Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Moscow Government – Moscow Government –
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One of the main events of the winter season of the Moscow Estates festival is the appearance of a route Moscow Estate, which you can join from December 1 to February 28. This interactive offline game, created in collaboration with Yandex Go, connects 14 historic mansions in the capital. Participants receive a special map and their first stamp at any point along the route, then visit the attractions, collecting stamps with tickets purchased at the estate box office or through the Russpass service. The more stamps they collect, the more valuable the gift they can receive at the festival's flagship venue, the Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve.
Kolomenskoye
Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve— combines the wintry nature of the parkland, the architectural heritage of past centuries, and a contemporary events program. Free events designed for visitors of all ages will be held daily for three months. Guests will be able to visit a retro photo studio, creating an immersive experience of a bygone era, and send holiday postcards to anywhere in the country via the "Estate Post Office." On weekends, the program will be complemented by tastings of "Moscow" tea at the "Moscow Tea Party" station, street theater performances, holiday shows, excursions, master classes, and themed activities.
The Khitrovo family mansion on Arbat Street
The oldest house on Arbat is Khitrovo family mansionThe building was built in 1777 and received its Empire-style appearance after a fire in 1812. The two-story house, with its triangular pediment and rusticated façade, was home to the young Pushkin couple, Alexander Sergeyevich and Natalya Nikolaevna. During Soviet times, the state rooms and spacious rooms were converted into communal apartments, and it was only at the end of the 20th century that a memorial exhibition dedicated to the classic Russian poet opened there. A year ago, restoration work was completed on the mansion, allowing visitors to see its historic interiors: the building has been restored to its original layout, and the parquet flooring and decorative finishes have been restored.
Today, it attracts those who want to learn more about the life and personality of the great poet and those who are interested in the history of literature. Researchers believe that Alexander Pushkin's memorial apartment on Arbat is just as important as the apartment on the Moika River embankment in St. Petersburg. During the winter season of the "Moscow Estates" festival, the mansion will be one of the locations in an online quest. Secrets of Old Arbat, or Keys to the City, where participants will not only learn the history of estates and their owners, but also solve exciting tasks.
Leo Tolstoy's estate in Khamovniki
One of the most famous literary addresses in Moscow is house, where Leo Tolstoy lived for almost 20 years. The estate complex was built in the early 19th century and was one of the few buildings in the area to survive the fire of 1812. In 1882, the writer purchased the estate, searching for a quiet place in Moscow with a garden and vegetable patch for his large family. The estate in Yasnaya Polyana had become overcrowded: the Tolstoy family had 10 children.
Despite its proximity to central Moscow, the estate long retained a country-style atmosphere. The garden was filled with apple and cherry trees, raspberry and barberry bushes, and a skating rink was used in winter and tea was served in summer. The house had no electricity or running water for a long time, so the family first had to renovate the house: repair the floors, wallpaper, buy furniture, and plan a new layout.
It was within these walls that over 100 works were written, including the novel "Resurrection," the novellas "The Death of Ivan Ilyich," "The Kreutzer Sonata," the play "The Living Corpse," and other texts. After the writer's death in 1911, the estate was purchased by the Moscow City Council, and in 1921, by personal decree of Vladimir Lenin, a memorial museum was opened here. Leo Tolstoy's relatives and close family friends contributed to its creation. Thanks to this, the interior has been restored so accurately that it seems as if the owners have just left the rooms. Today, more than five thousand items in the museum collection include authentic furniture, household items, books, and personal belongings of the Tolstoy family.
A major restoration project was recently completed at the estate. During the work, the building's foundation and supporting structures were strengthened, the stoves and intricate tilework were renovated, and the historic parquet flooring and decorative cornices were restored. Thanks to this, the estate now looks virtually identical to how it did during Tolstoy's lifetime, albeit with modern engineering systems. The museum features the writer's study, living room, children's rooms, and dining room, as well as a stroll through the garden to soak up the atmosphere of a Moscow dacha.
The Moscow Estates Festival is a wonderful opportunity not only to learn about the life of a classic writer but also to attend special tours and thematic master classes that will allow you to take a fresh look at the capital's iconic literary landmark.
The House-Museum of I.S. Turgenev on Ostozhenka
An old mansionThe estate associated with Ivan Turgenev also featured on the "Moscow Estate" route. The two-story wooden house with mezzanines and six white columns was built on Ostozhenka Street in 1818–1819. Varvara Turgeneva, the famous writer's mother, lived here in the mid-19th century. The author of the novel "Fathers and Sons," the novella "Spring Tides," and many other works not only visited but also worked here. Events that took place on the estate formed the basis for the short story "Mumu." Turgenev's characters were based on real people who lived in the house. For example, the wayward and cruel lady's character traits are recognizable as Varvara Petrovna's. Later, locals began calling the mansion "Mumu's House."
The I.S. Turgenev Museum opened in 2009. In 2018, extensive restoration work was completed, recreating the atmosphere of that era. Household items, archival documents, manuscripts, photographs, lifetime portraits, and editions of Turgenev, as well as illustrations to his works, tell the story of the writer, his family, famous guests, and the era that preceded the end of serfdom in Russia.
An oak tree grows on the estate grounds—a descendant of the famous Turgenev oak from the Spasskoye-Lutovinovo Museum-Reserve in the Oryol Region. Next to the museum, in the I.S. Turgenev Square, the first monument to the writer in Moscow was unveiled.
Razumovsky Palace
Story estates The history of the estate dates back to the 16th century, when it was the property of the clerk Mikhail Munekhin. Over the centuries, the estate changed hands several times until, in the early 19th century, it came into the possession of Lev Razumovsky. The main house was seriously damaged in a fire in 1812, but was subsequently restored according to the designs of the architect Domenico Gilardi, one of the leading architects of post-fire Moscow.
Thanks to him, a monumental brick-red mansion with a distinctive Doric portico emerged. The center of the building is accented by a colonnade, and the side wings are decorated with stucco and distinctive plaster lion masks—a decorative detail that has become a distinctive signature of the estate.
During the Soviet era, the building became state property and housed the Museum of the Revolution. Today, the estate's historic interiors house the exhibition space of the State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia. Visitors come here to see artifacts that tell the story of key stages in the country's history.
The Moscow Estates Festival is in line with the "Tourist Attractiveness of the Country" initiative of the national project Tourism and Hospitality and helps residents and visitors explore the city's cultural and historical heritage in a modern format. Learn more about Russia's national projects and the capital's contribution atspecial page.
A communications campaign in support of winter tourism has also been launched in Russia. Over 600 winter travel ideas have been compiled on the national tourism portal. puteshestvaem.rf, which is being developed with the support of the national project Tourism and Hospitality.
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