In 1903 the painter Ilya Repin, the most famous Russian artist of his day, moved to a wooden house in the village of Kuokkala on the Gulf of Finland, which he named the Penates, after the Roman household gods. He lived and worked there until his death in 1930, and after Finnish independence in 1917, he found himself living abroad, refusing invitations to return to the Soviet Union. The house, with its glass-roofed studio and eccentric architecture, was destroyed in the Second World War and rebuilt afterwards, and it is now a museum with many of his paintings and possessions.
Repin was famous for his hospitality, and his Wednesday gatherings attracted writers, artists and musicians, including Gorky, Mayakovsky and Chaliapin. He was also an advocate of vegetarianism and simple living, and his wife, Natalia Nordman, served guests meals of hay soup and vegetables, much to their amusement. The grounds, with paths, ponds and pavilions, are a pleasant place to walk, and Repin is buried in the park.
The coast of the Karelian Isthmus, along the Gulf of Finland, is a popular summer resort for the people of St Petersburg, with sandy beaches, pine forests and dachas. The road along the coast, from St Petersburg through Repino and Komarovo, where the poet Anna Akhmatova is buried, is pleasant, with views over the sea, but busy in summer.
Fuel and shops line the coast road through the resort district, and the city centre is roughly an hour back along the gulf. The museum is open to visitors, and the grounds, with their paths, ponds and pavilions, are a pleasant place to walk. The beaches along the coast are popular in summer, and the pine forests offer shade and quiet. Anyone considering a visit should check current government travel advice, which for many countries advises against all travel to Russia, and consider the legal and practical risks carefully.