Large stone greenhouse. Kuskovo - an estate of wondrous beauty Big stone greenhouse
Several noble estates have been preserved in Moscow, and, of course, one of the most beautiful and interesting to visit is the Kuskovo estate, which belonged to ancient family Sheremetevs. They owned houses in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the estates Ostankino, Ostafyevo and many other estates, however, it was Kuskovo that was created for entertainment: balls and luxurious receptions, so every corner of the estate is designed to please the eye.
Manor Kuskovo. Castle
The history of the estate Kuskovo
Already in the 16th century, the village of Kuskovo was mentioned as the property of the Sheremetevs, there was a manor house, premises for serfs and a wooden temple. In the Petrine era, Boris Petrovich Sheremetev distinguished himself as a prominent military leader and statesman, he was the first in Russia to be awarded the title of count. Later, he became related to Peter the Great by marrying his uncle's widow. It is known that the emperor himself was present at the magnificent wedding. However, at that time, Count Sheremetyev called his possessions to the east of Moscow "a piece", since they were very small, hence the name Kuskovo. And the neighboring lands belonged to an important statesman, Prince A.M. Cherkassky. The son of Count Sheremetev, Pyotr Borisovich, married his only daughter and heiress of the entire untold fortune, thereby increasing his possessions several times. In the 18th century, the Kuskovo estate spread over an area of 230 hectares (for comparison, now it occupies about 32 hectares).
Under Pyotr Borisovich, an architectural and park ensemble of the estate was formed, which was divided into three parts: behind the pond there was a menagerie and a kennel, in the center there was a regular French park with a Grand Palace for receptions, and there was also an English park. Hundreds of serfs dug the Big Pond, in which they bred fish served for gala dinners. This pond was also used for boating. It is the central part of the estate with a palace and a beautiful park copied from Versailles that has been best preserved to this day.
Plan of the estate Kuskovo. Source: http://kuskovo.ru/
A linden alley leads from the gate to the Big House, and the crowns of the trees in the park were given the shape of a ball. This is what distinguishes the French park from the English one: it is believed that in the French park everything should demonstrate the subordination of nature to man, while the English park looks more natural, and man only adapts to the natural landscape. On the way we see the oldest building of the estate - the Church of the All-Merciful Savior with a bell tower, built in 1737 on the site of an old wooden church.
Church of the All-Merciful Savior
Then comes Grand Palace, built specifically for ceremonial summer receptions. In appearance, it seems to be stone, although it is made of wood. For design master's house the best architects were invited, but in the end they chose the project of K.I. Blanca.
Palace in Kuskovo
Now, a pale pink palace with a front porch is reflected in the smooth water of the Big Pond. Ramps lead to the main entrance, which were created so that guests could drive right up to the entrance to the house. These ramps are crowned with figures of sphinxes.
Palace in Kuskovo
We began our tour of the Kuskovo estate with a visit to Big house. In those days when the Sheremetevs held balls here, only the most noble audience was allowed into the palace. Usually there were no more than a hundred guests. While the entire estate could accommodate up to 30 thousand people.
Palace in Kuskovo
First, guests entered the entrance hall-living room, the walls of which were decorated with Flemish tapestries made at the end of the 18th century. They depict fragments of a park very similar to the one that existed in the Kuskovo estate. In addition, here you can see a tapestry with a portrait of Empress Catherine the Great, made in St. Petersburg. It is known that Catherine II attended receptions in Kuskovo six times, and many European kings and aristocrats attended balls at the estate with her.
Entrance hall-living room
We move into the crimson drawing room, where you can see the busts of B.P. Sheremetev and his wife, portraits of Empress Catherine the Great, her son Pavel Petrovich and his wife, as well as formal portrait Peter Borisovich Sheremetev, who created this grandiose estate in the form that we see now.
Portrait of Pyotr Borisovich Sheremetev
Raspberry living room
When the guests got into the crimson living room, they heard the music that came from the organ. Unfortunately, the clock with moving figures that adorned this instrument has not survived to this day. The fact is that Napoleon's troops stopped in the estate in 1812, and many valuables disappeared without a trace after their visit.
front bedroom
Then comes the office-desk, where you can see a unique table for storing music. On its tabletop, the author created a panorama of Kuskovo from different breeds tree. The work was very difficult and painstaking, they say that at the end the master lost his sight and finished the table, no longer seeing the result. The study and the adjacent restroom, sofa and library belong to the count's private quarters.
office desk
sofa
In addition, a daily bedchamber was created for the daytime rest of the owners and guests.
Daily bedchamber
Here you can see the "Portrait of the Kalmyk girl Annushka" by the serf artist Sheremetev I. Argunov. In those days, it was fashionable in Russia to keep Kalmyk children with you. They were kidnapped by the Cossacks during the internecine wars between the Kalmyk khans, and then they brought the children to the capital and presented them to the representatives of the nobility. The children were given Russian names, and so Varvara Alekseevna Sheremeteva got herself such a pupil.
Portrait of a Kalmyk girl Annushka
In addition, portraits of P.B.'s children hang in this room. Sheremetev: heir Nikolai Petrovich and two daughters Anna and Varvara. Nikolay subsequently fell in love with his serf Praskovya Kovaleva-Zhemchugova, hired the best teachers for her and enrolled her in the troupe of his serf theater. Stage names he gave his serf actors in honor of precious stones: Almazov, Khrustalev, Izumrudov, Granatov, Zhemchugov, etc. So Praskovya Kovaleva also received her new surname.
By virtue of its high position in society, the count could not immediately marry his beloved. For a long time he was trying to get permission for an unequal marriage. As a result, only in 1800 they got married. However, soon after the birth of her son Dmitry, Countess Sheremeteva died. Six years later, the count also died, and their heir was brought up by a friend of Praskovya Zhemchugova, a former serf actress T.V. Shlykova-Granatova. But back to the palace.
Behind the daily bedchamber there is a picture room, where works are collected Western European masters XVI-XVIII centuries
Picture
And immediately after the picture is the largest room. big house- Hall of Mirrors, where balls and dance evenings were held. The floor of this room was decorated with parquet made in St. Petersburg. Along one wall there is a series of windows overlooking the park, and on the other side there are mirrors that visually expand the space. During our visit to the palace, the Dance Hall was preparing for a concert, so the whole room was filled with chairs for the audience.
mirror hall
In general, in the Big House in Kuskovo they often arrange musical evenings, concerts. At one time they even handed theater award"Crystal Turandot". In addition, a huge number of films were filmed on the territory of the Kuskovo estate: “Vivat Midshipmen”, “Secrets of Palace Revolutions”, “Property of the Republic”, “Hello, I am your aunt!”, “Admiral” and many others.
In the other wing of the Big House there is a Grand Dining Room, a billiard room, the Count's bedroom and a musical drawing room. We go out to the manor park of a regular layout.
Kuskovo estate park
All elements of the park are subject to certain rules, it is distinguished by a geometric layout, symmetry of all objects, use for decorations marble statues and giving shrubs and trees various forms. In the XVIII century it was the largest French park in Russia, which housed several pavilions.
Kuskovo estate park
Kuskovo estate park
dutch house
The very first Dutch house was built in 1749 in memory of the era of Peter the Great. This pavilion was also intended for guests to relax.
dutch house
The kitchen was located on the first floor, and the guest room was located on the second floor. The walls of this hall are lined with Rotterdam tiles from floor to ceiling and are decorated with objects from the most different corners peace. The owner of the estate selected them so that they would illustrate the life of the Dutch, as Pyotr Borisovich Sheremetev imagined it to be.
In a dutch house
In a dutch house
The walls of the Dutch house were decorated with about 120 paintings. Flemish artists. On the other side of the park, the Grotto was built symmetrically to the Dutch house.
Grotto in Kuskovo
Unlike the wooden palace, it was built of stone, so on a hot day a pleasant coolness reigned inside. In Italy, baths were located in similar grottoes, but in Kuskovo this pavilion was also created for relaxation and pleasant pastime.
Grotto Kuskovo
It is known that during one of her visits Catherine II dined in this Grotto. Despite the fact that it was built quite quickly, its interior decoration lasted about twenty years. Shells brought from all over the world were used to decorate the walls: from distant oceans to water bodies near Moscow. In addition, marble chips and colored glass were used in the decoration.
Inside the grotto
Italian house
In the 18th century, Kuskovo had 17 ponds full of fish that the guests of the Sheremetevs could feed.
Pavilion Hermitage
The Hermitage pavilion, where guests closest to Count Sheremetev used to rest, has also been preserved in the park. A similar house with the same name exists in Peterhof.
Pavilion Hermitage
Just like in Petrodvorets, the Hermitage in Kuskovo has two floors. Downstairs housed servants who prepared treats and set the table. Guests were accommodated on the second floor, to which they were lifted by a special elevator mechanism. When it was time for dinner, the table went down, also with the help of a special device, and rose already with a wide variety of dishes. This allowed distinguished visitors not to encounter at all service personnel. In the 19th century, the lifting mechanism of the Hermitage broke down and at the present time we will no longer be able to see it in action. Unfortunately, many interior items of this pavilion were lost. Now it is mainly used as showroom.
Greenhouse in Kuskovo
In the Great Stone Gallery, exotic plants were once grown, and on the day of our visit to the estate, an exhibition of glassware was held. The adjacent American Greenhouse houses the exhibits of the Museum of Ceramics, unique in Russia, with more than 40,000 objects from all over the world from ancient times to the present day. This museum was created after the revolution on the basis of the porcelain collection of the representative of the old merchant family A. Morozov.
Greenhouse
Fortunately, the Kuskovo estate has survived to this day in excellent condition, also thanks to careful restoration work. The palace and park ensemble of the estate of the 18th century, which has no analogues in our country, is very well preserved here. Walking through the park in Kuskovo is pleasant at any time of the year, and the interiors of the palace and pavilions delight with their elegance and impeccable design. Years passed, but the masterpieces of architecture and architecture created at the expense of Count Sheremetev garden art still delight guests of the estate.
How to get to the estate Kuskovo:
Address: 111402, Moscow, Yunosti street, 2
Official website of Kuskovo
Opening hours: Grotto, Palace, Italian house, Dutch house, American greenhouse, Hermitage, Big stone greenhouse open from 10.00 to 18.00 (Mon, Tue, and the last Wednesday of the month the museum is closed).
- m. "Novogireevo"(from the metro - trolleybus 64, bus 615, 247, stop "Ulitsa Yunosti").
- m. "Ryazan Avenue"(from metro bus 133 and 208, stop "Museum Kuskovo")
- m. "Vykhino", then by bus 620, minibus 9M, stop "Museum Kuskovo").
It took place on September 8, 2012. The day was changeable - either the bright sun peeped out and the sky turned bright blue, then suddenly a dark gray cloud hung overhead, it was getting dark and it seemed that it was about to rain. But God was merciful. It didn't rain and we were able to enjoy this unconditional beauty.
In general, it is very difficult to write about such sights - it can turn out to be a historical (or architectural) essay or a praising ode. But in fact, Kuskovo should just be seen, enjoyed, contemplated.
However, without general descriptions you can’t do without, if only because not everyone has been to Kuskovo and not everyone knows what it is wonderful place. And the place to visit is really worthy - it's good to spend a day off here, take a walk in the park, go to museums or even hold your wedding. Impressions will be unforgettable.
Let's build our conversation about Kuskovo according to the following plan:
- Manor Kuskovo - location, history, architecture, prices,
- Photo report. Part 1. Palace, Dutch house, Grotto,
- Photo report. Part 2. Regular French park, Italian house, Hermitage, Greenhouses.
Today is the first part of our conversation about the Kuskovo estate. The most important thing in my articles about Kuskovo will be photographs, because such is the one chosen in this case genre.
Story. The Kuskovo estate is known as the Sheremetevs' summer country pleasure residence. The heyday of life in the estate came at a time when Count Pyotr Borisovich Sheremetev, the son of the famous field marshal of the Petrine era, the first Russian Count Boris Petrovich Sheremetev, lived there. He devoted more than 50 years to the creation of this magnificent place. But the estate did not appear suddenly, it was built on the site of a family estate, which the Sheremetevs had owned since the 16th century.
Kuskovo is the front residence and that says it all. Here everything was done in the image and likeness of royal country residences and using the latest achievements of architecture of that time. Large and small receptions, festivities and events were held here. 
But in addition to their rich, entertaining estate life, the Sheremetevs were also engaged in useful deeds - they built temples, did charity work, and also created their own home theater, which was considered one of the best in Russia in the 18th century. and competed with the imperial court theater. Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetev was especially "sick" of the theater.
Everyone knows the true story, but tragic love Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetev to the serf actress of his theater Praskovya Zhemchugova.
"As a little girl, Parasha was taken to the count's house for her talent and beauty. As a teenager, she fell in love with her master - and this is not surprising. Nikolai Sheremetev was good-looking, educated, civilized. Both of them adored opera. This could only remain an affair, but grew into great love. All her short (she lived 34 years) life devoted to singing and Nikolai Petrovich fragile Parasha. And now imagine. What it is like to break away from your peasant roots, and never become a countess in the eyes of high society. The peasants called her And the nobles, despite the fact that they admired Parasha's singing (she had a rare voice) and gave her gifts (the Empress herself gave her a ring with a diamond), still looked down on her .
From experiences, Parasha developed consumption early. She could no longer sing. Nikolai Petrovich secretly married her, and Parasha bore him a son and died a few weeks later.
Location. The Kuskovo estate is located in the Eastern Administrative District of Moscow at the address: st. Yunosti, 2. There are two entrances to the estate: the first - central - from the side of the street. Youth and the second - from the Palace passage. We took a detour - along Orangery Street and Palace Passage, it was easier to park there. In general, there is a lot of transport on weekends due to the fact that many wedding groups come to Kuskovo - to hold a wedding, as well as a photo session. And not in vain - the photos here are fabulous, a memory for a lifetime.
Homestead entrance paid - both to the territory, and to the Palace and other pavilions. I think that the information below in the photo from the ads at the checkout will be useful to you. It doesn't look very good, but you can read it.
Scheme of the estate Kuskovo:
Architecture. Architectural ensemble The estate is quite impressive:
- Palace (Big House) (1769-1775)
- Church of the All-Merciful Savior (1737-1739) and bell tower (1792).
- Kitchen outbuilding (1756-1757).
- Carriage house and dryer (second half of the 19th century).
- Pavilion "Grotto" (1755-1761/75)
- Italian house (1755)
- Menagerie (modern reconstruction)
- Italian Pond and Canal Large Palace Pond and Menageries.
- Aviary for birds (modern reconstruction)
- Large stone greenhouse (1761-1763)
- American greenhouse (modern reconstruction).
- Manager's house (1810).
- Pavilion Hermitage (1765-1767)
- Dutch lodge (1749)
- dutch pond
- Swiss house (1870s).
- regular park
- Column with a statue of Minerva
- Air theater (1763).
- Entrances to the territory of the museum-estate
We were lucky - the estate was perfectly preserved and we can admire it from full program. Here are the main architectural objects of the estate.
Palace (1769-1775)- the main building in a country pleasure estate. In this photo, the south side of the palace overlooking the Big Pond.
The palace is made of wood, which is very clearly visible in the photograph.
Italian house (1755). The first floor of the pavilion was intended to store rarities - paintings, sculptures and other works of art. The second floor is made in the palace style and was intended for small ceremonial receptions.
Now the pavilion is under restoration.
And here is how the Dutch house looked before (old engraving):
Pavilion "Grotto" (1755-1761/75). The grotto is usually of great interest to visitors to the estate. And of particular interest is the question: why was it built? The answer is simple: such structures are purely southern buildings and it was usually customary to arrange a bath or a fountain there. And "cool" there on hot summer days.
Menagerie (modern reconstruction) are located on the bank of the pond opposite the Grotto. There are 5 of them. They stand in a semicircle. Lovely houses designed for keeping birds. We found them under reconstruction.
Pavilion Hermitage (1765-1767). Hermitage - from the French ermitage - a hermit's hut. Like other park pavilions, in the 18th century the Hermitage was used to receive guests, and its name emphasized the purpose of the pavilion, intended for entertainment and entertainment in a close circle of a select society.
The history of the now famous Kuskovo Estate begins at the end of the 16th century, when the Sheremetevs owned one small plot of this land, a “piece”, as Count Boris Petrovich Sheremetev called it. All other lands in the district belonged to Count Alexei Mikhailovich Cherkassky. Everything changed after the union of the son of Boris Sheremetyev and the only daughter of Alexei Cherkassky. Since then, the Sheremetevs have become full owners of all this land. And the name has remained - Kuskovo. To receive guests, by order of the count, a palace and a manor complex with an adjacent architectural composition were rebuilt, which even now any visitor to the Kuskovo Museum-Estate can admire. The Sheremetev family owned the estate for more than three hundred years, until 1917. In 1918, Kuskovo received the status of a museum-estate.
You can enter the estate only through the ticket office. In 2015, for a walk in the park, you need to pay a symbolic amount of 40 rubles. For the entrance to each of the buildings, the price ranges from 50 to 150 rubles. For the first visit, we decided to limit ourselves to a general ticket for 350 rubles, which includes the park, the Palace, the American Greenhouse and the Grotto, and paid 100 rubles separately. for photography. Also entry tickets can be purchased in each of the buildings without returning to the ticket office at the entrance.
Park in Kuskovo Manor
We enter the French park with many alleys, ponds and paths. Neatly trimmed trees and shrubs of the correct geometric shape lure you into their green labyrinths. It’s still not clear which way to go, but the guard at the entrance assured us that there are signs all around, so it’s impossible to get lost.
Alley of trees in front of the Italian house.
And here is the Italian house itself.
There are beautiful white statues everywhere.
Another alley, but already leading to the Grotto.
A series of tunnels made of intertwined branches next to the Palace.
Obviously, Kuskovo is one of the favorite places for wedding ceremonies and photo shoots, where every bride feels like a real princess. During our short walk, we managed to see several weddings and just photo shoots.
Ponds are an integral part of the entire park composition. The largest one is right in front of the Palace. If the weather allows, you can sit on the lawn, read a book or chat with friends.
From the same place, a wonderful view of the Grotto, the Italian house and the ice cream tent opens. 🙂
There is also a pond on the back side of the Grotto. Despite its small size, colorful fish swim in the pond, and the banks allow you to go straight down to the water. There is also a third pond on the territory of the estate, opposite the Dutch house, but, unfortunately, we did not have time to visit it.
Walking through the park, we suddenly came across a bird aviary, in which a family of peacocks lived with their chicks.
The walk among the tall bushes turned out to be somewhat chaotic, each turn was terribly intriguing, my eyes ran wide, I wanted to go everywhere and everywhere at the same time, but time was running out, and I had to go to the Palace.
Palace in the Kuskov Estate
The Big House - that's how the Palace used to be called - it was here that Count Sheremetev received guests. The carriages passed a large pond and climbed up gentle ramps straight up to the front door.
White and red marble walls in the lobby of the Palace.
To our surprise, one of the rooms turned out to be the Billiard Room. It turns out that in the second half of the XVIII century. billiards was very popular. The room is decorated with a carved fireplace above which there is a slightly gloomy panel “Landscape with ruins near the water”. Paintings by unknown Russian artists of the 18th century hang on each wall.
Ceiling with five symmetrically arranged panels depicting "Spring", "Summer", "Autumn" and "Winter".
The dining room is spacious and bright. Silk fabrics were not used in its decoration, as they absorb odors.
On the left side of the dining room is decorated with a semicircular niche with a marble bust of Alexander the Great. The pantry adjoins the dining room, which served to store dishes.
Usually, all the rich houses of that era were heated with tiled stoves, but there are also marble fireplaces that came to Russia from Western Europe. Probably, with double heating it became twice as warm. 🙂
There is a stove in one corner of the room, and a fireplace in the other.
Another marble fireplace with marble busts of the owners of the estate: Count Pyotr Borisovich Sheremetev and his wife Varvara Alekseevna.
The brightest room of the Kuskovo estate is the crimson living room with gilded picture frames and the Falling Leaves chandelier. On the sides of the mirror are marble busts of Field Marshal Boris Petrovich Sheremetev and his wife, Countess Anna Petrovna.
In the pictures - front (in full height) portrait of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and Count Pyotr Borisovich Sheremetev.
The front bedroom is also a fashion borrowed from Europe. The interior includes portraits of the owners of the estate.
It is not clear what purpose such a small bed was intended for, decorative, or really for relaxation?
The office-desk is much more modest than the front living rooms. Initially, the walls were enlivened with many paintings symmetrically inserted into oak panels in size and subject matter. In the 80s. 18th century the paintings were removed, but traces of their stay can still be seen on the walls.
Of particular value is a table depicting the panorama of Kuskovsky Park. There is not a drawing on the tabletop, but a mosaic typed from various types of wood.
A personal restroom, remote from the ceremonial interiors, was intended for putting in order dresses, wigs and makeup. The room is upholstered in English chintz. The room was heated by the only example in the palace of connecting a stove with a fireplace. The dressing room perfectly combines an authentic Chinese cabinet-cabinet, a Russian cabinet-cabinet stylized as "China" with a hinged lid, English chairs and a German bookcase for flowers. The dressing table is draped in a heavy burgundy fabric with lace in the taste of the 18th century.
Hidden door disguised as wallpaper. I would like to know where it leads.
The sofa room is a tribute to the fashion that came to Russia from the East in the second half of the 18th century. A room with a large wall-mounted sofa is designed for relaxation. hanging on the wall small female portraits in oval frames, the so-called "female heads", especially fashionable in Russia at that time.
Behind the Sofa, you can see the Library, which for the most part served to store various scientific items in showcases: a globe, a star sphere, a camera obscura, a spyglass, glass, bone, mother-of-pearl, etc. These objects were supposed to testify to enlightenment and exquisite taste the owner of the estate. The carved gilded chair was made to order in the famous Moscow workshop of P. Spol especially for the arrival of Catherine II in Kuskovo in 1787.
The daily bedchamber was intended for rest during the day. The blue range of walls and furniture creates an atmosphere of peace and comfort. The fireplace is decorated with French marble inlays with a “Pompeian style” painting.
The painting of the Daily Bedchamber is represented by chamber (up to half of the body) portraits of the children of Count Pyotr Borisovich Sheremetev.
Picture - a small home gallery. Paintings of various Western European schools of the 16th-18th centuries were placed on the walls of the Picture Room: German, Italian, French, Flemish, Dutch. The paintings almost completely covered the walls and the independent value of the paintings was partly lost, as they were selected according to the size and subjects in compliance with a similar color scheme.
The dance hall or the Mirror Gallery is the largest and solemn hall of the palace, intended for ceremonial dinners and dances. A large number of mirrors visually expands the room. The walls are decorated with gilded wreaths and medallions with profiles of antique warriors.
This is where the excursion “path” around the Palace ends, everyone goes out into the courtyard - into the French park, decorated with symmetrical flower beds and various sculptures.
Here we saw another photo shoot. 🙂 This photo shows especially well that the Palace is made of wood!
We go towards the Big stone greenhouse, look back at the Palace ...
Another view of the Palace from the very "heart" of the park.
View from the same place to the Big stone greenhouse.
Built in the 1770s. The large stone greenhouse was originally intended to house topiary (curly) plants, now various exhibitions are located here.
American greenhouse in Kuskovo estate
Our goal was to the right of the Big stone greenhouse - this is the American greenhouse. Previously greenhouses for tropical plants, now also an exhibition hall. During our visit, there was an exhibition of Russian porcelain of the 18th - early 20th centuries.
For the first time in the history of the museum, the most complete collection of Russian porcelain in the country is presented. The exposition is organized chronologically starting from the middle of the 18th century. and ending with the beginning of the 20th century. Demonstrated products of the best porcelain factories in Russia: the Imperial porcelain factory, private enterprises of Gardner, Popov, Batenin, Yusupov, Safronov and other factories of Gzhel, Sipyagin, Kudinovs, Kornilovs, Kuznetsov. We were strictly forbidden to take pictures of the exhibition.
Pavilion "Grotto" in the Kuskovo Estate
The Grotto Pavilion is the most unusual structure of the entire Manor and another tribute to European fashion! It is the Kuskovsky Grotto that is the only one in Russia that has retained its original interior decoration to this day.
The first grottoes began to be built in the 16th century. in Italy (in translation and Italian “cave”), inside which they arranged either baths or a fountain. In the Kuskovo Estate, the Grotto also played the role of a saving place on a hot summer day. The dome of the pavilion is crowned with a gushing fountain.
“Grottoes are made in secluded places in the garden, or in forests. The appearance of these from the outside should represent savagery; but the interior requires decoration with various shells, mirrors, crystallizations and other brilliant stones. The entrance to them, to increase the cold, is located on the north side. However, the frequent repair of grottoes brings difficulty.. (Levshin V.A. "Necessary and complete housekeeping", 1795)
The grotto consists of three halls: central, northern and southern. The central hall is painted in green and pink marble.
There are also several paintings made entirely of shells.
We were told that there was a wish-granting table in the Grotto. You need to find your zodiac sign on it and make a wish, and it will certainly come true! 🙂
We go to the northern hall, made in cold colors.
There are shell paintings on the ceiling and walls! And every visitor to the pavilion must find dragons on the ceiling. In the photo below, there is also a dragon sitting! He is brick-colored with a curled tail and a toothy gaping mouth - on the right in the photo!
And here in the center of the photo, a yellow dragon is fighting a green snake.
We move to the southern hall, its color scheme is warm, unlike the northern hall. It is a pity that the photo does not show how the walls shine and shimmer when sunlight hits them!
And the dragon lives on the ceiling too! In the photo below, he is at the very top, eating grapes. The photo is not the best, the dragon's tail is cut off, but the wings lowered down and the open mouth are visible. 
At the other end of the hall (between the windows) sits a beautiful bird of paradise. It is not very clear what she is doing, maybe drinking water from a fountain?
Interior decoration lasted about 10 years. (1761 - 1775) This work was done by the German master Johann Focht. The decoration used tuff (a porous rock used as a finishing material), glass, pieces of mirrors, plaster moldings and thousands of shells of 24 types. The dolls installed in the niches of both halls were bought by Count P.B. Sheremetev in 1775 especially for the Grotto.
Returning home, we were surprised to find that we had not bypassed even half of the entire estate! So the visit will have to be repeated. 🙂
One of the largest botanical gardens in Europe was founded in April 1945. The garden's collections represent the flora of almost all continents and climatic zones of the planet. On an area of about 30 hectares, six botanical and geographical expositions have been created dedicated to the nature of the European part of Russia, the Caucasus, Siberia, Central Asia, and the Far East. The new greenhouse deserves special attention. botanical garden- a unique building, the construction of which was completed in 2016. The plant world of humid forests, subtropics and tropics is represented here, the most complex system of pools and waterfalls is organized, an artificial landscape with rocks, grottoes and walking trails is created. There is fog in the greenhouse, there are real tropical rains. This is an absolutely amazing place, which should be visited by all lovers of wildlife.
st. Botanicheskaya, 4The first greenhouses appeared in Tsaritsyno back in the 1740s. Here they grew Exotic fruits, berries and ornamental plants, including for sale. However, by late XIX centuries, greenhouses fell into decay - their maintenance was too expensive and the economy did not pay for itself. In the twentieth century, many buildings were demolished, the rest turned into ruins. Only in 2008, according to the surviving drawings, the complex was rebuilt. Today, three greenhouses are open to the public, where flowers and fragrant herbs bloom all year round, and exotic trees bear fruit. It also hosts environmental workshops and other activities for children and adults.
Apothecary garden 0+
A real flower paradise in the center of the capital. In any season there is something to see and something to be surprised. Every year more and more unusual plants are brought into the greenhouse. Here you will see double hyacinth, skumpia, daffodils, different varieties of tulips and orchids. Turtles live in tropical greenhouses, so when walking between thickets, look under your feet. The name of the garden was not chosen by chance. Medicinal plants are presented in abundance here: from fennel to sleep grass. Exhibitions are regularly held in the greenhouse, for example, an exhibition and sale of carnivorous plants or an orchid festival. The trees in the "garden" are also special - here huge collection palm trees collected from all over the world.
Ave. Mira, 26, building 1Boring garden 0+
The garden is named after the estate of Prince Trubetskoy "Neskuchnoye", although the creator of the greenhouse was Prokopiy Demidov. In the 18th century, he built greenhouses where fruits and berries grew. Demidov brought various specimens of exotic plants from his travels. Today, flowers are grown in the greenhouse with an area of about 1000 m² to decorate Gorky Park. In other pavilions of the Neskuchny Garden there are cafes, sports clubs, coworking and child Center"Shardam".
Leninsky prospekt, 32aMoscow Zoo 0+
Since 2014, the zoo has been conducting guided tours of the greenhouse. The rainforest area is about 140 m². Various types of palm trees were brought here from South Asia. You will see the tallest Washingtonia palm, the leaves of which reach a diameter of two meters. At the lowest palm - soft karyota - the leaves look like a fish tail. Several types of ficuses grow in the greenhouse - benjamin, lyre-shaped, bengal. It will be interesting for children to see how cocoa beans grow on a chocolate tree or bananas ripen on a branch. The guide pays special attention to African herbs bromeliads. Water accumulates in the leaves of these plants, in which tiny dart frog amphibians grow.
st. Bolshaya Gruzinskaya, 1
A small greenhouse complex of the future was built in Zaryadye Park - all plants are grown here without soil, using the aeroponics method. The nutrient solution is supplied to the roots in the form of a finely dispersed suspension, which makes it possible to obtain high yields in a relatively small area. Cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, strawberries, herbs, ornamental plants are grown here. The beds are arranged in a funnel-shaped spiral, which gives the complex a futuristic outline and its own special flavor. There is a greenhouse in Zaryadye and a larger one - this plant complex under the "Glass Bark" of the concert hall. Thanks to special engineering solutions, a stable microclimate is maintained here all year round, which allows subtropical plants to feel at home.
In a day free admission we visited almost all the pavilions of Kuskovo Manor. Some had short lines, some had longer ones. Some pavilions were closed: the Grotto for renovation, and the Italian House for reasons unknown to me.
Now in one half of the Large Stone Orangery there is a permanent exhibition "Portrait Gallery of the Kuskovo Estate", and in the second half, if I'm not mistaken, there are expositions State Museum ceramics. We did not visit the second half, because we no longer wanted to stand in the sun for another queue, albeit a small one, because. Valya was already tired, but we went without a queue to the next one - the American greenhouse.
1. View of the Big Stone Greenhouse
2. Large stone greenhouse
3. Portraits of Russian tsars, queens, prince and patriarch. From left to right, top to bottom:
Tsar Fyodor Borisovich Godunov, Tsar Boris Fyodorovich Godunov, Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich;
Patriarch Filaret, Tsarina Xenia Ivanovna Romanovna, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich;
Tsarina Maria Ilyinina, Tsarevich Alexei Alekseevich, Tsar Fedor Alekseevich.
4. Portrait gallery: Russian monarchs and members of their families
5. Portrait of Emperor Peter I by an unknown Russian artist
6. Portrait of Empress Anna Ioannovna by an unknown Russian artist
7. Portrait of Empress Catherine II. (Copy from an original by Torelli) by an unknown Russian artist
8. Portrait Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna - nee Sophia Dorothea Augusta Louise of Württemberg, Russian Empress, second wife of Emperor Pavel Petrovich.
9. Portraits of Russian statesmen. From left to right, top to bottom:
Prince Alexei Mikhailovich, Princess Maria Yurievna Cherkasskaya, Anastasia Petrovna Golitsyna;
Count Fyodor Alekseevich Golovin, Count Ivan Ivanovich Buturlin, Afanasy Danilovich Tatishchev;
Count Pyotr Andreyevich Tolstoy, Duchess Anastasia Ivanovna, Baron Pyotr Pavlovich Shafirov.
10. Portraits of representatives of Western European ruling dynasties. From left to right, top to bottom:
Swedish King Gustav III, Swedish Queen Sophia Magdalena, Spanish King Charles III;
Neapolitan king Ferdinand IV, English king George III, British Queen Sofia Charlotte;
Wife of Dutch Stadtholder Frederick Sophia Wilhelmina of Prussia, Dutch Stadtholder William V of Orange, King of Sardinia Victor Amadeus III.
11. Portraits of Field Marshal B.P. Sheremetev and Countess A.P. Sheremeteva
12. Other exhibits of the portrait gallery
At the exhibition, they give out a photocopy of the portrait gallery catalog in order to navigate the portraits and find their signatures from the images (there are no signatures under the portraits themselves). We all liked the exhibition very much, it was interesting to guess from the portrait about who is depicted on it. True, we have guessed very few people. For example, I did not recognize Peter I (and Valya, on the contrary, did).
Let's add to historical portraits exhibitions of family photo portraits of our daughter, Valentina Vyacheslavovna, taken on that day in the portrait gallery.
