Bulgakov House-Museum

Author of The Master and Margarita and Heart of a Dog, Mikhail Bulgakov was a Soviet-era novelist and playwright who was labelled a counter-revolutionary and censored throughout most of his life. His most celebrated novels were published posthumously, earning him a sort of cult following in the late Soviet period. Bulgakov lived with his third wife Yelena Shilovskaya (the inspiration for Margarita) in a flat on the Garden Ring from 1931 until his death in 1940. Back in the 1990s the empty flat was a hang-out for dissidents and hooligans, who painted graffiti and wrote poetry on the walls. Nowadays, the walls have been whitewashed and the doors locked, but there is a small museum and café on the ground floor. The exhibit features some of his personal items, as well as posters and illustrations of his works. More interesting are the readings and concerts that are held here (check the website), as well as the offbeat tours on offer. A black cat hangs out in the courtyard.