What a museum in the Ostankino estate. Sheremetev estate in high

One of the most interesting estate complexes in the Smolensk region, which has preserved many buildings, is the Sheremetev estate in the village of Vysokoye. On the steep bank of the river there is a magnificent architectural and park ensemble designed by the famous architect N.L. Benoit. The architectural ensemble, which includes 19 estate buildings, was built from 1867 to 1873 under the leadership of Benoit’s friend and assistant, K.F. Muller. Almost all the buildings of the estate have survived to this day: the main house, the manager’s house, the children’s house, the countess’s house, the poultry house, a huge stud farm, a school building, a dairy farm and others. Above all these various buildings rises a majestic two-story Russian-style temple, also built according to Benoit's design.

The estate greets us with the oldest building - the “countess’s house”, built in the middle of the 19th century. Until the 1860s, in the village of Vysokoe there was a small wooden manor house and several service buildings that belonged to M.P. Melnikova, a representative of an old noble family. In 1858, her daughter Alexandra became the wife of Count D.N. Sheremetev - great-grandson of Peter the Great's field marshal and the first Russian count B.P. Sheremetev, son of the famous theatergoer, founder of the Ostankino estate, Count N.P. Sheremetev and his wife, serf actress Praskovya Zhemchugova. "The Old House" is an example of a relatively modest manor building in the traditions of late classicism. The one-story rectangular volume is complemented by two closed porches along the street facade in the form of small projections with assembly porticoes of the entrances.

Next on our way was a house for children, built in 1869.

In the architecture of the building, the motifs of French classicism of the 17th century are noticeable.

The entire surface of the walls and corner blades are covered with rustication. The low-volume end façade, facing the road, is finished with a gable and has a wooden balcony on the second floor with carved brackets, balusters and columns supporting the pitched roof.

Above most of the second floor is made into an attic, the smaller part takes on the appearance of a tower volume with a separate high roof.

Opposite, across the road, is the manager's house.

Another architecturally interesting structure is the poultry house (1872). Unfortunately, it is in ruins.

The poultry house is located on the shore of a small pond. Brick building in the spirit of Romanesque architecture.

At the southern corner there is a tall octagonal tower, imitating medieval fortress architecture.
The walls of the tower are completed with machicolations. A spiral staircase inside it leads to the upper platform, where a similar small tower was erected.

Marble lions against the backdrop of the school. Previously, the lions were on pylons at the entrance to the estate.

Each lion holds the Sheremetev family coat of arms.
The motto of this family is inscribed on it in Latin: “God protects everyone.”

We visited the estate in late autumn, when the leaves had fallen, which gave us at least some opportunity to take general shots. However, it was not possible to avoid a huge number of tree branches in the frame. The main house, the construction of which was completed in 1871, was built by order of Countess A.G. Sheremeteva. The palace is a large building with whitewashed brick walls and decorative details painted in a light tone.

1901-1902 according to the project M.F. Meishera in the northern part of the palace, due to the lowering of the terrain, becomes three-story.

In the façade decor, late classicism motifs are combined with imitation of Western European medieval architecture.

Its mansard roof, rusticated corners and platbands are inspired by French classicism of the 17th century.

There are two more entrances on the southern end façade: one is in a corner wooden projection, in front of the other there is a strongly extended porch with a metal canopy on posts.

The two blind windows on the ground floor of the southern part of the house have cement frames imitating Renaissance frames.

The huge fortune that the Sheremetevs inherited thanks to the talent and luck of their ancestors allowed subsequent generations not to worry about their daily bread, but to do what brought them pleasure. Here is the last of the owners of the estate in the village of Vysokoye, Count Alexander Dmitrievich Sheremetev. I wrote a rather interesting page in history. The Count was interested in firefighting. In 1890, he created the first exemplary fire brigade in rural Russia, consisting of 13 people, with all the necessary equipment and equipment, and in 1891, on the estate, he built a fire tower “like the city ones.” After 2 years, Sheremetev created a fire brigade with a total number of more than 1000 people, which consisted of 14 departments (according to the number of surrounding villages). The count traveled through the surrounding villages, looked for dilapidated wooden buildings there, bought them, and then gave the order to set fire to the newly acquired “property” and the fire brigade, trained and provided with the necessary equipment, went out to put out the “fire.” The count himself took a direct part in this action. And to give it even more solidity, a fire truck was purchased, something that even the provincial town could not boast of.

Let's move on to another grandiose building of the estate - a stud farm (1873)

The main volumes of this extraordinary structure in the Russian style are one-story; two-story buildings were erected in the middle of the northern and southern sides.

All the decor on the main facade of the southern building imitates the decoration of the facades of the Grand Kremlin Palace and the Kremlin towers of the 17th century in Moscow. Relief images of horse heads are inserted into the torn triangular pediments of the upper windows.

According to the will of A.G. Sheremeteva, it was subsequently adapted into a hospital, a hospice house and, only partially, stables.

High gables along the axis of the western and eastern facades mark the arched passages to the large courtyard.

Milk farm. Brick outbuilding in romantic forms in the "Swiss taste". Now it’s difficult to guess any “taste”.

The barn is located in the southeastern part of the barnyard. Initially, several barns formed a closed square with a courtyard. Now only the western building has survived.

In its center is the entrance to the courtyard, highlighted by a gable on the facade. Small side projections are also completed
with tongs under the slopes of a high roof. The slot-like openings for through ventilation on one side are made single,
and on the other - double. Openings were made in the field of tongs for filling grain, to which open stairs were led from the ground.

Some other buildings have been preserved (cow barn, laundry), but they are no longer so interesting. And the outstanding Tikhvin Church, which is located on a hill and is the dominant feature of the estate, deserves a separate story.

In March 1917 A.D. Sheremetev left for Paris, taking with him only a family heirloom - the icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God.

Material used from the site

Museum-Estate "Ostankino"

The Ostankino Estate Museum is a unique architectural ensemble located in the northern part of the capital. Previously, this was an estate near Moscow, but now it can be reached in just 20 minutes from the city center. Ostankino attracts visitors with the beauty of its classical forms, the sophistication and sophistication of its interiors and the magnificent ancient park.

The Ostankino estate was built at the end of the 18th century by one of the richest representatives of the Moscow nobility, Count Nikolai Sheremetyev. The lands on which the house and other buildings were built went to the Sheremetyev family as a dowry for Nikolai’s mother, née Princess Cherkassy.

The ensemble of the estate was formed over several centuries and was finally formed at the beginning of the 19th century. The museum is interesting, first of all, because its interior decoration and decorative elements have been almost completely preserved. The main attraction of the Sheremetyev Palace is the unique inlaid parquet flooring, made with high artistry, as well as an abundance of carved gilded wood. Everything here is amazing - chandeliers, antique furniture, mirrors and other decorations. The Ostankino estate is the only architectural monument in Russia that has preserved a home theater with a stage, auditorium, remains of engine room mechanisms and actors' dressing rooms. The fame of the Sheremetyevsky Theater resounded far beyond the borders of Moscow.

After the revolution, the estate was nationalized and already in 1918 a museum exposition was opened there. This is probably what saved the Sheremetyev Palace from looting and we can now admire the interiors of the 18th and 19th centuries, listen to the music of that time and watch operas from the repertoire of the Sheremetyev Theater.

Exposition of the museum-estate "Ostankino"

The first mention of Ostankino dates back to the 16th century. At that time, there was the village of Ostashkovo on dry land, which belonged to the serviceman Alexei Satin, who was a relative of the royal okolniche. Then the land was owned by the foreigner Orn, who served as a guardsman for Ivan the Terrible. In 1585, the lands were transferred to the Duma clerk Vasily Shchelkanov. Under him, a wooden church, a man-made pond, as well as cedar and oak groves appeared in the village, the remains of which have survived to this day.

The estate of Count Sheremetyev in Ostankino is a unique challenge to the harsh Russian nature, because all the buildings here are made of wood. Everything here seems very fragile and unrealistically beautiful. The estate was built by the count's serfs; the famous troupe of the Sheremetyevo Theater also consisted of serfs.

The uniqueness of the interiors of the count's palace lies in the fact that almost all decorative elements in it are made of wood. The columns of the palace, which seem to be marble, are actually made of wood, the halls are decorated with wooden chandeliers with numerous crystal pendants, wooden vases and sculptural compositions of high artistic performance are installed all around. All interiors of the palace have retained their eclecticism and originality.

The halls of the palace have a specific theme - its owner tried to reflect the entire history of mankind in a limited space. In the Egyptian hall you can see sphinxes, in the Roman – statues and cupids of the Enlightenment era. The palace's lobbies are decorated with ornaments in the spirit of Versace; in the office where Emperor Alexander II loved to do business, on the contrary, officialdom reigns with wooden panels and strict leather furniture.

Architectural monuments on the territory of Ostankino

The oldest building that is part of the architectural ensemble of the estate is the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity. Its construction began in 1678, after Patriarch Jacob blessed the petition of Prince Mikhail Cherkassky. The stone church was built on the site of a dilapidated wooden house church. The church project was developed by the prince's serf Pavel Sidorovich Potekhin. To the side of the church there was a family cemetery.

Events of the Ostankino Estate Museum

Evenings of classical music of the 18th century;
- opera performances from the repertoire of the Count Sheremetyev Theater.

The Ostankino Estate Museum is a stunningly beautiful architectural complex that has preserved the originality of its interior interiors.

Excursions to the Ostankino Estate Museum

The museum is closed for restoration (2019).

Ostankino estate address

Moscow, 129515, st. Ostankino 1st, 5

How to get to the Ostankino estate

Get to the VDNH metro station. Then transfer to tram No. 11 or 17 and go to the final stop Ostankino (stops 5 and 6). Or take trolleybus No. 9 and 37, bus No. 85 to the Koroleva Street stop (4 stops). From Alekseevskaya metro station you can also take trolleybus No. 9 and 37 or bus No. 85 to the Koroleva Street stop (8 stops).

You can also try an original way of transportation - the monorail. When exiting the VDNH metro station, you will almost immediately see it, since it passes at a considerable height above the ground, on a kind of overpass. Or ask any passerby how to get to the monorail. Go 2 stops - from the "Exhibition Center" station to the "Telecenter". Be careful, the monorail is equipped with evil guards prohibiting photography!