Interesting places of the Leningrad region have always been of great interest to tourists from all over the world. These are magnificent palaces and estates, inextricably linked with the history of our country. In the Leningrad Region (Tosnensky District), in the small village of Andrianovo, which is located sixty kilometers from St. Petersburg, is one of such wonderful places. Today, its splendor can be appreciated by anyone.
The family estate of the Stroganov-Golitsyn ( Maryino estate ) was abandoned for a long time. During the Great Patriotic War, it was badly damaged. Moreover, time didn’t spare him either - a magnificent park fell into desolation, and the manor’s house lost its original appearance. It seemed that the history of this beautiful building was completed, but several years ago the count's estate and the territories adjacent to it were bought by G. G. Stepanova. She is the mistress of the St. Petersburg artist museum complex, famous in St. Petersburg . Since then, large-scale restoration work has been carried out in Maryino (the Stroganovs estate). Much has been done, but more needs to be done to restore the unique monument.
Maryino (Leningrad Oblast): the history of creation
The history of this estate dates back to 1726. Then, on the lands where the village of Andrianovo is today, they began to build a manor. This territory belonged to the old and already rich and noble at that time the Stroganov family. The construction and beautification of the estate was led by Baroness M. Ya. Stroganov, who was the godfather of Emperor Peter I. Her husband, Grigory Dmitrievich Stroganov, was not interested in the country estate and completely entrusted its creation to his energetic wife.
As a result, a rather large, but unremarkable manor house appeared on the estate.
New mistress
The estate began to change radically in 1811, when Sofia Vladimirovna Stroganova, the youngest daughter of N.P. Golitsyna, became her new mistress. Her brother was the Moscow Governor-General, Prince D. Golitsyn.
Constantly living in Moscow, the Golitsyns were frequent guests with Ekaterina Stroganova, in the Brattsevo estate. It was here that the seventeen-year-old beauty Sofia Golitsyna met with the twenty-year-old Pavel Stroganov. In May 1793, young people got married. For both, it was a wonderful party, which was approved by Prince Golitsyn.
At first, the young family lived in Moscow, where in 1794 their son Alexander was born. In February 1814, the nineteen-year-old Count Alexander Stroganov died in battle near Paris. Heartbroken father drove his body across Europe and interred with military honors in the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. Pavel Alexandrovich could not survive the death of his son. He began to fade before our eyes - consumption was rapidly developing. In June 1817, he died and was buried next to his son.
Forty-two-year-old widow, besides having lost her only son, Sofya Vladimirovna was very upset by her losses. However, she remained the owner of the Stroganov Majorate (about forty-six thousand souls). She needed to manage huge estates, so she spent the rest of her life in the Stroganov Palace, in St. Petersburg, or outside the city, in Maryino. The Stroganovs estate became her favorite brainchild, the arrangement of which she devoted a lot of time.
For twenty-seven years and eight months, she herself managed her estates and brought them in perfect condition.
Palace construction
In 1811, the estate received its current name - Maryino. It was given in honor of the founder of the estate, Maria Yakovlevna. Sofya Vladimirovna was not satisfied with an unremarkable estate, and she decided to build a new palace.
The author of the first project was the famous architect who built the Kazan Cathedral, Andrei Voronikhin. He planned to build the palace completely different from what we see today. His first drawing has survived, which shows that the estate was planned round, with through colonnades. The circle was supposed to break at a large pond.
This idea of the author was not destined to be realized due to the death of the architect. His work was continued by talented students - the serfs of the Stroganovs Peter Sadovnikov and Ivan Kolodin, who built the palace in the form of a semicircle, opening towards the English park and pond.
The architect Sadovnikov built the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on the estate. It was made in the neo-Gothic style using elements of Russian church architecture. It was valid until 1930.
Maryino (the Stroganovs estate) has a manor house - a two-story building. This is the central element of the complex. It is made in a simple classic style. Outwardly, the palace resembles the Grand Pavlovsk Palace. The estate had five front doors. Each of them was decorated with a sculpture of a lion.
Sofya Vladimirovna and the yard space also changed. In front of the palace, a lawn was laid out, a flower garden was planted, and a decorative pond was created. In the middle of a round flowerbed, a pedestal with a weather vane was placed. Its four sides were decorated with clockwork. In addition, according to the project of P. S. Sadovnik, the complex was supplemented by park buildings - wooden and stone structures.
In the summer, Maryino (the Stroganovs estate) opened the work of the Practical School of Mining and Forestry, Agriculture. There were also tiled, adobe and brick factories, a Swiss cheese factory.
Interior decoration
Many interesting places of the Leningrad region still cause interest not only tourists, but also researchers of Russian architecture of the XIX century. This fully applies to the Stroganovs estate.
Sofya Vladimirovna dreamed of creating luxurious interiors in the palace, so the ceilings here are painted with grisal. All the inner chambers are decorated with sculptures, paintings that were brought from the family home, located in St. Petersburg, on Nevsky Prospekt, bronze items. Gradually, the estate appeared the work of famous Spanish, Italian and Dutch masters.
The huge library of the estate, which was of great value, kept the family trophies of the Stroganoff family.
A park
A unique garden and park ensemble has appeared on the estate. The architect A. A. Menelas worked on its creation. Thanks to his efforts, a noble park, decorative ponds, lush gardens, elegant bridges appeared in Maryino.
Secular life in the estate
Contemporaries noted that in Maryino (the Stroganovs estate) it was always quite crowded and fun. Here entertainments, theatrical performances, magnificent balls were arranged. Manor Maryino inspired the work of art representatives. It was captured on their canvases by artists E.I. Esakov and A.A. Rubtsov.
When Sofya Vladimirovna died, Princess Adelaide Pavlovna Golitsyna became the owner of the estate. Then it passed to Pavel Pavlovich Golitsyn, who owned it until 1914. The last owner of the estate was Sergey Pavlovich Golitsyn.
Manor after 1917
After the revolution of 1917, the newest history of the estate began. Like most of these palace and park complexes, Maryino nationalized. A museum was opened in the manor house. Part of the property (mainly rare books and art objects) was transferred to the Hermitage and the Russian Museum.
In 1927, a rest house for scientists began to receive visitors in the palace, and even later, the building was transferred to the Geological Prospecting Institute, or rather its experimental station. The last reconstruction of the estate took place in 1959. After it, a boarding school was located here, and later - a dispensary.
It would seem that the museum and historical history of this luxurious estate at this moment should have ended. But a miracle happened.
Homestead today
Since 2008, Maryino (the Stroganovs estate) became the property of G. G. Stepanova. The current owner of the estate is the owner of the St. Petersburg artist museum complex in St. Petersburg. Thanks to her efforts and invested (considerable) funds, it was possible to restore the declining palace and the overgrown park. Today the estate is being revived, guests can relax in historical interiors: Galina Stepanova, along with museum exhibits, organized a luxurious country hotel in Maryino.
The magnificent park was restored according to the watercolors preserved in the Russian Museum. In addition, the museum donated copies of two hundred and nine sheets of watercolor albums to the estate. Now some copies can be seen in the alleys, in the open.
Today, the main landscape works have been completed in the park - more than a thousand shrubs and trees have been planted, and drainage has been made in three clearings. All tracks were restored in accordance with the plan of 1845. In addition, a unique cascade of ponds has been restored. Of the new structures created by the philanthropist, there is a fountain that soars into the sky for fourteen meters.
Interior restoration
Work on the estate continues today. Its interiors have fallen into disrepair over time. Among the best preserved rooms are the rooms where the mother of the mistress of the estate liked to relax - Natalya Golitsyna, White Hall. After restoration, they are re-furnished and decorated.
Most of the things and furniture from the estate are now kept in museums. The modern "landowner" orders beautiful copies of these interior items to modern cabinetmakers. For example, the renovation of the Gothic living room ends, where the talented craftsmen created shelves, a chair and a bookcase from preserved drawings and drawings.
Plans and projects
The eastern wing of the estate, blown up during the war, but later restored, Galina Stepanova plans to give a recreation area, which will house a library, a small spa area with a jacuzzi and a pool, a billiard room. Today, visitors to the estate can not only play billiards on tables covered with red cloth (as in the times of the Stroganovs), but also play old chess and cards.
Fully refitted and cleared basement. Whitewash and blue paint, which remained from Soviet times, were removed from its arches. Under them was discovered masonry, whose age is more than two centuries. It was decided to leave it in its original form.
In the old days, there were people’s, kitchens, pantries, wine cellars, glaciers for storing food, people who served the family worked and lived here. Today, there is a rare collection that Galina Stepanovna collected, consisting of household items (an old harness, irons, samovars, etc.). Rumor has it that in one part of the basement live ghosts guarding Marya jam.
Those who want to see the restored interiors of several rooms can join a tour organized in Tosno, or order and pay for an individual tour (by prior arrangement).
It is completely free to walk around the estate. You will see a luxurious well-groomed park that surrounds the estate, admire a beautiful and clean pond, walk along bridges thrown over streams and the Tosna River. Here you can ride horses. The estate has its own stable.
Today, the estate of the Counts Stroganovs is often visited by famous people from all over the world, both individual visitors and delegations from different countries. For example, the Chinese consul came to the grand opening of the Chinese gazebo located in the estate in 2013, and when the bicentennial of the estate was celebrated (in 2011), the first people from Tosno district, Leningrad region came here, as well as foreign relatives of the former owners arrived estates - Stroganovs. Galina Stepanovna nurtures a very large-scale venture - to collect in the family estate all the descendants of the Stroganovs and Golitsyns.
Maryino (Stroganovs estate): how to get there?
There are two ways to get to the estate - on your own car or using public transport. In the first case, you should go along the Moscow highway to the village of Ushaki (about sixty kilometers from the Northern capital), for the sign of this settlement, turn right at the Andrianovo sign and follow another nine kilometers.
If it is more convenient for you to use public transport, then you need to go to the Moscow station, from which the train will take you to the city of Tosno. Then you need to transfer to the bus that goes to the Andrianovo village, or take the bus No. 610 from the Zvezdnaya metro station to the city of Tosno, and then take the No. 326 bus to the School in Andrianovo stop.