Saturday, July 20, 2013

Moscow Treasures: Arkhangelskoye Estate

Arkhangelskoye is a beautiful estate located about 30 min away from Moscow. It was originally built by
Galitzines in 1703 and was later purchased by the Yusupov family, who owned it from 1810 up until the Revolution of 1917. The grounds are really gorgeous and are somewhat reminiscent of Versailles. In front of the palace is a regular park with neo-classical statues sprinkled here and there. The park leads to a sanitarium built in 1930, and down the slope from it there is a lovely prospect on the Moscow river and more extensive park grounds.

It's very unfortunate that the palace and most of the buildings there are in a dreadful state of disrepair. The palace is undergoing renovations and there are only three small rooms open to the public. The grounds, however, are divine and very peaceful. As we went on a weekday, there was hardly anyone there, and we could stroll among the shrubs and sculptures undisturbed by shrieking children or bustling tourists.

The Grand Palace of Arkhangelskoye

One of the main rooms in palace. Most of it is closed for restoration.  

Arkhangelskoye gardens

The Colonnade, the tomb of the Yusupov family. No one is actually buried in the tomb. Today it's used for performances and exhibitions.    

The Moscow river



Catherine II monument 

The church of Archangel Michael. This church gave the name to the estate. "Arkhangelskoye" means "Archangel's".   

That's me in front of the Small Palace known as "Caprice". 

It's definitely a great place to visit. You can check out their site here (sorry, only in Russian).    

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