theatrical excursions, creative meetings with famous people are held here. The Kolasoviny scientific conference is very famous.

The museum offers various educational programs for schoolchildren and students aimed at studying the work of Yakub Kolas and Belarusian literature in general.

In general, this is a museum with a cozy atmosphere and a very pleasant compact exposition. A great place for those who are interested in Belarusian culture and literature. It is very interesting and informative here!

The Yakub Kolas Museum was created by the Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus and the Council of Ministers of the BSSR on August 16, 1956, and opened its doors to visitors on December 4, 1959. It is located in the house where the people's poet of Belarus Yakub Kolas spent the last years of his life. This two-story house and the adjacent garden of 0.4 hectares are located on the territory of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus. The museum contains documents about the life, work and public activities of Yakub Kolas (Konstantin Mikhailovich Mitskevich, 1982 - 1956).

The total area of the exhibition is 319 sq. m. The museum has 10 exhibition halls, two of which have preserved the interior of the rooms of Yakub Kolas's house as they were during his lifetime: a study and a bedroom.

The first floor of the museum features a literary exhibition about Pesnyar's work. Here you can see manuscripts and typewritten texts of his works, first and lifetime editions of books, correspondence with Belarusian and Russian writers and public figures, autographs and photographs of Yakub Kolas, starting with the early one taken during his studies at the Nesvizh Teachers' Seminary in 1901. One of the photographs captured the classic next to the hero of his story "Drygva" - the legendary grandfather Talash.

The second floor of the house-museum displays furniture and household items that surrounded the great writer. The interior from his lifetime has been preserved in two rooms — a study and a bedroom. On the second floor, there is an open terrace, which was once Pesnyar's favorite place and today serves as an observation deck for viewing the entire estate. The museum building is surrounded by a 0.4-hectare garden, with trees planted by Yakub Kolas and his family.

In one of the remote corners of the memorial estate there is a house where the descendants of the national poet still live. Kolas' sons played a key role in collecting the museum's collection, which numbers more than 30 thousand items. Among the most interesting materials are folklore notebooks with recordings of folk songs, fairy tales and legends made by the poet during his work in Polesie, a collection of his awards, magnetic recordings of his voice and personal belongings, some of which are on display in the main exhibition.

The building is made in the style of Stalinist neoclassicism and is a small two-story brick house of rectangular shape. The main facade is symmetrical, with a central entrance decorated with a semicircular pediment. The ends of the building are complemented by symmetrical triangular bay windows. The facade decor includes pilasters, columns, profiled cornices and stucco decorations. An earlier residential building has been preserved in the side part of the courtyard facade. Inside the building there are exhibition halls, and the furnishings of the second floor, where the poet lived, are preserved the same as during his lifetime. The wooden staircase to the second floor is decorated with a stained glass window by the artist V. Poznyak.