The concept of "West" is one of the most important in Russian culture from the XIX century to the present time. It is used as "other" in disputes about the "essence" of Russian society and the state. However, attempts to find out when, how and where this concept has entered the Russian culture has not yet been undertaken. According to the author's assumption, based on the analysis of the journal "notes of the Fatherland" for 1818−1831 and the journal "Son of the Fatherland" for 1818-1836, the concept of "West" was borrowed by Russian intellectuals from Western European culture. Russia became "East" so that Western Europe could feel "West". At the same time, Russian intellectuals ceased to perceive Russia as a "Northern" country. This change occurred around the 30s of the XIX century. The Russian translation of Western European French and German historical and artistic texts into Russian served as a channel for translating these concepts into the semantic field of Russian culture. On the pages of "Domestic notes" and "Son of the Fatherland" "West" is most often found in translated texts. In parallel with the assimilation of the concept of "West" there was the assimilation of Oriental discourse, which was also a product of Western European intellectual thought. The time when the concept of "West" became firmly established and began to manifest itself in Russian culture can be considered conditionally 1836, the publication of the First philosophical letter of P.Ya. Chaadayev and the ensuing discussion. This text was of Russian origin, but the "West" is used there as one of the key semantic concepts.