Moscow Palaces & Estates

Moscow Townhall
Just in front of the monument to Yury Dolgoruky there is Moscow Townhall. The first palace was build here in 1782. It was general Chernichev, who built palace for himself. Later this building was bought by the Empire to install the official residence of Moscow Governors there. All the governors of Moscow lived in this palace, so it was known as the Palace of the Governor.

Kuskovo
This pink neo-classical building was built of wood in the 1770s by the serfs of Count Sheremeyev, one of th richest landowners in Russia and also responsile for Ostankino. It is th only building of its kind to survive in Russia, and also features extensive gardens fashioned in classical eighteenth century style and marble sculptures imported from Italy. Also hosts a porcelian collection, some hand-decorated with Bolshevik slgans and portraits of the great leaders.

Ostankino Palace
Built between 1792-98, this is another one of Count Sheremetyev's serf-built palaces. The interior boasts richly adorned ceilings and walls, and an oriental atmosphere in the main hall. The grounds often host summer concerts, and there is a separate pavillion that houses temporary exhibits.

Kolomenskoye
Most of all, Kolomenskoye is a wonderful expanse of park that attracts many people but never gets crowded. Part of the area is taken up by the Museum of Wooden architecture, as which Kolomenskoye began life in 1667 when Tsar Alexsei erected a wooden palace on the premises. The haphazard arrangement of connecting corridors and bulbous domes was pulled down by Catherine the Great, but not before she ordered an exact model to be made, which is now housed in the museum.

Patriarch's Palace
Patriarch's Palace is the former residence of the Russian Tzars

Archangelskoye Estate
Nowadays the Archangelskoye Estate, located in Krasnogorsky district of Moscow region, is the museum containing unique collections of paintings, engravings, sculpture and applied art of the 17th-19th centuries. Archangelskoye boasts one of the largest collections of rare books in Russia. It numbers about 16,000 volumes.

Tsaritsino
Architectural and park ensemble of Tsaritsino is a remarkable historical monument of the 18th-19th centuries. It was intended for the residence of Catherine II. In 1993 the State Historical, Architectural, Artistic and Landscape Museum-Preserve Tsaritsyno was opened. It is the largest museum of such a kind in Moscow.