Why was Leo Tolstoy going to Revel (Tallinn)? The history of a canceled trip

In 1849, L. N. Tolstoy, in one of his letters to relatives, expressed a desire to visit the provincial town of the Estland province - Revel, modern Tallinn, in the summer of the same year. By that time, Lev Nikolaevich was not yet known as a writer, he was turning 21, he moved to St. Petersburg. According to one ofthe versions, expressed by the Soviet literary critic B. M. Eikhenbaum, Leo Tolstoy's intention is explained by the close communication of the future writer with the members of the Petrashevsky circle and his passion for their ideas. Additional versions can be attached to this version. In the second half of the 19th century, Revel became one of the most fashionable travel routes for St. Petersburg society. It was a popular seaside resort; a city with rich historical past, praised by Russian writers and poets; it was the personification of the European way of life on the territory of the Russian Empire and at the same time was perceived as one of the hallmarks of an empire of European rank. A visit to Revel for a Russian at that time was a "matter of prestige".