Tsaritsyno

It is known, that on the place of today's Tsaritsyno there was a village "Black Dirt" earlier, the first mention about which concerns Feodor Ivanovicha's reign (1584-1589). At that times the owner of this manor was tsarina Irina, sister of Boris Godunov. It is considered, that occurrence of the "Tsareborisovsky" pond which has remained and to our days concerns that times.

In 1605 the ancestral lands was over an imperial court yard that happened after the death of Godunov family. Later it was bought by a boyar L. Streshnev, and then passed by right of succession to his grandson - to the prince A.B. Golitsin and it was called then "Bogorodsky". In the middle of XVII century the dam which was completely reconstructed in 1778 by the architect Blank was built here, and the Shpilovsky pond was dug. In 1689 "Black Dirt" was passed again in the structure of imperial possession that was caused by the exile of prince Golitsin. Then the manor was taken over prince Kantemir.

The manor received the modern name in 1775 by Catherine II  instructions who had redeemed "Black Dirt" for 25 thousand roubles. An active building by V.Bazhenov's project was developed  in Tsaritsyno a year later. Ekaterina planned, that the manor would be rather extensive, and there would be a magnificent palace, a park with pavilions, artificial ruins and grottoes on its territory. In 1776-1785 there were constructed: two palaces connected by gallery with an openwork arch of the gates, the Grain house, the Opera house, the First and Second Kavalersky buildings, figured bridges through ravines; also the landscape park was build. Buildings were erected in mavritansko-Gothic style, distinguishing by a combination of a red bricklaying and whitestoned socles.

It is known, that Bazhenov planned to make two palaces as the architectural centre of the manor, one - for the empress, and the second - for successor Paul. The Buildings were planned to be connect by a greenhouse. But the plans of the architect could not come true. In 1785 Ekaterina ordered to discharge Bazhenov of building and to appoint it to Kazakov. As it is surmised, Ekaterina was dissatisfied with an abundance of Masonic signs in the architectural decoration of the buildings.

The adherent of classicism, Kazakov decided to break down constructions, but was not able to finish civil work. By 1797, after a year of the empress's death, only two-storeyed walls and roofs of the Big palace were constructed.

In XIX century the manor Tsaritsyno was taken over the Apanage department. National celebratings had been conducted at that times here. The building in the manor did not renew, but in the late eighties of the XX-th century the Big palace, and also some pavilions, were partially restored, roofs and interfloor overlappings of a palace were disassembled. Throughout two centuries projects for restoration and palace application were created. There were offers to use it as a rest house or a factory of sparkling wines, but these projects were been carried out. In this connection, today it still represents picturesque ruins.

Certainly, there are a lot of parks in the manor territory. The landscape park, for example, was created in the end of XVIII century on the place where regular gardens of the manor "Black Dirt" were settled down earlier. There is a Verhniy (Tsaritsynsky) pond on its territory, and  the hothouse economy and air gardens were settled down earlier. Frensis Read was the designer of the park.

Except unfinished Palace and constructions adjoining to it there are following pavilions in the park territory: the gallery "Milovida" decorated with columns of the Tuscan order and constructed in 1803 by architect Egotov, the gallery "Nerastankino", "Ruins" and an arbour «Gold sheaf» or «Ceres», constructed by Tyurin in 20-ths years of XIX century.

In the end of the XX-th century, in 1984, the State museum of arts and crafts of the people of the USSR was opened in the territory of Tsaritsyno. Now the museum collection totals more than 30 thousand various exhibits. Here are collections of Russian and West European traditional and decorative art of the XVIII-XX-th centuries, an archaeological collection.

In 1993 the manor Tsaritsyno got the status of the State istoriko-architectural, art and landscape memorial estate. There are lots of ancient barrows, monuments of archeology of VIII century, the ponds which were build in XIV-XV centuries  placed on its territory. The total area is about 550 hectares. Today for realization of exhibitions the Opera house, the Small Palace and the Second Kavalersky building are used.

At the present time there is a restoration in the manor which was begun in autumn of 2005. By September of 2006 year the Grain house in which the first visitors are already accepted and exhibitions are already held was restored. It is necessary to notice, that, despite restoration works, excursions in the manor are still led, and the quantity of visitors not only does not decrease, but also increases every day.