Dense coniferous forest in an hour and a half drive from Moscow. It has clean air and a country road. In winter, snowdrifts, pine cones are scattered on the white snow. Very quiet, you can hear the birds singing. Abramtsevo Museum Estate is located in the middle of a dense forest. You will see tour buses with foreign tourists here. Coming to the famous Sergiev Posad, they often turn here.
Today, the Abramtsevo Museum Estate has 25 thousand works of art. You can only visit the museum with a guided tour, during which the guide will tell you about each room and their guests. Plan a trip here for the whole day, because in addition to the museum-reserve itself, you will want to walk along the picturesque Vori River.
History
In the 18th century, Fyodor Golovin settled here, under Peter I, he served in the Navy for many years, and when he retired, he came here, to the Moscow region.
After Golovin, the owners of the estate changed. It became especially famous when the writer Sergey Aksakov lived here. Here he wrote the book “Notes on the fish supper”.
A close friend of Aksakov was Nikolai Gogol, in the house he was given a separate room in the mezzanine, where he stayed. By the end of his life, Aksakov was almost blind. To encourage him, Gogol got up early in the morning, went to the forest for mushrooms, and then laid them out along the path. Aksakov, waking up, went for a walk and to his surprise found mushrooms, which was incredibly happy.
When Aksakov died, his children abandoned the estate: it was too far to get from Moscow (60 kilometers), and none of them wanted to take care of the estate.
Favorite estate of Russian artists, writers and patrons of the arts
Only 11 years later, in 1870, Abramtsevo was bought by the famous philanthropist Savva Mamontov. Mamontov came here with his family. These were the best years that Abramtsevo knows. The buildings were reconstructed, the gardens and greenhouses were rebuilt. Artists began to gather in the house: Vasnetsov, Serov, Repin, Korovin, Vrubel.
The children of Mamontov were named after the letters of his name: Sergey, Andrey, Vsevolod, Vera, Alexandra. Vera was everyone’s favorite. She drew her own paintings and was an inspiration for visiting artists. The eldest daughter of Mamontov is depicted in the paintings: “A girl with peaches, and” Alyonushka. In one of the rooms of the museum-estate “Abramtsevo” hangs a large portrait of Vera is the work of Vasnetsov. He said that he would give her this painting only for her wedding. And he kept his promise. Vera had three children. But she died very young, having fallen ill at the age of 32 with severe pneumonia.
What to see
In the original picturegirl with peaches , a decorative plate hangs in the background, and on the right hand of the heroine is a wooden soldier (it is not always painted on copies). In the manor house you will also see many paintings painted by famous artists. You will be surprised that some works are very small in size, and only the frames give them volume. All because paper was expensive in those days.
In addition to Gogol’s room, the guide draws attention to the living room, where family members and visitors to the estate gathered. Here Nikolai Vasilyevich read the second volume of the novel “Dead Souls”, which he wrote in Abramtsevo, but then burned it.
In the same living room, there is a tablecloth with autographs that Vera Mamontova collected from celebrities who visited here.
Abramtsevo Museum Estate in the Moscow region
The manor’s kitchen is a separate structure. There was a stove inside, and there was even a maid’s room. For a long time, the kitchen was connected to the house by a covered passage: so the servants could carry food to the owners and their guests, so that it did not get cold. Now there is a museum with its own exposition.
A small terem, is a bathhouse. A carved porch, small windows, and two rooms. When the estate belonged to the Mamontovs, people came here to steam. Then the bathhouse-teremok was used as a living room, guests were settled here.
The artists put the Church of the Savior Not Made with Hands in Abramtsevo together with the builders. An analog to it is unlikely to be found anywhere: creative people approached the matter very creatively. Inside, it is not even a church, but a kind of museum, which contains icons in the traditional style, and author’s works. The iconostasis, candlesticks and other interior items are made according to Polenov’s sketches. On memorable dates for Abramtsevo, services are held in the Church of the Savior Not Made with Hands.
Vrubel’s bench stands on the territory of the estate under glass. The work of art was protected from those who decide to sit on it. The artist appeared in the house of Mamontov still unknown, but immediately conquered the patron of the arts with his talent. Vrubel was invited more and more often, and as a result, he became his own person here. The bench in Abramtsevo is covered with a unique glaze. It is so bright and colorful that the drawings are fantastic.
Abramtsevo manor at different times of the year
The Abramtsevo Museum-Reserve in the Moscow region is open to visitors all year round. The schedule of work in the winter and spring-summer seasons is different, so the opening hours of the expositions should be specified on the Abramtsevo website.
In summer, it is pleasant to walk through the forest and along the river, and in winter you will feel all the charm of a holiday in a country house: white snowdrifts, clean air, fabulous pines and firs, the branches of which are heavy with snow. Autumn in Abramtsevo is bright: yellow-orange mixed with red, the pink roof of the house with a mezzanine is like a harmonious addition to the natural colors.
Where to make a beautiful photo
In the museum-reserve “Abramtsevo” it is allowed to take photos without a flash. You can photograph general views and rooms, but not close-up exhibits. This should be taken into account so as not to run into a fine.
Inside the manor house, you will capture everything important that is connected with this place, and then you will remember the history of Abramtsevo from the pictures, telling it to your friends. From the outside, the building is not so remarkable, although you can photograph it entirely from any angle. Of particular interest is the mezzanine and the windows decorated with carvings.
If you stand on the porch of the bathhouse, no one will guess from the picture what kind of building it is. It seems that you are at the door of a small house. Beautiful shots are obtained on the bridge over the river outside the estate, especially in autumn, when red and yellow trees are combined with green firs.