At the origins of the creation of the Museum of NA. Dobrolubova stood talented writers, museum workers, scientists. The first biographer N.A. Dobrolyubov was Nikolai Gavrilovich Chernyshevsky (1828 – 1889). His “Materials for the biography of NA Dobrolyubov, collected in 1861-1862.”, Where letters, documents, memories of NA were collected. Dobrolyubov and his entourage, served as the basis for the work on the creation of the memorial museum and later the historical and literary expositions of the museum. A great contribution to the study of the biography of Dobrolyubov was made by Solomon Abramovich Reiser (1905 – 1989), Doctor of Philology, famous Soviet philistine. He published the book “Dobrolyubov in N.Novgorod”, “Genealogical table of Dobrolyubovs”, “Generated painting of Dobrolyubovs and Rurikovs”.
The initiator of the creation of the first in the country memorial museum of NA. Dobrolyubova was Doctor of Philology, literary critic, local historian Serafim Andreevich Orlov (1910-1980). The son of a priest himself, he left a number of valuable remarks about the life and life of the average clergy, about how the good-house house could have been built. And his book “N. Dobrolyubov in Nizhny Novgorod “is still an alpha and omega of local lore-philosophers. Under the guidance of the writer, historian-researcher Nikolai Alekseevich Zaburdaev (1909-1999), the director of the State Museum, A.M. Gorky, was built as a branch of the house-museum of NA. Dobrolyubova in 1971. Its first head (1971-1986) was Natalia Shelepenkova (1945-2002), who worked in the museum until the end of her life, subsequently becoming the main curator in the new museum education – the Literary-Memorial Museum of NA. Dobrolyubova, telling about the life and work of Dobrolyubov.
Its first director (1986-1998), Anatoly Gennadievich Trukhmanov (1928 – 2004), did much to consolidate the Dobrolyubov Museum on the map of Nizhny Novgorod museums as the leading cultural center of Nizhny Novgorod, introduced its additions to the genealogy of the Dobrolyubovs. Thanks to his initiative, the “Genealogical Tree of the Dobrolyubovs” appeared (produced by A.Shchelokov, November 1990, the memorial house of NA Dobrolyubov Museum). The next head of the museum (1998-2007) was Vladimir Mikhailovich Terekhov, the creator of the historical and literary exposition of the Dobrolyubov Museum, opened in 1986. It was created by the team of the Museum of A.M. Gorky under the direction of Elza Mikhaylovna Gudilenkova, and Nina Fedorovna Kalacheva was in charge of providing the material and technical base. The scientific director and creator of the exposition concept was then Irina Vladimirovna Nikitina, candidate of philological sciences and deputy director for scientific work of the Museum of A.M. Gorky.
From 2007 to the end of 2013 the museum was headed by Larisa Y. Motorina, thanks to the energy and enthusiasm of which the museum implemented a number of successful projects and acquired a new quality. Currently, Larisa Yurievna heads the department of culture of the city administration. The director of the museum is Natalia Mikhailovna Tsyganova. Now the oldest member of the museum, who has worked there for more than 25 years, is Galina Dmitrievskaya, the deputy director for scientific work, Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation, the author of the text of the book “Picturesque Nizhny Novgorod”, based largely on the collection of the Dobrolyubov Museum.
A great friend of the museum, supporting all his undertakings, is NA’s grand-niece. Dobrolubova Tatyana Pavlovna Vinogradova, Professor of the Nizhny Novgorod Architecture and Construction University (UNESCO Chair and Resistance of Materials Department), Candidate of Technical Sciences. Bibliographic rarity was her book “The Nizhny Novgorod intelligentsia. Around Dobrolyubov. ” And the descendants of Dobroliubov Olga Semenovna and Ksenia Semenovna Vinogradov, Irina Ivanovna Berezhnaya, Boris Petrovich and Yury Petrovich Rurikov, Alexander Nikolaevich Lushin contributed to the replenishment of the memorial fund of the museum.
