Aseev Manor (Tambov) is one of the most remarkable places in the city. The building has several names: "Aseevsky Palace", "the house of the merchant Aseev" and "Aseev's estate". As the name implies, once (late XIX - early XX centuries) this building belonged to the rich Russian manufacturer Mikhail Vasilievich Aseev.
Uniqueness
Aseev's estate in Tambov, despite the blows of time, proudly keeps its worthy appearance. This building is unique both as a monument of architecture and as a historical place. It harmoniously combines styles such as eclecticism, classicism, baroque and modern. All elements are elegant and proportionate, making the palace look beautiful and light.
Aseeva Manor (Tambov) is located in a quiet and comfortable area of ​​the city. From the windows of the building offers a wonderful view of the calm expanse of the bay and river distances. The manufacturer’s house was considered the best and extraordinary building erected in the city in the XX century. Its exterior decoration is very diverse: here there are semicircular window openings in the Renaissance style, and stylized capitals, and openwork parapet grilles, and a huge light lamp with crystal hexagonal cells on the roof.
Aseev's estate (Tambov)
The history of the estate begins in the first half of the 20th century, when it was acquired by the prosperous Russian merchant Mikhail Aseev. Then in 1905 the building underwent a thorough reconstruction. The capital architect Kekushev and the Tambov specialist Fedorovsky worked on the project. In 1906, when the construction was coming to an end, the territory around the estate was landscaped, the workshop of the artist Shevchenko was built at the expense of the owner, and three streets adjacent to the estate were paved: Naberezhnaya, Komendantskaya and Soldatskaya.
Merchant Aseev Mikhail Vasilievich was a wealthy man. He owned worsted and cloth factories in all industrial cities of the Tambov province. The bulk of the products manufactured in factories was used for the needs of the tsarist army. So, more than 50% of all soldiers wore overcoats made of cloth made at the Aseev factory. For the labors and merits before the state, Emperor Nicholas II in 1916 granted the merchant a noble title.
Hard years
By 1918, Aseev’s estate in Tambov was a large building with a laundry room, a maid’s house, a stable, a carriage shed and its own power plant building. However, with the advent of Soviet power, everything changed. During the widespread campaign to nationalize the property of the "rich and bourgeois", all the factories of the merchant Aseyev passed into the possession of the state. The family of the merchant (spouse and seven children) decided to leave the borders of a hostile state against them.
At the beginning of May 1918, Aseyev’s estate (Tambov) was requisitioned, and, by order of the authorities, they set up a summer colony for minors there. In November of the same year, a detachment of soldiers lodged in the estate, and at the beginning of winter the corps of the Tambov University (agronomy faculty) was located.
In 1931, the building was transferred to the management of the resort organization, and a sanatorium was arranged here for people with cardiac problems. In this position, the estate stood for more than seventy years. In the basement of the building there were mineral baths and treatment rooms of the sanatorium, which negatively affected the condition of the estate. The old roof completely worn out over time, but the Soviet authorities did not make any repairs or reconstruction.
Unexpected offer
After the Aseyev family went abroad, not much was heard about them. So, in 1921 it became known that the leader of the white emigrants is none other than Aseev. From this it can be seen that the Russian merchant had great popularity and authority in the emigrant revolutionary milieu. However, nothing more was heard about the Aseev family.
But in the eighties of the XX century, during perestroika, the party’s regional committee received an interesting proposal from a mysterious multimillionaire from Canada. He said that he wanted to repair the mansion belonging to his grandfather before the revolution at his own expense. And this estate is the estate of Aseev (Tambov). Restoration of the building at that moment was necessary as air. Aseev’s grandson offered a large sum of money for reconstruction, but put forward the necessary condition: after repair, the building was supposed to house a museum dedicated to his grandfather and Tambov at the beginning of the 20th century. However, the Soviet authorities did not accept such a generous gift of the Canadian businessman, and the main pearl of the city continued to collapse.
Restoration
Work on the restoration of the estate, built more than a century ago, began only in 2009. Until that moment, the city authorities had long defended the architectural monument at the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rosrazmeshchenie, which put up the estate for auction and was about to lease it for twenty years. Over 400 million rubles were spent on the repair of the monument. The bulk of the funds are from the federal budget.
To date, the historical style, appearance of the estate, as well as the functional purpose of all rooms are fully preserved. Roofs, balconies, facades were repaired, the foundation was strengthened, marble floors, stairs, art parquet and painting were restored.
Not only the building itself was subjected to restoration, but also the territory around it. According to the project, a park will be located on the estate. To date, only one fountain has been built so far. But this is only the beginning. The park will have 18 fountains created on the model of Peterhof.
According to the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky, the estate of Aseyev (Tambov) will become the pearl of black soil Russia.
Opening
And that day has come. On September 27, 2014, after restoration, the estate of Aseev (Tambov) was opened. The address and time of the ceremony were posted in all print and electronic media, so that as many citizens as possible would come to the celebration. The guests of honor at the grand opening were the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation and the director of the Peterhof Museum, which today is located in the building of the merchant Aseev. The ceremony was attended by both the first people of the Tambov region and the happy citizens.
After the solemn cutting of the ribbon, congratulatory speeches and the exchange of gifts, the owner, manufacturer Aseev, arrived in the courtyard of the estate. Not himself, of course, but performed by the actor of the local drama theater. He told the guests the story of his estate and invited him on a tour.
What to see
Of course, the first thing to do is to turn your attention to the restored main building - this is the estate of Aseev (Tambov). The photo on the left was taken after restoration. Today, specialists have managed to preserve real antique furniture that has stood in the house since the time of its first owners.
The first floor of the estate is occupied by the rooms of the manufacturer Aseev. Visitors will undoubtedly be interested in household items from the beginning of the 20th century. Anyone can enter the pantry, living room, the owner’s office and other rooms. On the second floor there is an exhibition from the Peterhof head museum. It is dedicated to Anatoly Shemansky, a native of Tambov, who lived in the 1920s and 1930s and wrote books about the palaces and parks of the Russian Empire.
A separate pride of the estate is its park. It was laid between 1905 and 1907. Here trees grow: lindens, pines, oaks, elms, as well as exotic poplars, balsamic, silver and blue spruce. Fountains murmur in the shade of the trees, and the smell of honeysuckle and poppy roses spreads. The highlight of the park is a leafy oak-longevity. According to scientists, his age is about 500 years. Oak is declared a natural monument and protected by law.
Facts and conjectures
Like any historical place, Aseev’s estate is surrounded by legends and fictions, as well as irrefutable facts and evidence. Here is some of them:
- It is believed that once on the place where the estate now stands, was located the home of commandant Buldakov, who died under mysterious circumstances.
- According to the Memorial society, there are burials from the time of the Bolshevik repressions on the territory of the manor park.
- In tsarist times, the places adjacent to the park zone of the estate were popularly called the wolf hollow. It was said that in the forest, a gang of bandits who killed and robbed travelers was operating more often. And the ghosts of these unfortunate people still roam around the park.
- Leaving in a hurry from Tambov, the merchant Aseev hid innumerable treasures on the territory of his estate, which he was not able to take with him abroad.
- In addition to the estate, the Aseevs had another estate in Tambov - the Arzhenka estate in Rasskazovo.
Visitor Information
Aseev's estate (Tambov). Address: st. Gogol, d. 1.
The museum operates in the following mode: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday - from 10.00 to 18.00; Thursday - from 13.00 to 21.00; Monday is a day off.
Tickets are purchased at the box office located in the basement of the building. There is also a wardrobe. The cost of a ticket for an adult is 150 rubles. Children, schoolchildren, students and cadets are entitled to a 50% discount.