The Abramtsevo estate near Moscow became famous thanks to the people who stayed, lived and worked here - famous Russian writers, artists, artists and historians. A museum-reserve is located on its territory, and Abramtsevo today is a very popular place for one-day excursion trips from the capital. While traveling here, you can not only learn a lot of interesting things about the history of Russian art, but also spend the day in a beautiful corner of nature.
History of the Abramtsevo estate
Abramtsevo was first mentioned in the 16th century as a village on lands belonging to the landowner Volynsky. The most interesting period for the village begins in 1843, when the estate became the property of the Russian writer S. T. Aksakov. For Sergei Timofeevich, a passionate admirer of nature and hunting, life in Abramtsevo was a real rest from the Moscow whirlwind. Under Aksakov, writers Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol and Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev came to the estate. The owners of the Abramtsevo house received the famous actor Mikhail Semenovich Shchepkin and the Russian historian Mikhail Petrovich Pogodin.
Museum-reserve "Abramtsevo" from a bird's eye view
In the estate near Moscow, Aksakov did a great job. Here he wrote the trilogies "Notes on the Eating of Fish" and "The Childhood of Bagrov the Grandson", as well as the fairy tale about the scarlet flower, beloved by children, which brought Aksakov well-deserved fame among readers.
After the death of the writer, the estate fell into disrepair. And in 1870 his heirs sold Abramtsevo to the famous Russian industrialist S. I. Mamontov. Savva Ivanovich and his wife immediately set about restoring the hung buildings. A large house was renovated, and several new buildings were built for household needs. But to our time, most of these first buildings have not survived.
Manor house
Savva Ivanovich Mamontov had great artistic inclinations. He was keenly interested in the history of art, architecture and theater. In Moscow, the Mamontovs' house has always been open to people of creative professions. They did not change these traditions in their new estate near Moscow.
Gradually, thanks to the expanding circle of acquaintances of Savva Mamontov, a whole community of painters was formed, which became known as the Mamontov art circle. Its participants (I.E. Repin, V.A.Serov, V.M. and A.M. Vasnetsov, V.D. Polenov, M.A.Vrubel and other artists) stayed for a long time in the estate near Moscow and were engaged in creativity here ... In Abramtsevo and its immediate environs, paintings were created that were included in the golden fund of Russian painting.
Former medical building
On the initiative of Savva Ivanovich's wife, his son, as well as artists, the estate managed to collect a rich collection of folk art items of great artistic value. They began to create their own wooden furniture and other things for everyday use based on her models in the carpentry workshop of the estate.
And in 1890, a ceramic workshop was also set up on the estate. It was headed by the artist Mikhail Aleksandrovich Vrubel. It produced designer dishes, decorative sculpture and incredibly beautiful tiles for the Moscow real estate of the Mamontovs and their estate near Moscow.
Former manor kitchen
Abramtsevo products were very popular. They were sold in stores in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other Russian cities. Connoisseurs have admired these artwork at exhibitions. And in 1900, the works of Abramtsevo masters were awarded the most honorable awards at the World Trade Exhibition, held in Paris.
In the estate itself, according to the designs of famous architects and artists, a building for a sculpture workshop, a church, a gazebo, which they began to call the "Hut on Chicken Legs", a bathhouse and other structures were erected. They were made with elements of eclecticism and Russian Art Nouveau - new and fashionable for those times architectural trends.
Workshop
The importance of the Abramtsevo art circle can hardly be overestimated. Its participants initiated the preservation of monuments of Russian arts and crafts. Their efforts also revived the craft traditions of wood carving and tile making.
But at the very end of the 19th century, an inexorable series of changes began in the fate of the estate. In 1899, Savva Mamontov was imprisoned for several months on charges of economic abuse. In 1900 he was acquitted, but the entrepreneur lost almost all of his fortune. Therefore, the house in Moscow and the collection of works of art kept there were sold under the hammer for debts.
Bath-teremok
But, fortunately, the threat of a sale in Abramtsevo has passed. And it was saved in advance by the entrepreneur to his wife. At the beginning of the 20th century, a ceramic workshop moved from here to Moscow, and it was transformed into a small pottery factory. It was Abramtsevo craftsmen who made the facades of the Metropol hotel and the outer design of the Tretyakov Gallery, as well as the interior of the Yaroslavsky railway station.
With the advent of Soviet power, after nationalization, in 1918 the estate received the status of a museum. The duties of its main guardian were taken over by the daughter of Savva Mamontov, Alexandra. This museum existed until 1932, when a holiday home was placed on the estate, intended for actors and filmmakers. In 1938, the premises began to be used for a sanatorium. And during the Great Patriotic War - like a hospital. At this difficult time for the country, all the valuable relics from the estate near Moscow were transported to Sergiev Posad.
Church of the Savior Image Not Made by Hands
In 1950, the exhibits were returned back, and the Abramtsevo Museum reopened its doors to visitors. The son of S.I. Mamontov - Vsevolod Savvich. And since 1995, the museum-reserve has acquired the status of a monument of cultural and historical significance at the federal level. Today, the artistic traditions of the old workshops of the estate are continued by the Abramtsevo College of Art and Industry, which bears the name of the remarkable Russian painter V.M. Vasnetsov.
Museum-reserve "Abramtsevo"
The estate owns a vast area of 50 hectares, which houses several architectural monuments and a large park. The museum collections collected here are very rich and contain more than 25 thousand exhibits - paintings and drawings, sculptures and folk art, rare archives and photographs.
Polenovskaya dacha
The central place of the museum ensemble is occupied by the oldest building in Abramtsevo - the main manor house, erected in the 18th century. Its modern exposition is dedicated to the family of the writer Aksakov and members of the Mamontov art circle.
In the building that used to house the medical building, you can see a permanent exhibition of paintings by Russian artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. The one-storey wooden kitchen today houses items of Russian folk art collected by the Mamontovites. Temporary exhibitions of works by famous painters, graphic artists and sculptors, as well as masters of arts and crafts, are regularly held in the patterned carved tower of the Studio-workshop. The one-story teremok bathhouse keeps a collection of furniture and household items from the old manor carpentry workshops.
Gazebo - "Hut on chicken legs"
The Church of the Savior is a remarkable building on the territory of the museum-reserve. Its initial project was developed by the artist V.D. Polenov. And his work was continued by V.M. Vasnetsov. The architectural stylization imitating Russian antiquity and the design of the iconostasis of this temple are truly unique.Most of the icons for him were painted by the most famous artists of the Mamontov circle. Divine services in the Church of the Savior are held several times a year, on holidays that are memorable for Abramtsevo.
A completely original architectural monument of the 80s of the XIX century can be considered a wooden gazebo - "Hut on chicken legs". It is located near the church. In addition, on the territory of the museum-reserve, you can visit the one-story Polenovskaya dacha, where the artist lived with his wife.
"Vrubel's Bench"
Having visited the estate, you should definitely take a walk in its wonderful park. It is laid out on three terraces descending into the valley of the Vori River. The old Gogolevskaya alley has been preserved in the shady park. It is good to wander along the neat park paths at any time of the year, but it is especially pleasant to be here in summer and early autumn.
Opening hours of the museum-reserve "Abramtsevo"
Entrance to the territory of Abramtsevo, as well as photo and video filming, are paid. The manor park is open daily from 10.00 to 20.00, on Saturdays - until 21.00. Museum expositions are open to visitors from 10.00 to 18.00, on Saturdays - until 20.00. You can get to the Main Museum House only as part of a guided tour. The last such excursion starts every day at 4.45 pm, on Saturdays - at 18.45.
Lower pond
The park area is open to guests seven days a week from April to October. Museum expositions have weekends on Mondays and Tuesdays (Studio-workshop and Polenovskaya dacha - only on Mondays).
In the store of the museum-reserve, you can, if you wish, buy books on the history of Abramtsevo, catalogs and booklets of exhibitions, reproductions of artists, as well as various souvenirs in memory of visiting this corner of the Moscow region - magnets, bookmarks, notebooks, decorative plates, etc.
Bridge on the Lower Pond
How to get to the Abramtsevo Museum-Reserve
The estate is located 60 km from the capital, on the territory of the Sergiev Posad district of the Moscow region in the village of Abramtsevo, on Museum Street, 1.
By train and on foot. From the Yaroslavsky railway station in Moscow, through the Abramtsevo station, there are electric trains heading to Sergiev Posad, Aleksandrov and Balakirevo. The train reaches the station in 1.10-1.15 hours. From the platform, the path to the estate is just over 1.5 km and goes along a picturesque forest path (the general direction is to the west). This road is not tiring and very picturesque. You won't be able to get lost - there are signs to the estate hanging on the trees in many places.
Upper pond
By car. From Moscow, you need to go along the Yaroslavl highway - until the turn to Leshkovo and Radonezh. Then you should get to Khotkovo, and from here turn to Abramtsevo. The main road leads to the entrance to the estate.
By bus. From Sergiev Posad to the estate there are regular buses and minibuses No. 55 (8 trips a day). Travel time is about an hour. When boarding, you need to be careful - it should be indicated by the car that the minibus goes to Abramtsevo. Otherwise, she will only take you to Khotkovo.
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