Excursion to the Saltykov-Schedrin with a walk in the Catherine Park.
- 2 hours
- Price on request
A couple of minutes walk from the metro station “Dostoevskaya” is unique for Moscow Ekaterininsky Park. This oasis of peace and quiet in the center of the capital is known for its large pond, beautiful rotundas and patriarchal trees. Guests of the park walk in the shade of 200-year-old oaks, and in the center of the green corner grows a willow, whose age has exceeded 3 centuries.
The emergence of the garden and park ensemble is associated with the name of the vice-governor of Moscow, Count Vladimir Semenovich Saltykov. In the middle of the 18th century, he built a country estate here. At that time, only the Exaltation of the Cross Monastery was located nearby, and on the site of the current Slavyanka Hotel there was the Church of John the Warrior. Proximity to the temple and determined the choice of location for the residence – the estate and the church were separated by only 50-60 meters.
After the death of the first owner, the estate was inherited by his son Alexei Vladimirovich Saltykov. Behind the main building was a park with shady alleys, flower beds, graceful rotundas for tea drinking and a large pond.
In 1802, A. V. Saltykov died, and the state bought the estate. At first, the Invalid home for the soldiers of the Russian army was located here, but then the mansion was rebuilt to accommodate one of the country’s first institutes for noble maidens. By the way, he was named Catherine’s in honor not of the empress, but of the saint. The park was named the same.
On a walking tour, we will see the sights surrounding the building of the former Catherine’s Institute: the theater of the Russian Army, the monument to Suvorov, a park, a pond, a planetarium, an arbor of the empress, a memorial sign of the monastery, the Slavyanka hotel. We continue inside the former Saltykov Palace, where the guide of the historical and memorial hall of the Central House of the Russian Army will introduce you to the history of this unique building.
You will walk through the famous living rooms: Malachite, Red, Gold and White, see the first furniture set made of Karelian birch by Russian serf craftsmen in 1780.
You will learn the secret of one sofa. The guide will surprise you with a wonderful collection of clocks and show off a stunning collection of 19th-century Russian landscape paintings, which include paintings by famous artists such as Aivazovsky, Shishkin, Savrasov, Levitan and others.
You will get acquainted with the piano, which Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninov himself played, learn to distinguish poplar from Karelian birch.
In the palace, where the Russian aristocracy used to gather for celebrations, you can touch the rich historical heritage and feel the spirit of the old days.
