Odessa State Literary Museum, Odessa

The Odessa Literary Museum was founded in 1977 by a resolution of the Council of Ministers of Ukraine. It is housed in the Gagarin Palace, an architectural monument designed by Ludwig Otton. The institution’s founder and first director was the writer and bibliophile Nikita Brigin.

From the outset, the museum was created entirely from scratch. Its team simultaneously assembled collections, established contacts with writers and their heirs, developed the structural and thematic exhibition plan, and worked on the overall concept. The artistic vision of the displays was shaped through the collaboration of researchers and designers under the direction of Anatoliy Gaydamak, an Honored Worker of Arts of Ukraine and a prominent monumental artist. The museum officially opened to the public in 1984.

The museum’s exposition occupies 21 rooms arranged in an enfilade on the second floor, along with four halls on the first. It includes three main directions typical of literary museums: a memorial section, a section dedicated to books and Odessa printing, and an overview of the evolution of literature in Odessa and works by Odessa authors.

Each hall presents not only books, manuscripts, magazines, personal belongings, and period writing tools, but also captures the atmosphere of one or two decades of the 19th and 20th centuries. While every room has its own distinctive character, all are seamlessly connected to create a coherent chronological journey.

The design approach for each literary era avoids simple, frontal displays; instead, it takes on the qualities of refined theatrical scenery. This artistic style encourages visitors to engage deeply, interpreting details, visual motifs, and subtle clues that reflect the spirit of each decade and the personalities of the writers represented.