State Museum-Reserve Tsaritsyno is located in the southern part of Moscow. It was the residence of Catherine the Great constructed between 1775 and 1796 by the famous Russian architects Vasiliy Bazhenov and Matvey Kazakov in the romantic "gothic taste".
The estate is known since late 16th century. It originally belonged to Tsarina Irina, sister of Tsar Boris Godunov, and was known as Bogorodskoye. In 1775 when the estate was bought by empress Catherine the Great it received its present name which means “Tsarina’s” (“Queen’s”).
The palace was never finished because of subsequent financial difficulties during Catherine's reign. In February 2004, the Russian government transferred Tsaritsyno to the jurisdication of Moscow. In 2005, Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov showed an interest in Tsaritsyno and decided to restore all of the buildings.
Tsaritsyno is the largest museum-reserve and historical and cultural monument of the federal level in Moscow, occupying over 700 hectares.
The estate is beautiful and it was such a nice getaway from busy Moscow. It was only a short metro ride from the city but it seemed to be a world away from all the rush. It is one of the favorite places of Moscovites to spend their weekend.
Grand Palace
Tsaritsyno Palace was never finished or lived in by Catherine the Great.
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| Grand Palace |
There are a few permanent and temporary exhibitions you can visit inside Grand Palace and Bread House. They demonstrate various pages of Tsaritsyno history and rich collections of arts and crafts.
Catherine the Great exhibition consists of several sections, revealing the main directions of state activity and certain aspects of private life of the Empress. There are paintings, furniture, decorative and applied art, books of the middle of XVIII - beginning of XIX centuries, as well as graphics, presented in the exhibition.
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| Catherine the Great |
Bread House
The great two-storied building was constructed in the form of a square with rounded angles and a square courtyard.
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| Bread house |
Church of Icon "Life-bearing Source" is an Orthodox church and an important part of Tsaritsyno architectural ensemble.
There are a number of pavilions, pergolas, arbours, artificial grottos, decorative bridges in the park around palace.
There are a number of pavilions, pergolas, arbours, artificial grottos, decorative bridges in the park around palace.
Figure Bridge
The Figure Bridge was completed in 1778 and leads from the Gothic Bridge to the Tsaritsyno Palace.
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| Figure Bridge |
The park is filled with bright colored flowers.
Some people feed ducks next to the lake.
The park is a popular wedding destination.
Other blogs about Tsaritsyno I enjoyed reading:
