Moscow is incredibly rich in mansions and estates that previously belonged to famous Old Russian surnames. Emperors and princes, counts and representatives of the intelligentsia - they all preferred to live in the capital.
general information
Many Moscow estates still retain their original appearance. They are considered examples of all kinds of architectural styles of antiquity - Rococo, Classicism, Baroque. In the territories of many of them, today there are exhibits and exhibitions that allow contemporaries to familiarize themselves in detail with the life and lifestyle characteristic of previous centuries. These mansions are protected by the state. Each of them is a monument of architecture.
The estate of Saltykov-Chertkov: description
Located on Myasnitskaya Street, this chic mansion attracts the attention of everyone who sees it with its incredible beauty. The estate of Saltykov-Chertkov was built on the basis of a project by the famous architect S. Karin. Earlier here were the possessions of Prince Dolgorukov. Later they switched to the Saltykovs, a noble family known in Russia. It was they who built the main house of the estate. The mansion consists of a central building, from which slightly asymmetrical wings extend from the sides. As if echoing them, from the main entrance, accented by a beautiful portico and a balcony with a balustrade, very spectacular semicircular staircases diverge.
The facade is decorated in rococo style. The Saltykov-Chertkov estate, in the first place, attracts attention with its rich stucco molding and pilasters. The protrusions of the protruding eaves support the figures of the Atlanteans. Molded shields that are surrounded by intricate curls and ornaments are striking. The roof is framed by a balustrade.
History
The estate of Saltykov-Chertkov is not only a monument of architecture. She has a very interesting story. In the seventeenth century in its place were the wooden chambers in which the Tatar prince lived. They say that his family rooted in the Golden Horde. After him, starting in 1728, Alexei Dolgoruky, an associate of Peter I, lived here. He was on friendly terms with the omnipotent favorite of Tsar Menshikov. Empress Anna Ioannovna, who came to power, evicted this glorious representative of the Rurikovich family, exiling him and his family for unreliability in Berezov.
Considered one of the most beautiful, this estate in Moscow has received new owners. They were the Saltykovs, who built her main house. It is he, however, with some changes that has survived to this day. This estate in Moscow belonged to the old Saltykov family for almost a hundred years. When the city was captured by the French, one manor practically did not suffer. They say that it was in it that Napoleon lived for two days.
In 1831, the retired colonel A. Chertkov, the governor of Moscow, acquired the mansion. It was thanks to him that the whole enlightened Russian public learned about the estate. Chertkov managed to collect in it a unique and perhaps the largest library at that time from books devoted to the history of Russia. She attracted such prominent representatives of the intelligentsia as Gogol, Pushkin, L. Tolstoy, Zhukovsky and others.
Chertkov Library
In this mansion, balls, exhibitions, readings and concerts were arranged at one time. Historical documents indicate that it was the estate of Saltykov-Chertkov that became the place where Gogol read Dead Souls. They also say that as a guest of this famous house, Alexander Pushkin managed to spy on the image of his main character from the novel "Eugene Onegin." It was here that Leo Tolstoy worked on War and Peace. The reader of the Chertkov library was Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. The estate of Saltykov-Chertkov received Chekhov and Gilyarovsky. The son of the governor after the death of his father fulfilled his last will. The estate was the first free private public library.
After the revolution
After 1918, the Club of Red Directors was in it. Courses in mathematics, economics, and physics were opened at the estate for former peasants and sailors. The head of the Club was Felix Dzerzhinsky. Here, lectures were given to workers by Bukharin and Menzhinsky, Ordzhonikidze, Kuibyshev. Subsequently, the Club was renamed the "House of Scientific and Technical Propaganda."
The manor in the Soviet years was in the department of the All-Union Society “Knowledge”. In the eighties of the last century, various conferences were organized here, numerous courses were opened, classes were held at many faculties of the University of Marxism.
How to get there
The official address of the Saltykov-Chertkovs estate: Moscow, Myasnitskaya street , building 7. You can get to it by metro, getting off at the Lubyanka station.
Interesting Facts
The former estate of Saltykov-Chertkov entered the history of Soviet cinema. It was in her that they shot a series of such a film as “Seventeen Moments of Spring”. In the picture, the manor was a mansion of the American mission in Swiss Bern.
On the pediment of the central house you can see the coat of arms, on which there is the motto "Faith and Honor". They say that he appeared after the last restoration. The origin of the coat of arms is unknown. However, there is an opinion that it was invented by restorers.
Noteworthy is the mention of a visit to this Moscow estate by Lewis Carroll. The author of "Alice in Wonderland" practically did not leave his beloved England. They say that Russia was the only place he came to. And it was the beautiful Saltykov-Chertkovs' estate that became the attraction of the capital that surprised the writer.