In the first years, they lived in different dormitories, then in one room, where they spent 8 years.
An apartment in the center of Moscow and a cottage with a fireplace by the lake in the Moscow region, where actress Vera Alentova lived for many years with her husband Vladimir Menshov, will now become part of the inheritance. According to available information, these are the two main real estate properties of the legendary couple.
Vera Alentova and Vladimir Menshov were remarkably modest people, without demonstrative luxury, without star status. The footage of their apartment can be counted on one hand, and all of it comes from rare interviews. No designer interiors, gloss, or trends. But behind this cozy simplicity lay a whole world of great love and quiet, conscious happiness.
In the rare footage from the apartment, the atmosphere immediately stands out — not a museum, not a "star nest," but a lively, warm home. Lots of wood, soft light, cozy armchairs, sofas with blankets, lamps with shades, books literally everywhere. Bookshelves occupy entire walls — it is clear that reading, re-reading, and returning to favorites happens here.
In the study — a desk, neatly arranged papers, photographs, a lamp with warm light. No ostentatious strictness, everything feels very homely. In the hallway — simple coat racks with coats, scarves, familiar items that are not removed before filming for rare television programs. They lived here, not posed.
Their love truly could not have been born in spacious apartments. Everything important for them began in tightness and struggle. The artists got married in their second year at the Moscow Art Theatre School. The wedding was as honest as they were: the table was set in the dormitory with the last 20 rubles of their scholarship, they took a tram to the registry office, and Vera had no wedding dress, only the best outfit she had.
Vera received her first separate apartment from the Pushkin Theatre, just during a period of estrangement. It was modest housing, but it was there that she, against advice, registered her husband. The real family home appeared after the triumph of "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears." The state awarded the Oscar-winning director a three-room apartment in the Olympic Village. But even there, luxury did not appear, only space where it became easier to breathe.
In the first years, they lived in different dormitories, then in one room, where they spent 8 years. When their daughter Yulia was born in 1969, life became truly difficult. Vladimir unloaded bread at night to feed the family, while Vera was torn between the theater and motherhood. Money was scarce, and fatigue accumulated. At some point, they made the difficult decision to live separately. But they never formalized the divorce, as if they both knew it was temporary.
After the death of Vladimir Valentinovich in 2021, Vera Valentinovna left his study untouched. This room became a living testament to his presence, as if he had just stepped out for a moment.
Alentova and Menshov were modest people. They did not like showiness, did not strive for status. But they built a true palace of their love. And now they are together again. In that very world they created throughout their lives — without luxury, but with immense meaning.
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