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The palace is currently under reconstruction and is scheduled to open in mid-2018.

If the luxurious Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo was created for pompous receptions, then its simpler neighbor was intended for living. The future Romanov family residence was built under Catherine II. In 1796, the palace became a worthy wedding gift to the Tsarina’s grandson Alexander Pavlovich. During his visits to Tsarskoye Selo, he himself loved to live in Bolshoi Tsarskoye Selo, but his younger brother and successor Nicholas I preferred the Alexander Palace and enjoyed its improvement. On the left side of the building were the living rooms of his grandson Alexander Alexandrovich, however, after becoming king, Alexander III chose the Gatchina Palace as his residence. The Alexander Palace became a real family nest for Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Fedorovna. From there the Romanovs went into exile, from which they never returned.

In 1918, the palace turned into a museum, then the building was converted into a rest house for representatives of the NKVD, on the second floor there was an orphanage; during the occupation there was a German headquarters and the Gestapo here with prison cells in the basements. After the war, the palace premises were given to the Institute of Russian Literature, and then to the Military Department. Now the Alexander Palace again serves as a museum.

Architecture Features

The two-story building seems quite simple, especially when compared with its nearest neighbor, the Catherine Palace. Despite this, the Alexander Palace is recognized as one of the outstanding examples of classicism architecture. The author of the project was the famous Giacomo Quarneghi, the building was erected under the supervision of the architect Pyotr Neelov. There are double wings on both sides of the palace - previously there were living quarters there. The main façade is decorated with a luxurious through colonnade - in the center were the halls of the front enfilade. Part of the building is complemented by a semi-rotunda with a dome in the shape of a sphere.

Halls and interiors

The same Kvarneghi worked on the furnishings of the Alexander Palace, and with him a dozen eminent artists, sculptors and decorators. The interiors of the residence corresponded to classical canons. Today they are actively recovering.

3 halls of the front part of the residence were reconstructed: the Marble Living Room, decorated with gilded furniture, mirrors and tiger skin, the Semicircular Hall, where at the beginning of the last century the Christmas tree was lit every year, and the Portrait Hall with images of members of the imperial dynasty. At the end of the enfilade there is the Emperor's Reception Room, paneled with oak, and his State Office.

The living rooms of the imperial family were located in the eastern wing. The Corner Living Room, which belonged to Alexandra Feodorovna, the Lilac Study, the Maple Living Room of the Empress and her bedroom were restored. The decoration of some rooms was lost entirely; only archival photographs of the interiors remained.

This is a view from the Sparrow Hills to the bend of the Moscow River, taken during the flood of 1908. We see the Novodevichy Convent, flooded meadows around (future Luzhniki), on the right in the distance the St. Andrew's Monastery, and on the mountain to the right of it Mamonova Dacha

(NB: CLICKING THE PHOTO WILL OPEN IN FULL SIZE)

So here we go! The high right bank of the Moscow River has been inhabited for a very long time. If you walk a little along the embankment from Neskuchnoye towards the Vorobyovy Gory, and after the St. Andrew’s Monastery turn left, going up, you will “run into” the fence of the Institute of Chemical Physics. N.N. Semenov", located in the buildings of the Mamonova Dacha estate (the owner of which was Dmitriev-Mamonov - the owner of the well-known Dubrovitsy and the founder of the Order of Russian Knights).

In this place, already in the 8th–7th centuries before the birth of Christ, there stood a real city of the Dyakovo culture - “Mamonovo fortified settlement” (most historians are inclined to think that these were Finno-Ugric people, but no one knows for sure). Our house is located in the fields near this city. Have you noticed how many deep ravines there are in Neskuchny? In archeology, this is considered one of the signs that people lived in this place for a very long time, cutting down forests for fields, which were then eroded by streams for a long time.

In the Middle Ages, Neskuchny was unnoticed in history, although not far from it there was the Crimean Ford (on the site of the modern Crimean Bridge), which was used by the Tatars during their raids on Moscow. Perhaps this is why the lands here were not inhabited for a long time. In the 16th century, the Donskoy and St. Andrew's monasteries appeared nearby, as well as the royal residence on Vorobyovy. In the 17th century, somewhere nearby (in the area of ​​modern Yakimanka, closer to Oktyabrskaya Square), Minin smashed Hetman Khodkevich, and Poles fled along Leninsky Prospekt past Neskuchny.

Fragment of a map from the early 17th century. The gray circle marks the approximate location of the future “Summer House”. The fortress wall of Zemlyanoy Town runs along the modern Garden Ring, on the right in the bend of the river stands the Novodevichy Convent

The history of Neskuchny himself begins in the 18th century with noble estates near Moscow. Modern Neskuchny was divided into several large estates; I will talk here about the three main ones.

The time of construction of “our” house is different in different sources - it is either 1796 or 1804. One thing is known for sure - at that moment the Orlov family owned the estate on the Moscow River. These were the same brothers who helped Catherine II ascend the throne, and, probably, it was they who “helped” Peter III “pass on to the next world.”

The Orlovs’ estate included only part of the modern Neskuchny Garden: the territory that today belongs to the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as the entire garden to the south approximately to the “Bathtub House” (inclusive). The “Summer House” was used as a tea gazebo - a kind of “hut” at the Orlovs’ estate.

Portrait of P.A. Demidova. D.G. Levitsky. 1773

Before the Orlovs, the most famous owner of this “plot” was Prokofy Akinfievich Demidov, the son of a famous Siberian industrialist. As often happens, the son of an industrialist was more interested in botany and gardening than heavy industry. Even in the ceremonial portrait he stands with a watering can and flowers. He sold his father's factories, and with the proceeds he created botanical gardens and helped orphans (he founded the Demidov Commercial School in Moscow, made thousands of donations to Moscow University, and made millions of dollars in contributions to the construction of the Moscow Orphanage). Demidov was also known for his antics and eccentricities; once, for example, he sent, instead of the finances promised to the board of trustees of the Orphanage, violins according to the number of participants in this board, clearly hinting that they could earn money themselves. Catherine II spoke of him as a “bold talker.”

On his estate, Demidov created one of the first botanical gardens in Russia. The amount of work can be imagined by learning that during the creation process, Demidov’s 700 people spent 2 years only leveling the territory for a garden and digging in ravines. The garden was located on the territory between his three-story stone palace (now the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences) and the bank of the Moscow River (Stas Namin Theater of Music and Drama).

This garden was described in 1781 by academician Pallas.

“...This garden not only has no similar thing in all of Russia, but it can also be compared with many glorious botanical gardens in other states, both in rarity and in the variety of plants it contains...”

One of the legends about the appearance of the name “Neskuchnoye” is associated with the name of Demidov and the garden. Annoyed by visitors who picked flowers in his garden, he came up with the idea of ​​placing chalk-smeared guards in the flowerbeds with outlandish flowers instead of plaster statues, who called out to everyone who intended to pick a rare plant. Stories about talking statues attracted even more visitors to the garden. It is possible that it was at this time that the current name arose - Neskuchny Garden (although I am for the version with the Trubetskoy estate, which I will discuss below).

Boring Garden

1. Demidov Palace, built in 1756 by architect P. Iest. Later, the main house of the Orlov estate. Under Nicholas I - Alexandrinsky Palace. Now the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

2. Fountain “Boys” by sculptor Ivan Petrovich (Giovanni) Vitali. Moved in 1934–36 from Lubyanka Square, where it had stood since 1835.

3. Manege, built under Alexei Orlov-Chesmensky, now the Mineralogical Museum.

4. “Summer House” by A.G. Orlov-Chesmensky.

5. “Bathroom House” in Neskuchny Garden.

6. Entrance gate to the Alexandrinsky Imperial Palace, sculptures by Vitali.

7. Entrance to Neskuchny Garden.

8. Gazebo-rotunda in honor of the 800th anniversary of Moscow.

9. “Hunting Lodge” N.Yu. Trubetskoy on the edge of Andreevsky ravine

After Demidov’s death, the Vyazemskys acquired the estate. The garden slowly fell into disrepair when the estate was bought for himself by Fyodor Grigorievich Orlov, brother of Grigory Grigorievich (Ekaterina’s favorite) and Alexei Grigorievich Orlov-Chesmensky.

He liked the lands on Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya (most likely the Dovecote dacha, 2nd Verkhniy Mikhailovsky Ave., 2), where the brothers Alexey and Ivan lived. And in 1775 he decided to buy the estate next door.

“Uncle Count Fyodor Grigorievich no longer lives with us, but with Uncle Count Alexei Grigorievich, near whom he bought a place to build a house.”

A participant in the coup, general-in-chief, Knight of George II degree - Fyodor Orlov, having retired, took care of Neskuchny, managed to rebuild the main house and, perhaps, planned the construction of a “Summer House”.

Portrait of Fyodor Grigorievich Orlov. D.G. Levitsky. 1785

Most likely, his brother, who fell into madness after the death of his wife, died in the house in Neskuchny, Grigory Orlov, the first favorite of Catherine II (and the father of their illegitimate son, Alexei Bobrinsky).

Despite the fact that Fyodor Orlov was left with five illegitimate sons and two daughters, he bequeathed Neskuchnoye to his “legal niece,” 11-year-old Anna Alekseevna Orlova-Chesmenskaya.

In 1796, her father, Alexey Grigorievich Orlov-Chesmensky, took actual possession of the estate. The most active participant in the coup, the winner of Chesma (near modern Izmir in Turkey), the kidnapper of Princess Tarakanova from Livorno (remember Flavitsky’s painting), by this time he had long been removed from politics. But in 1796, Paul I arranged the reburial of his father, Peter III. Knowing about Alexei's role in the coup and possibly the murder of his father, he ordered him to carry the imperial crown before the funeral procession. Eyewitnesses recalled that the count “went into a dark corner and burst into tears... they found it with difficulty, and with even greater difficulty they convinced him to take the crown in his trembling hands.” After this, Alexei left Russia with his daughter and returned only after Pavel’s death.

Having returned, the Orlovs are engaged in decorating the park, and here the second, more probable, date for the construction of the “Summer House” appears - 1804–1806.

Reburial of Peter III in 1796. Funeral procession (fragment). Standing out against the background of the procession are the royal scepter and the Great Imperial Crown, which, by order of Paul I, was carried by Count A. Orlov, Prince P.B. Baryatinsky and P.B. Passek - participants in the assassination of the emperor

“The count’s garden in Neskuchny was located on a semi-mountain, divided into many paths, hills, valleys and cliffs and dotted with ordinary buildings in the form of temples, baths, gazebos; all the monuments and buildings in this garden were reminiscent of the count’s exploits and victories.”

“In the summer, not a single holiday, not a single Sunday passed without some kind of celebrations and holidays in the count’s garden.”

At the same time, together with the “Summer House”, the “Bathroom House” was built on the shore of the Catherine Pond, and next to the palace (Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences) a manege building (Mineralogical Museum) and stables were erected. It should be recalled that Alexey Orlov was not just a passionate horse lover, it was at his factories that a new breed was bred - the Orlov Trotters. His daughter Anna amazed the whole of Moscow with her horse riding during the holidays in Neskuchny, piercing apples with a lance at full gallop. Alexey Orlov died here in 1808, he was buried nearby, in the Donskoy Monastery. Anna was shocked by her father's death.

“...Having never known sadness and grief before, struck by the death of her parent, she fainted and remained for fourteen hours without signs of life. As soon as she put on a black dress, in the presence of those around her, she approached the icons and, falling to her knees, sobbing, said: “Lord! You took my mother, whom I did not know, now You want to take my father, be instead of my mother and father, guide all the actions of my life.”

Lubyanskaya Square. Vitali's "Boys" fountain, which in 1936 was moved from Lubyanka Square and placed in front of the Alexandrinsky Palace

After this, she broke off her engagement to her fiancé and chose the religious path, although she never took monastic vows until her death (although there are other hypotheses). Towards the end of her life, Anna Orlova-Chesmenskaya lived at the Yuryev Monastery in Novgorod, under her care, where she transported the remains of Alexei, Grigory and Fyodor Orlov.

The Great Fire of 1812 did not damage the "May House", as the estate was then called. Then General Lauriston chose her for the “apartments”. The same Lauriston whom Napoleon sent to Kutuzov, demanding “peace at all costs.”

Ambassador Count Lauriston at Kutuzov's headquarters. N.P. Ulyanov

After the War of 1812, the most notable event in the “May House” (Neskuchny) was the ball given by Anna Alekseevna Orlova-Chesmenskaya in honor of the coronation of Nicholas I and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna (Frederike Louise Charlotte Wilhelmina of Prussia) in 1826.

“The ball given this month by Countess Anna Alekseevna Orlova-Chesmenskaya is in a completely different taste than the holiday of Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov. This is what is called in the field of graceful grandioso; This is the kind of ball that only a sovereign sovereign could give until now. Imagine a hall 80 arshins long, and you will not be surprised that a thousand people could fit in it very easily, that 7000 candles were needed to illuminate it! Giant trees of the southern climate, trimmed with crowns and placed opposite each window in gilded vats, merged their greenery with the shine of gilding and purple of the richest drapery with which this hall was decorated. Under the colonnade that made up the choir, card tables were placed, so that the players could see the dancers, could share the true fun that reigned in this temple of pleasure, enlivened by the participation of the august visitors, the friendliness and attention of the venerable hostess. At midnight, the curtain opened, blocking the passage to the attached gallery, and the guests, following the sovereign and the royal family, entered a precious Turkish tent, the enormity of which can in some way be comprehended by learning that it contained a dinner for 500 cuverts. The royal table was in the middle in a semicircular niche, and from it there were two tables across for men and six for ladies in length, three on each side. It seems unnecessary to talk about the splendor of the table decorations, the lighting of the hall, the richness of the liveries on the servants, the beautiful illumination of the courtyard and garden, etc. Let us only note that the royal family ate on gold and the most precious porcelain, and for everyone else the cutlery was on silver . The tent, as much as it captivated everyone with its beauty, is just as memorable because it was made in the likeness of the one that was presented by the Sultan to the immortal hero, the famous parent of the hostess, who made proud Istanbul tremble and the destruction of its fleet at Chesme.

This wonderful ball ended not earlier than 5 o'clock after midnight. The Emperor, the Empress and the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna deigned to leave at three o'clock; Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich remained somewhat longer, His Highness Prince Charles - until the very end.”

Alexandra Feodorovna with children

Probably, after this ball, the imperial couple wanted to buy this estate for themselves. And in 1832, Nicholas I bought it for his wife for one million five hundred thousand rubles. The palace began to be called Alexandrinsky Summer Palace in honor of Alexandra Fedorovna. All the estates now included in the Neskuchny Garden were bought up by the imperial palace department in the 1830s and 40s and united into one property, becoming the royal residence. We can safely assume that all subsequent Russian emperors visited Neskuchny at least once and probably visited the balconies of the “Summer House” with a magnificent view of Moscow.

What did they see from the balcony of the Summer House? They saw the entire bend of the Moscow River, the flooded fields, the Novodevichy Convent was clearly visible on the left in the distance, the Khamovnichesky barracks were closer to the right, and behind them Moscow began even further to the right. At that time the city did not extend far beyond the Garden Ring.

Panorama of Moscow from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Naydenov's albums. 1867 In the center, the Moscow River is crossed by the Crimean Bridge (on the site of the Crimean Ford), to the left the Garden Ring separates two fields where the Central House of Artists (closer) and Gorky Park (further) are now located. In the distance on the left you can see a forest - this is the Neskuchny Garden, in which, if you look closely, you can see the “Summer House” on the shore

Now is the time to briefly tell the stories of two neighboring estates, from which the imperial family “collected” Neskuchny. Let's go back to the 18th century and start with the Neskuchnoye estate of Nikita Yuryevich Trubetskoy, it was from her that the park most likely took its name (although the legend with the “whitewashed” guards is also good). Prosecutor General with twenty years of experience, Field Marshal General, Knight of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and for a short time Governor General of Moscow N.Yu. Trubetskoy ordered the construction of his estate from Dmitry Vasilyevich Ukhtomsky. We know it from the Red Gate, destroyed in the 20th century, and from the now existing Church of St. Nikita the Martyr on Basmannaya (I think the participants of the “Kinosreda” in the Bauman Garden remember it opposite the entrance from Basmannaya).

Neskuchny country house N.Yu. Trubetskoy. Architect D.V. Ukhtomsky. Perspective view of the country estate of N.Yu. Trubetskoy

The estate occupied the territory from St. Andrew's ravine approximately to the gazebo of the 800th anniversary of Moscow. The palace in Neskuchny was a masterpiece of the Elizabethan Baroque; today, only one building remains of the entire complex - the “Hunting Lodge,” mentioned by Ukhtomsky in the album as a stone “gallery standing on an island.” Most people I know know the Hunting Lodge as the home where What? Where? When?”, restoration is now in full swing.

Sytin wrote that “...by 1783, the first owner of this territory laid out a small park here in the “Versailles style” - with trees trimmed in the form of pyramids and cubes, laid paths along it, equipped grottoes, and built bridges across the streams. There were gazebos scattered around the large house. The owner ordered to plant an orchard on his estate, build greenhouses, and even started a menagerie.”

Boring Garden. Fragment of Khoteev's map. 1852

1. Alexandrinsky Palace. Now the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

2. Manege, built under Alexei Orlov-Chesmensky, now the Mineralogical Museum.

3. “Summer House” by A.G. Orlov-Chesmensky.

4. Former possession of N.P. Golitsyna.

5. “Hunting Lodge” N.Yu. Trubetskoy.

6. Andreevsky ravine

The next notable owner of this estate was the retired lieutenant of the Guard, Prince Lev Alexandrovich Shakhovskoy, in 1821.

In 1825, Shakhovsky was informed that there were mineral waters in his estate, he started creating such Moscow “mineral waters”, but the experiment ended disastrously for him - Muscovites did not drink the water, did not sit in the baths, and then Loder’s establishment opened on Ostozhenka ( it may have been from him that “drive the loafer” and, in fact, the word “loafer”). In general, complete ruin. Upset, Shakhovskoy left Moscow and in 1826 resold his estate to the palace department.

But between his site and the former estate of the Orlovs there was the last private property. The estate of the prototype of the “Queen of Spades,” or, as she was also called, the “mustachioed princess,” Natalya Petrovna Golitsyna (Chernysheva). The daughter of a diplomat and senator, she was born in Berlin, studied in London and was introduced to the court of Louis XV. In her life there was also an acquaintance with Saint Germain.

Princess Natalya Petrovna Golitsyna, née Chernysheva, with her son Peter (1767–1773). The portrait of the elderly Golitsina, strict and scary, is more famous, but personally I like this version, perhaps it was then that young Natalya Petrovna met Saint Germain

Natalya Petrovna served as Pushkin’s prototype for The Queen of Spades. According to legend, Prince Golitsyn-Firs, having completely lost at cards, in despair rushed to Golitsyn with a plea for help. And she shared with the unlucky relative the secret of three cards - three, seven and ace... And he immediately got even.

Most of Golitsyna’s estate was a park; the house stood above the river (but no one knows its exact location). Golitsyna had a tough and capricious character and did not want to give up her estate even to the emperor, while bequeathing not to sell it for another 5 years from the day of her death. And only after waiting for the time bequeathed by the countess, the heirs sold the estate to the palace department.

In the 19th century, most of Neskuchny was an open city park. Although Neskuchny was closed to the public for some time: in 1890–1905, it was the summer residence of the Moscow Governor-General Sergei Aleksandrovich Romanov (who was killed by a bomb by Ivan Kalyaev). So on the balcony of the “Summer House” there were his wife Elizaveta Fedorovna (the founder of the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent) and her sister and her husband, the last Russian emperor.

Boring Garden. Summer house

After the revolution, in 1923, near Neskuchny, on the site of the former city-wide landfill (modern Gorky Park), the All-Russian Agricultural and Handicraft Exhibition was held. And in 1928, the First Culture and Recreation Park was opened in its place. Even then, Neskuchny Garden was “added” to the Cultural Park, and a “Military Town” appeared in the “Summer House”, where citizens could learn to use weapons and even look at a tank. On June 27, 1930, the 25th anniversary of the uprising on the Potemkin was celebrated here, so a destroyer was driven under the windows to play the role of Battleship Potemkin.

Celebrating the anniversary of the uprising on the battleship Potemkin. A destroyer in the role of "Potemkin" on the roads in front of the "Summer House". Particularly interesting is the huge figure of a Red Army soldier next to the house

During the war, another interesting story happened in Neskuchny. On the night of November 30 to December 1, 1941, a daring landing of German paratroopers on Vorobyovy Gory and Neskuchny Garden was carried out in order to kidnap Stalin. The enemy landing force was immediately destroyed. For a long time I considered this a “fairy tale,” but recently I found confirmation of this in Vlasov’s memoirs (they say that Schelenberg also writes about this, but I haven’t read it myself). Since then, on the edge of the Andreevsky ravine, not far from the “Hunting Lodge,” there has been an armored cap of the “last line of defense.”

Inspection of a tank in the “Military Town” (in the park in front of the “Summer House”)

Sculpture “Conversation about Perekop” by Innokenty Zhukov in the park in front of the “Summer House” (at that time “Military Town”)

After the war, peaceful library life went on in the Summer House building. Until very recently, there was a library here, which (most likely in 1947) had nice extensions (glass on the sides) to accommodate reading rooms. In the 90s, I found “Eglador” in the park in front of the “Summer House” - a place where lovers of Tolkien (and just fencing with wooden clubs) gathered on Thursdays. Since then, I myself have tried to get inside the “magic house”, but all the time without success. Until I ended up here for a photo shoot... admittedly, drunk and in an octopus costume, but the joy of the opportunity to stand on Count Orlov’s balcony eclipsed 20 years of expectations.

Vasilik Oleg.

Thanks a lot

Palace in Neskuchny

Palace in Neskuchny of Count Fyodor Grigorievich Orlov

(G. M. Antsiferova)

The house in Neskuchny Garden, called the Alexandrinsky Palace, is a work of late classicism. Its palace appearance was associated with the activities of the architect E. D. Tyurin in the 30s of the 19th century, when he was the chief architect of the Moscow palace office. But the appearance of the building was formed much earlier. It belonged to the Orlovs since the 90s of the 18th century, before that the Vyazemskys owned the house, and in the middle of the 18th century. here stood the house of P. A. Demidov.

The new order decoration that the building received during the reconstruction changed the relationship of its facades. Demidov's house was facing the garden and the Moscow River with its main façade, which corresponded to the methods of estate construction in the mid-18th century; now this façade is oriented towards Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya Street.

Let us trace, starting from the mid-18th century, the history of ownership in Neskuchny.

In the middle of the 18th century. in the area from the Kaluzhskaya Zastava to the place where the Golitsyn hospital was later built, there were several estates located between the Moskva River and B. Kaluzhskaya Street *. The very first large property from the outpost in the 40s and back in the late 70s belonged to the Prosecutor General Prince N. Yu. Trubetskoy. In 1804, the courtyard of V.I. Zubov was listed on this territory. After Zubov, the estate was owned by Prince L.A. Shakhovskoy, and in 1826 it was purchased by the Moscow Palace Office. The area to the right of Trubetskoy in the 18th century. belonged to N. M. Golitsyna. It was purchased by the palace department only in 1842.

* (Information about the location of estates is taken from the following sources: A. Mikhailov. Architect Ukhtomsky and his school. M., 1954, p. 184; Moscow State historical archive, f. 105, op. 9/1, No. 664; MGINTA, Serpukhov part, No. 731-733; TSGADA, f. 1239, op. 3, part 20, No. 18758, l. 3.)

Property to the right of Golitsyn in the second half of the 18th century. consisted of four sections: Pokhodyashin, Soymonov, Demidova and Serikov. It is on the common territory of these four sites that the Alexandrinsky Palace with the entire complex of buildings related to it is located *.

* (Information about this part of Neskuchny is found in the case of the purchase of a house from Orlova-Chesmenskaya (TsGADA, f. 1239, op. 3, part 60, No. 29712, l. 59), as well as in the publication: "Act books of the 18th century", Vol. VIII. M., 1898 (sales certificate No. 585 for 1754).)

In 1754 M.A. Demidova bought the neighboring yard of the Soimonovs. Pokhodyashin's yard was purchased by F. G. Orlov in 1786. The courtyards of Serikov and Demidov were bought by E. N. Vyazemskaya * (probably after the death of P. A. Demidov in 1788, since it is unlikely that he himself could sell his estate with the botanical garden, which was his brainchild). In 1793 Vyazemskaya sold all this property to her neighbor F. G. Orlov, who, thus, became the sole owner of all four plots contemporaneous with Demidov and the owner of the Vyazemsky house **, i.e. the former house of Demidov.

* (E. N. Vyazemskaya, daughter of N. Yu. Trubetskoy, owner of the estate in Neskuchny.)

** ("Indicator of Moscow, showing in alphabetical order the names of the owners of all houses in this capital...". M., 1793.)

In 1796, according to the will of F. G. Orlov, the entire property in Neskuchny was inherited by his niece A. A. Orlova-Chesmenskaya, who was eleven years old at that time. The actual owner of the estate was her father, the famous Catherine’s nobleman (then already retired) Count A.G. Orlov-Chesmensky. In the same year, after the accession of Paul, A. Orlov went abroad, and returning in 1801, settled in this house and lived in it until his death in 1808. A. A. Orlova-Chesmenskaya owned the estate and house until 1832, when all this property was sold by her to Nicholas I.

Three names are associated with the authorship of the Demidov house. The first of them is the fortress builder Sitnikov- named in Bessonov’s book. The name of Ivan Fedorovich Sitnikov appeared in 1828 in connection with the construction of a cast-iron staircase in the Orlova-Chesmekskaya house according to the design of Bove ***.

* (S. V. Bezsonov. Serf architects. M., 1938, p. 84. Bezsonov writes that Sitnikov is I. A. Demidov’s serf. But of the three Demidov brothers there was none with the initial I (Prokofy, Grigory and Nikita Akinfievich). This is apparently a typo.)

*** (Correspondence between O. I. Bove and I. F. Sitnikov regarding the estimate for the construction of the stairs. Beauvais' address: "to His Excellency I.F. Sitnikov." See: TsGIAL, f. 472, op.58/893, No. 35, pp. 5, 11.)

Fragment from materials for the "Atlas of Moscow". 1806-1808 Common buildings on Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya Street. near the Golitsyn hospital. CVIA, f. VUA, No. 22174

The middle name is the architect Iecht. He is credited with the authorship of the Demidov house. And finally, V. T. Shmakova published another name - V. Yakovleva, the architect who signed the original plan for the house *****.

* ("Iecht Wilhelm, foreign architect in Russia... died 1763... built Alexander's palace in Moscow...". - "Dictionary of Russian artists, sculptors, painters, architects...". Compiled by N. N. Sobko, vol. II, issue. 1. St. Petersburg, 1893, p. 513.)

***** (V. T. Shmakova. The building of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences. - "Nature", 1974, No. 1, p. 99. See also: “In the vicinity of Moscow. From the history of Russian estate culture of the 17th-19th centuries,” p. 387-388.)

List of house owners:

P.A.Demidov 1781-1788

A. A. and E. N. Vyazemsky.....1788-1793. F. G. Orlov................1793-1796 A. G. Orlov................796-1808 A. A. Orlova............1808-1832

In the period from 1781 to 1804, the house could have been rebuilt by: Demidov himself, the Vyazemskys, F. Orlov and A. Orlov.

In 1781, P. A. Demidov was already over 70 years old and it is difficult to imagine that, having lived for a quarter of a century in his house, in his old age he would begin to remodel it in a new fashion.

From our point of view, this is done by Count Fyodor Grigorievich Orlov.

The Orlov brothers - Grigory, Alexey, Fedor and Vladimir - retired in 1775 and moved to Moscow. In the book “Biographical Sketch of Count Vladimir Grigorievich Orlov”, published by his grandson, there are the following lines about Fyodor Orlov: “He lived for several years either with Vladimir or with Alexei, who each pulled him to their side; but, wanting to start his own house and Having a great taste for architecture, he built a palace on the beautiful bank of the Moscow River, which was superior in elegance to the mansions of Count Alexei (on the Donskoy Field, which later gave way to the City Hospital) and Count Vladimir (on Nikitskaya)."

* (V. Orlov-Davydov. Biographical sketch of Count V. G. Orlov, vol. II. St. Petersburg, 1878, p. 25.)

Let's consider two versions arising from this family legend. If we are referring here to F. Orlov’s house on the former Pokhodyashin site, then we are talking about a relatively small, summer (without stoves) * really elegant house (now the so-called Tea House), built in the style of classicism, like the “bathroom” pavilion below by the pond. But the word “palace,” of course, is more suitable for Demidov’s former house, and the essential nature of the restructuring that took place here is equivalent to the concept “built.”

* (“In the garden of the Alexandria Summer Palace on the banks of the Moscow River there is a very solid and beautiful stone structure without stoves, therefore called the “Summer House.” - From a report in the affairs of the Moscow Palace Office for 1833 TsGIAL, F. 472, op. 12/846, No. 43, l. 94.)

In addition, in 1878, when V. Orlov-Davydov wrote his essay, they no longer remember about Demidov’s house, but they know that the Orlovs’ house became the royal Alexandrinsky Palace.

Thus, the family memories of the Orlovs give us the greatest reason to believe that the house was rebuilt in 1793-1796. Fedor Orlov.

On the plan of the Orlova-Chesmenskaya property of 1804 and on the “profile” of Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya Street. we see the house with those features that it has retained to this day - semi-circular columned balconies, attics, semi-circular windows. Apparently, no significant work was carried out on the facades under Orlova. Orlova herself moved to St. Petersburg back in 1820 (she was a maid of honor), and in 1832 the Tsar bought a house with the entire estate from her.

Nicholas I's interest in Orlova's house arose back in 1826, when during the days of the coronation the royal family lived in her house in Neskuchny *. This year concerns the case of the release of 12,850 rubles from the “Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty” for the construction of a hanging cast-iron staircase in the Orlova-Chesmenskaya house, cast at the Shepelev factory according to O. I. Bove’s brouillon **.

* (TsGIAL, f. 472, op. 12/846, No. 43, l. 14.)

** (TsGIAL, f. 472, op. 58/893, No. 35, pp. 1-16. The author owes the reference to these documents to A. N. Petrov.)

The condition of the building is carefully documented in preparing the home for sale. In 1831, an assessment commission headed by the architect Mironovsky made a graphical recording, inventory and estimates for all buildings *. From a comparison of these materials with the plans presented by Orlova-Chesmenskaya **, and with the modern building, it is clear that the interior of the house in its basic layout has not undergone changes, retaining the planning structure obtained during reconstruction in the 90s of the 18th century. and largely inherited from the mid-18th century.

* (TSGADA, f. 1239, op. 3, part 60, No. 29712.)

** (State Research Museum of Architecture named after. A. V. Shchuseva, b. 1, no. 5673.)

Tall gray stone entrance steps lead to the grand vaulted entryway. In the right half of the house, from the first to the third floor there are flights of oak stairs on creeping vaults. In the left half, the main cast-iron staircase from 1829 leads to the mezzanine. Two more narrow white stone staircases, located symmetrically along the garden façade, lead to all floors and to the basement.

The state drawing rooms, lined with artificial marble, with painted lampshades, located in the mezzanine enfilade, were called blue, crimson and large yellow living rooms after the color of the furniture; towards the southern end there were, also with paintings on the ceilings, a small living room and a corner dining room. The doorways of the enfilade are directed along an axis starting from the southern end facade of the building. At the other end, the perspective of the enfilade is closed by a high white marble fireplace in the blue living room, from which the enfilade turns, stringing on its axis a front bedroom with a columned alcove and a corner study room. The enfilade opened on both sides of the middle large living room, to which a solemn approach led from the main staircase through the antechamber and the small columned hall.

A number of living rooms were located on the lower and upper floors: on the third floor there was a library, on the first floor there was a kitchen in the left half, near the utility staircase, and a bathhouse near the front entrance. All rooms on the first floor are vaulted, including the part along the garden façade that was added at the end of the 18th century.

Almost all the rooms on the mezzanine are decorated with picturesque lampshades and stucco moldings. The ceiling of the large columned hall, erected in the 90s of the 18th century, is similar to the painting of the large double-height living room on the opposite facade. Both lampshades have components of a late classical large grisaille pattern with brightly colored inserts and floral garlands. The same features were used to paint the lampshade in the small living room, in the corner living room and in the bedroom. The painting of the main staircase * and the antechamber is uniform in style. The nature of the ornament and the severity of the monochromatic grisaille give these rooms a certain official coldness. The painting of all these rooms, although somewhat different in emotional character, can be dated to the first third of the 19th century. It can be assumed that these paintings are simultaneous with the work carried out in the house in preparation for the coronation of 1826.

* (The painting was done in 1829 after the installation of a cast-iron staircase. See: TsGIAL, F. 472, op. 58/893, No. 35, l. 16.)

A completely different painting of the plafond of the small columned hall was discovered under a later layer during the restoration of the painting in 1959. The ornamental motif of the plafond and the combination of tones - soft green amphorae on a muted pink background - force this painting to be attributed, like the painting of the corner room at the beginning of the enfilade, to the left on the other hand, to the period of early classicism, i.e., in all likelihood, to the time before the house was rebuilt in the 90s.

A new stage in the construction history of the building, when it became the Alexandria Palace, is associated with the activities of E. D. Tyurin in 1833-1870, when he was the chief architect of the Moscow Palace Office *.

Here is a strict list of works carried out in the palace under the leadership and according to Tyurin’s designs, compiled by us based on documents from the Moscow Palace Office for the years 1833-1860. * :

* (TSGADA, f. 1239, op. 3, part 21, No. 19327, l. 5, No. 19326, l. 59; State Research Museum of Architecture named after. A. V. Shchuseva, b. 1, Nos. 3520, 3524, 3651, 3665. 3699, 5673, 5674, 5676; TSGADA, f. 1239, op. 3, part 16, pp. 321, 426, part 60, No. 29712, l. 32, No. 29748, l. 51, No. 29790, pp. 4-8, No. 29818.)

1833 Construction of cast-iron lattice balconies at the bottom of the semicircular balconies of the mezzanine on the main facade. Arrangement of the church premises on the mezzanine with the ceiling raised by two and a half arshins, installation of a flagpole.

1856 Construction of light openings over the dark rooms of the third floor. The addition of a wooden terrace on the left side of the garden façade near the new corner living room on the ground floor and the alteration of the arched column opening of the portal in connection with this, replacing the columns with pillars. Installation of a through interfloor hatch for mechanical lifting of a chair near the corner living room. Replacement of the Ionic capitals of the colonnade of the side semi-circular balconies of the main facade with Corinthian ones.

1860 Construction of a kitchen building at a distance behind the right wing and addition of a connecting wooden gallery to the end façade of the palace.

1833-1836 Construction of a wooden guardhouse on a stone foundation, and in 1836 - a stone one.

1836-1870 Installation of allegorical sculptural groups on the pylons of the entrance gate.

That's all that Tyurin did (not counting periodic repair work).

In subsequent years, the palace was run by the architects Gavrilov and Kolbe. During the period of preparation of the building to house the courtyard during the coronation in 1881-1882. Marble, stucco and painting works of a restoration nature were carried out in the interiors *. Later, the facades of the palace were not altered **.

* (TSGADA, f. 1239, op. 3, part 35, No. 24095, pp. 19-24.)

** (The good condition of the Alexandria Palace was certified by the commission of the subdepartment of architectural restoration of the museum department of the Main Science on December 28, 1918 (Academy of Architecture, Archives of the Central State Museum of Russian History, op. 1, no. 248, l. 5(132), A-1028, no. 3772(6). Commission noted that it was necessary, for artistic reasons, to remove the late wooden coverings of the balconies, dismantle the wooden terrace on the garden facade and restore the arches with columns, which were replaced with pillars in 1856. In the photograph of the palace, signed on October 30, 1927 (GIM, department architectural graphics, Gubarev's photo album, A-1028, No. 3772(6), the wooden terrace is no longer there, but the columns in the arched doorway have not yet been restored. In all likelihood, at the same time as the terrace, the wooden gallery leading to the kitchen building was dismantled. In the photograph of it The stone fence with vases on top, connecting the wings with the palace, on the right side adjoins directly to the portal, blocking the lower part of the garden facade in the same way as it is depicted in the watercolor of the mid-19th century. A photograph from it is in the State photo library. Scientific Research Museum of Architecture named after. A. V. Shchuseva, K. V., neg. 21970.)

So, apart from partial and, in any case, not decisive changes, the building to this day has retained the architectural appearance obtained during reconstruction in the 90s of the 18th century, and the interior has retained the planning structure of the mid-18th century.

Garage Museum of Contemporary Art is a place where people, ideas and art meet to create history! The Garage Museum was founded in 2008 by Daria Zhukova and Roman Abramovich and became the first private philanthropic institution in Russia whose activities are aimed at the development and popularization of contemporary art and culture. One of the main missions of the Garage Museum is to show that contemporary art is a space for dialogue and searching for answers to many questions. It hosts exhibitions of leading Russian and foreign contemporary artists (such as Marina Abramovic, Raymond Pettibon, Mark Rothko, Viktor Pivovarov, Yayoi Kusama), educational programs for adults and children of different ages, as well as film screenings, concerts, performances and much more. Garage guides, drawing on the knowledge and experience of the best art historians and curators, open up the world of contemporary art to visitors every day. The guides will be happy to give you excursions in Russian and English, and will also help the guide with consecutive translation from Russian into the language of the group. The history of the Museum has always been closely connected with architecture. His first “home” was the famous Bakhmetyevsky bus depot in Moscow (in honor of which “Garage” received its name) - a monument of constructivism, designed by the architect Konstantin Melnikov. In 2012, Garage moved to the very heart of the capital - Gorky Park, to a temporary pavilion built according to the design of the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. In June 2015, the Museum opened its first permanent building on the territory of the Park, which previously housed the “Seasons” restaurant, popular in the 1960s, which became the embodiment of the dream of ideal leisure for Soviet citizens. Today, the building, restored by the world-famous architect Rem Koolhaas and his OMA bureau, has become not just a museum, but also one of the city's main attractions, retaining many elements of its past. One of them is the mosaic that decorates the Atrium of the Museum and depicts a girl surrounded by autumn leaves. It is in the Atrium that every six months - in spring and autumn - a work of art created by artists specifically for Garage appears and is available for free viewing. The rotating installations of the project, called Garage Atrium Commissions, included works by Eric Bulatov, Louise Bourgeois, Rashid Johnson and Irina Korina. A bookstore is open daily at the Museum with the best selection of art books and magazines and Garage souvenirs made in Moscow (note the Made in Moscow label), including products created in collaboration with artists. There is a cozy cafe with original cuisine, a summer veranda and breakfasts that can be enjoyed throughout the day. The heart of the institution and the platform for Garage's exhibition, publishing and research projects is its collection - the world's largest archive on the history of Russian contemporary art since the 1950s. The archive is available to Russian and foreign researchers, and its funds, currently numbering more than 400,000 items, are constantly being replenished. In addition, in the building of the Educational Center of the Museum next to Pionersky Pond, Russia’s first public library on contemporary art operates for everyone. The Garage Museum also became the first museum in Russia to open an inclusive department and adapt exhibition and educational programs for visitors with various forms of disabilities. All Museum buildings are equipped with ramps, and specialists from the inclusive department conduct excursions and special events for deaf and hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired visitors, as well as for people with intellectual disabilities. We don’t know what your plans are, but we definitely have something to offer: exhibitions, lectures, meetings with experts, open-air films in great company, outdoor cocktails, festivals, concerts of famous musicians, performances, discussions, walks in the park and much more. See you at the Garage Museum! Ticket price: 0-300 rubles

From the estate to the palace and park ensemble: an architectural and historical cheat sheet

The park was built outside what was then Moscow on the river bank. The chosen site was inconvenient for construction, so for two years 700 people worked to level the ground to give the park the shape of an amphitheater. But the result was worth it: from the manor house to the river the garden descended in ledges, of different widths and heights, but the same length of 95 fathoms. The park had many stone greenhouses with palms and trees from hot countries: 2,000 varieties of rare plants were collected especially for it. On the fifth platform from the top there was a large pond and a poultry house with rare birds and animals imported from Holland and England. And pineapples and grapes were grown in ground sheds and greenhouses.

The plants were guarded by guards covered with chalk. At a quick glance, they were no different from garden sculptures. But when visitors began to break something, the “sculptures” came to life and began to speak. Rumors about talking statues filled Moscow, and people flocked en masse to the garden, which they called “Not Boring.”

Under the next owner - Count Alexei Orlov-Chesmensky - monuments in honor of military battles, pavilions, gazebos and various garden “undertakings” appeared in Neskuchnik. But since the owner’s main passion was horses (it was he who bred the famous Oryol trotters), an arena and stables appeared in the park. The main house was also rebuilt. Among the possible architects are I. Sitnikov, V. Iehta, V. Yakovlev.

In 1830, an open-air theater was built in Neskuchny Garden - the so-called “air” theater. Its backdrops and backdrops were bushes and trees. There was no curtain or stage. Because of this, sometimes performances were performed in knee-deep water. But the audience liked the innovation, and the theater enjoyed enviable popularity.

...the theater set up in the open-air garden delighted me; The decorations included centuries-old trees, a babbling brook, turf benches and double rose bushes. During the intermission, the ladies ran from box to box, the chairs were also full of elegant ladies' hats, the gentlemen presented their chosen ones and their silent and unsmiling bodyguards with bouquets, fruits and ice cream.

In the summer of 1830, the “air” theater in Neskuchny was visited by Pushkin with Goncharova and Nashchokin. The rehearsal was going on, but when the famous guest appeared, it was interrupted, and the actors followed him in a crowd while the poet inspected the stage and the audience seats. And in 1834 the theater closed.

In 1923, the first All-Russian Agricultural and Handicraft Exhibition was held on the territory of the Neskuchny Garden.

Several pavilions were erected in the park, including “Shag” by K.S. Melnikova and “Mechanical Engineering” I.V. Zholtovsky. And in 1947-1951, in Neskuchnik, according to the design of Sergei Ikonnikov, a gazebo was built in honor of the 800th anniversary of Moscow. The main events from the history of the city are depicted on its walls.

And in 2006-2007, the area near the rotunda was landscaped and called “Lovers’ Alley.” Fountains were launched on it and a special clock was installed: now lovers do not need to worry about being late for a date - the clock always says five minutes to six.

In Neskuchny Garden, on the edge of the Andreevsky ravine, there is a Hunting Lodge, where the games “What? Where? When?". The summer house has a library, a small zoo, and the oldest ping-pong court in Moscow. From the pond you can see the sculpture of a girl diver by R. Iodko above the only cascade fountain in Moscow. And right next to the river there was a small grotto.

They say that......if lovers walk together across the Grotesque Bridge, their love will be strong. And if they also kiss, they will never part again.
...a nondescript green building on the shore of a pond in Neskuchny Garden is all that remains of the Bathing House of the late 18th century. Emperor Alexander II loved to bathe there in marble baths. And even the bottom of the cleanest pond was lined with marble slabs.
During Soviet times, catering establishments were set up in the Bath House, but after the fire it was empty. And now this park pavilion is slowly being destroyed.
...on the bricks of buildings and alleys of Neskuchny Garden you can find the stamps “N.Ya.” These bricks were made in the 19th century at the factory of merchant Nikolai Yakunchikov near Moscow.
...on his site P.N. Trubetskoy arranged the first voxal - an entertainment garden with illumination, theatrical performances and snacks. Here, in 1805, Muscovites watched the first hot air balloon flight. The next owner of the site, Shakhovskoy, set up a hydropathic clinic there. But no one sat in the baths there, didn’t drink water, didn’t walk in the galleries - the project turned out to be commercially unsuccessful, and the property had to be sold to the treasury.
...Ilya Ilf loved to walk in the Neskuchny Garden. One day he approached a trained elephant calf from a local circus tent. He suddenly stood up on his hind legs. Ilf was taken aback, but raised his camera, took a few shots and said with relief: “Sit down!” Here the baby elephant was already taken aback and sat down.
...for several years after the revolution, the Moscow Furniture Museum was located in the Alexandrinsky Palace. This is the same museum where in the novel “The Twelve Chairs” Ostap Bender and Kisa Vorobyaninov were looking for precious chairs.