Last Saturday, December 11, on one of the short winter days, when I didn’t really want to go somewhere far, I decided to take a walk in the Balashikha area, fortunately the area is conducive to this. The idea was to start the walk at the Kuchino platform, from there to walk to the Pehra-Yakovlevskoye estate, explore the estate itself and the Fox Mountain ski complex nearby; Having examined the Pehra-Yakovlevskoye estate, I planned to walk to the Gorenki estate, and after walking there, explore Balashikha itself, and when it was already dark, finish the walk and return to Moscow. And now more details...
Morning of December 11th. There are only two of us - me and sd3
; Actually, it was planned that there would be a few more of us, but for one reason or another, no one else could come.
We start the route from pl. Kuchino. After getting off the train, we cross a small station village, and then continue our path along the road along the edge of the holiday village. After some time, the dachas end, the road goes left, and our path lies forward along a picturesque forest path.
Forest Road.
The path turns out to be quite short and after some time, having crossed a nameless stream on the ice, we find ourselves in the former village of Akatovo, now one of the quarters of Balashikha. We cross Akatovo and the Gorenka river (or Chernavka (both names are found near this river)) along a pedestrian bridge.
Pedestrian bridge over the river. Gorenka.
Gorenka River, view from the bridge.
Ahead is a small enterprise for the production of polymer packaging, connected by a forest asphalt road to Balashikha. Here, if you believe many maps and atlases, there should be a road bridge across the river. Pekhorka, but not even traces of the bridge remained.
There should be a road bridge here.
River valley Pekhorka.
Looking at the place where there once was a bridge and capturing the picturesque river valley with my camera. Pekhorka we continue along the road towards Balashikha.
Road to Balashikha.
The road led us to the outskirts of Balashikha, but there was still no time to explore Balashikha, so we cross Pekhorka on a pedestrian bridge and go for a walk to the Golitsynsky forest park and explore the Pekhra-Yakovlevskoye estate.
Pedestrian bridge over the river. Pekhorka.
Pekhorka River, view from the bridge.
Duck photo shoot.
Squirrel in Golitsynsky Park.
Before writing further, it’s worth writing a few words about the Pehra-Yakovlevskoye estate itself. The history of these places begins at the end of the 16th century, when the small village of Yakovleva, located on the left bank of the Pekhorka River, became the property of the Golitsyn princes for more than two hundred years.
The main complex of the estate, which has survived to this day, dates back to the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries; It should only be noted that the main house itself has reached us only in later reconstruction - it was rebuilt in 1924 after a fire. Now the Russian State Agrarian University is located on the territory of the estate.
Main building.
The main building and colonnade, view from the park.
Outbuilding of the estate.
Former greenhouse.
Church of the Transfiguration in Pehra-Yakovlevsky (1777 - 1782).
After visiting the Pehra-Yakovlevskoye estate and walking through Golitsyn Park, we decided to go to the Fox Mountain ski complex and, if possible, climb Fox Mountain itself, which we managed to do without any problems. By the way, the complex itself is located in close proximity to the estate on the site of a previously existing industrial waste landfill. In fact, Fox Mountain itself consists of construction waste and soil excavated during the construction of the metro. From the top of Fox Mountain you can enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding area.
Views from Fox Mountain.
At the top of Fox Mountain. As you can see, the complex has not yet been launched this year, so far they are only spraying snow.
Having descended from Fox Mountain and returned again to the western bank of the river. Pekhorka, we continue our journey towards the Gorenki estate. Gorenki is one of the largest estates in the Moscow region, located on both banks of the Gorenka River. Founded around the beginning of the 17th century, the estate has changed many owners during its existence. At the end of the 18th century, when the estate was owned by Count A.G. Razumovsky, a palace was erected with a beautiful landscape park, which included a botanical garden, the creation of which famous scientists worked on. In the center of the estate, on the banks of a dammed river, there was a palace with outbuildings, greenhouses and nurseries were built around it, an English park was laid out along the banks of the river, alleys were planted, marble statues were installed, and there was a menagerie in front of the house. In 1812, the estate was devastated by Napoleon's army, and later, after the death of Razumovsky, a time of decline came for the estate - a paper spinning and paper weaving factory was set up in the former palace. Only at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries was the estate recreated - the palace was restored, the English park was re-laid out, and a grotto was built near the dammed pond. The restoration had just ended at the beginning of the revolution. After the revolution, from about 1925 to the present, the Red Rose tuberculosis sanatorium is located on the territory of the estate.
On the way to the Gorenki estate, Vishnyakovsky pond.
Gorenka River.
Consequences of the 2000 hurricane. Until 2000, there was a forest here, but after the hurricane, only this bald spot remained in the forest.
Pond near the Gorenki estate.
One of the underground tunnels of the grotto.
Manor house, view from the pond.
Gorenki Estate.
Gorenki estate, dilapidated colonnade.
Having examined the Gorenki estate and continuing our walk, we decided to take a short walk around the modern center of Balashikha (Balashikha-1 microdistrict), and then climb up along the ponds on the Pekhorka River, making sure to inspect the oldest weaving factory in the city along the way.
Frozen pond on the Pekhorka River.
Pekhorka River, view from the railway bridge.
Balashikha cotton spinning factory. The oldest surviving factory in Balashikha, the year the factory was founded (1830) is considered the year the entire city of Balashikha emerged.
Reservoir on the river Pekhorka and residential areas under construction near it.
After inspecting the factory and walking for some time along the reservoir on the river. Pekhorka we reached the station and left by train to Moscow. This concludes our walk.
Ili Nagorenki (Russia, Moscow region, Balashikha district, Balashikha, Gorkovskoe highway) is one of the largest estates near Moscow, formed from lands on both banks of the Gorenka River, before its confluence with Pekhorka.
Owners: Pleshcheevs (1623-1693), Khilkov P.Yu. (1714), Razumovsky (1747-1812), Yusupov and Volkov, Panteleev (1852), second half of the 19th century. - beginning XX century manufacturer Tretyakov and his heirs, until 1917 - Sevryugov.
In 1714-1730s. The village of Gorenki and the surrounding villages were owned by A.G. Dolgorukov, a member of the Supreme Privy Council. Even then, there were “stone chambers, great ponds, greenhouses and a church in the chambers.” The Dolgorukov family under young Peter II was at the height of its power, especially after Peter, who had long been burdened by Menshikov’s tutelage, deprived him of all ranks and exiled him to Siberia, breaking off his engagement to his daughter.
Prince Alexei Grigorievich, the tutor of the young emperor, enjoyed almost unlimited influence in the state. The prince's son, Ivan Alekseevich, was friendly with the young sovereign, and often hunted with Peter in the vicinity of the estate.
The Dolgorukovs cherished the dream of strengthening their position through the marriage of Peter II with the daughter of His Serene Highness Prince Alexei Grigorievich, Princess Catherine. The wedding day had already been set, but this was prevented by the sudden death of the emperor, who died of smallpox.
In the second half of the 18th century in Gorenki under Count A.K. Razumovsky created a palace and park ensemble in the style of mature classicism (architect A. Menelas).
The manor house was designed in the depths of a semicircular front yard, the diameter of which reaches seven hundred meters. The palace in the center is decorated with a six-column portico.
Its side parts have symmetrical semicircular projections - exedra, the upper floor of which served as covered balconies. Galleries with colonnades lead to side wings that protrude far into the courtyard (architect S.E. Chernyshev).
Under Razumovsky, the estate was famous for its botanical garden; Here, under the supervision of famous Russian and foreign scientists of that time, greenhouses and nurseries were established.
An English park was laid out on the banks of the dammed river, alleys were planted, marble statues, pavilions, gazebos were installed...
Now almost all the buildings in Gorenki have survived, but their condition is depressing. The architectural complex was irreparably damaged by ill-conceived economic activities of the Red Rose tuberculosis sanatorium located here. The neglected park is half cut down. Small architectural forms disappeared without a trace, as did the bronze eagles from the park staircase, which we found with difficulty in the bushes.
Archival photographs of the Gorenki estate
- Stairs to the park. Photo www.gorenki.narod.ru
- Grotto in the estate. Measurement of E.P. Shchukina
- Grotto in Gorenki
- Park stairs
- Park staircase in the Gorenki estate
- Bridge in the park. Photo www.gorenki.narod.ru
- Gorenki Estate, photo http://www.rusalbom.ru/
- Sculpture of an eagle that decorated the park staircase
- Gorenki estate kardegardia. Photo PAMO, v. 1, M., 1999
- Entrance to the estate. Photo PAMO, v. 1, M., 1999
- Dining room of the holiday home. Photo PAMO, v. 1, M., 1999
- Gorenki Estate, fragment of the interior of the main house. Photo PAMO, v. 1, M., 1999
- House with outbuildings
- Greenhouse
- Services
- Cardeguards
- Gates
- Grotto ruins
- Stairs to the pond
- Remains of the dam
Personalities
1748-1822, eldest son of Count Kirill Grigorievich from his marriage to Ekaterina Ivanovna Naryshkina, born September 12, 1748; The hetman tried to give his sons a solid and versatile education, and the education of Count A.K. Razumovsky was completed by a long trip abroad, during which he listened to lectures in Strasbourg and visited Italy and England. Enlisted at birth for military service, he was promoted to captain by Peter III and renamed chamber cadet; in 1775 Razumovsky was granted full chamberlain status, but already in 1778 he retired and lived as a private citizen in his magnificent village near Moscow. Gorenki. On June 28, 1786, he was promoted to privy councilor and appointed senator, but his pride, offended by Catherine’s refusal to appoint him president of the College of Commerce, again prompted him in 1795 to retire into private life. Alexander I appointed Razumovsky on November 2, 1807, a trustee of Moscow University, with promotion to actual Privy Councillors, and on April 11, 1810, the Minister of Public Education. Razumovsky, however, soon became tired of the new activity and on May 26, 1812, asked for leave, much to the displeasure of Alexander I. The Emperor’s coolness and eye disease prompted Razumovsky in 1814 to ask for resignation, to which the Emperor agreed “beyond his will.” Razumovsky spent the last years of his life in Little Russia, in Pochep, where he died on April 5, 1822. His remains, after the sale of Pochep to Count Kleinmichel, were transferred to the Spassky Novgorod-Seversky Monastery; over the grave of Count A.K. Razumovsky has a tomb with an inscription in which he is given the title “poor helper, patron of sciences.” From his marriage to Countess V.P. Sheremeteva, Razumovsky had 2 sons and 2 daughters, and from the daughter of his bereitor, M. M. Sobolevskaya, he had 5 “pupils” and 5 “pupils” who received the surname “Perovsky”.
Count A.K. Razumovsky was a man of difficult character, stern, gloomy and unsociable. These qualities were supplemented by others, determined by the aristocratic environment in which the game of happiness placed the Razumovskys. This, as Wiegel put it, “stuffed with French literature,” the shepherd’s grandson considered himself a “Russian Montmorency” and looked with excessive pride at mere mortals who were not rewarded by “fits of happiness.” He did not trust people, he simply did not like to see them, preferring to sit in his office, however, despite his distrust of people, he was always under someone’s influence: he was a Voltairean, a Freemason, and a friend of the Jesuits. Razumovsky was not insensitive to “honor and praise”; at the age of 25, he was not averse to taking some position that corresponded to his merits, such as the president of the Chambers - or Manufacturers - Collegium, and lost his temper when he met only “the constant grief at the Court”, consoling themselves with the fact that in the higher spheres “they value only bodily advantages as dignity. But at the same time, he was characterized by, in the words of his father, “damned laziness” and he soon became bored with official activities. He was considered an expert in botany, and his garden in Gorenki and greenhouses were recognized as the “miracle of Russia.” But this capricious amateur planted his gardens only to kill idle time, and was not capable of serious scientific work, like his brother, mineralogist gr. Grigory. As Vigel put it, Razumovsky “made the same use out of his knowledge as out of wealth, he enjoyed them without any benefit to others.” In addition, he was also obsessed with the passion of producing expensive and unnecessary buildings. Selling for 400,000 rubles. a comfortable house on Vozdvizhenka, he spent a million rubles on the construction of a palace on Gorokhovoy Pole. Insane extravagance, combined with ransom scams, ruined his enormous fortune, and in the last years of his life he besieged Alexander I with requests to buy his house on Gorokhovoye Pole for the treasury. As a minister, he left behind, as Wiegel put it, “no memory.” Under him, the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was opened, many circulars were published, but the minister personally only owned the opening ceremony of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum and the rules for monitoring the temperature in the premises of this institution, written by him in his own hand...
(From a portrait of Guttenbrunn, 1801; located in the Museum of Emperor Alexander III.)
His Serene Highness Prince ANDREY KIRILLOVICH RAZUMOVSKY
His Serene Highness Prince A.K. RAZUMOVSKY , 1752-1836, the third and most beloved son of Hetman Count Kirill Grigorievich, was born in Glukhov on October 22, 1752. A student of the famous historian Schletser, who amazed him with his brilliant abilities in his youth, Razumovsky completed his education at the university in Strasbourg. Enlisted in the navy, in 1769, at the age of 17, he began active service, joining a ship that was then in England; Promoted to lieutenant, he took part in Count Orlov-Chesmensky’s expedition to the Archipelago, and in 1773 he already commanded the frigate “Ekaterina”. Returning to St. Petersburg, Razumovsky had great success in the world: an amiable and brilliant young handsome man who caroused and spent money without counting, he turned the heads of St. Petersburg beauties, and his father barely had time to pay his debts. A participant in the children's games of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, Razumovsky approached the “young court”, taking advantage of the special favor of Grand Duchess Natalya Alekseevna, whom he had accompanied to Russia as a bride, and in whose favor he was now starting some kind of political intrigue. Having betrayed the cruel trust of his friend, the Grand Duke, and forever lost his favor, after the death of the Grand Duchess (April 16, 1776) he was exiled to Revel, until on January 1, 1777 he was appointed envoy extraordinary to Naples. Having become a close associate of Queen Caroline Maria, he accepted with displeasure his appointment in 1784 as minister in Copenhagen, from where in May 1786 he was moved to Stockholm, and in 1790 he was appointed to Vienna to help the old man, Prince D. M. Golitsyn . At the same time, the Empress told me that “the smartest thing to do is send Andrei Razumovsky there: his wife has a crown and connections there, he’s not stupid, his youth has already subsided, he’s been burned a lot, even to the point of going bald.” Two years later, Razumovsky replaced Prince Golitsyn as ambassador plenipotentiary. In Vienna, he became his own man, and he forever developed strong sympathies for Austria: here he lived with his beloved wife, which did not prevent him from having exceptional success with women; here he ultimately upset his colossal fortune. He loved the arts and, spending wildly, collected paintings, bronzes and all sorts of rarities; He played the violin beautifully, organized famous quartets, artists found patronage under him, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven were his friends. In 1799, Razumovsky was exiled to Baturin, and in 1802 he returned again to the Vienna court. More committed to the interests of Austria than the Austrians themselves, he was Napoleon's sworn enemy, and after Tilsit he retired until he was entrusted with the task at the end of 1812. There were negotiations with Austria on the issue of an alliance with Russia against France. For his labors at the High Congress, Razumovsky received princely dignity with the title of lordship (May 15 and November 29, 1815). In 1819, he received from Alexander I various benefits that alleviated his upset state, and the rank of action. Privy Councilor I class. The last years of his life were filled with complaints about the sad state of his property affairs and requests to the Emperor for mercy: his creditors were persecuting him. Prince Razumovsky died on September 11, 1836. He was married twice: to gr. Elizaveta Osipovna Thun-Hohenstein, and 2nd marriage, from February 10, 1816, to gr. Konstantina-Dominika Iosifovna Thurgeim; he had no children, but had a “pupil” Georgina Acton from 1846, married to Count Lippe-Weissenfeldt.
A kind man at heart, Razumovsky amazed with his pride and arrogance, which earned him the nickname “Archduke Andreas” in Vienna; his virtues were swallowed up by his shortcomings, and his contemporaries judged him harshly. Count Vorontsov called him a man “le plus corrompu du monde, perdu de moeurs et sans principes,” recognizing at the same time his great talents. “The son of a registered Cossack, who always remained a true Ukrainian at heart, Prince Razumovsky had long ago renounced everything Russian”; A cosmopolitan by habits and beliefs, he did not know and did not love his homeland, whose poorly understood interests he was called upon and had to defend in the diplomatic field.
(From a miniature owned by M. A. Vasilchikova; village of Korallovo, Moscow province.)
Countess E.O. RAZUMOVSKAYA, 1764-1806, born Countess of Thun-Gauguin-stein-Klösterle, first wife of Svetlana. Prince Andrei Kirillovich Razumovsky, came from an ancient and noble Austrian noble family and was the daughter of the actual Privy Councilor Count Franz Joseph Thun. In October 1788, she married Count A.K. Razumovsky. The old father was against the marriage of his beloved son to a foreigner, but then, hearing rave reviews about Countess Thun from his daughter Natalia Kirillovna Zagryazhskaya and from his friend, Count Ivan Grigorievich Chernyshev, he agreed. Arriving with her husband in Russia, Countess Elizaveta Osipovna charmed the old man with her kindness, courtesy, cheerful and lively character, and became his favorite daughter-in-law. He gave the young couple his portrait, painted from him by the artist!" Battoni was in Rome in 1767, and was even planning to come to visit Vienna. Moreover, the young countess managed to gain, which was very important in family relations, the favor of her relative, Countess Sofia Osipovna Apraksina, who lived in the house of Count Kirill Grigorievich as a mistress.
Pale, sickly, Countess Razumovskaya was not a beauty, but she had some kind of peculiar charm that attracted hearts to her. Until the end of her life, she was the darling of High Society, which willingly attended her evenings, where foreigners came to pay their respects, where various art celebrities and artists found patronage and a warm welcome, and the hostess was herself a lover of music and a singer with a pleasant voice; towards the end of her life, Napoleon's sworn enemies flocked to these evenings, and her salon acquired a political connotation. The Countess was not jealous, although her husband gave quite a few reasons for this; Count S. R. Vorontsov spoke of her that she was “une femme aimable et qui lui est attachee, il la rend malheureuse.” She died on December 11, 1806 from a debilitating illness from which she had suffered for many years.
(From a miniature from the collection of E. A. Evreinova, in St. Petersburg.)
Manor Park
Gorenki. The estate has been known since the first quarter of the 18th century. From 1714 to 1747 it belonged to the princes Dolgoruky. In 1747 it was transferred to A.G. Razumovsky, and at the beginning of the 19th century. sold to Prince A.B. Yusupov and merchant Volkov, who set up a calico printing factory in the palace. The last owners were Sevryugov, who restored the palace, and Tretyakov.
At the end of the 18th century. At the estate, a wonderful botanical garden with greenhouses was created, where a rich collection of plants was collected. At the same time, the first Russian botanical society, called the Gorensky Phytogeographical Society, arose in Gorenki. In 1811 it merged with the Moscow Society of Natural Scientists. Botanists worked in the garden: Stefan, Ryadovsky and Fischer. Plants from Gorenki formed the basis of the collection of the botanical garden of Moscow State University, some of them were transported to St. Petersburg. Of the large park with an area of 200 hectares, the remains of a regular linden park and part of a landscape park have been preserved on a level surface with a barely noticeable decline towards the pond and dam. It is used as a park at the sanatorium. It has alleys and bosquets made of linden trees with traces of topiary, and isolated elm and pine trees. All the trees are old and very tall. Thus, Scots pine reaches 32 m in height, with a trunk diameter of up to 90 cm. Among the introduced species, there are three types of poplar (the diameter of the white poplar trunk is up to 130 cm), Maak bird cherry (height up to 16 m, trunk diameter 40 cm) and Siberian larch (height 30 m, trunk diameter 90 cm).
The influence of the botanical garden affected the selection of species in the area surrounding the park. In the plantings along the highway there is a large amount of Maaka bird cherry, which is rarely found in other places in the Moscow region. Plant care is satisfactory.
Location: The city of Balashikha, Gorkovskoe highway, 10 km from the Moscow Ring Road.
You had not yet driven away from Moscow when massive pylons of the entrance gate with deep niches appeared on the right side of the road - behind them was the Gorenki estate.
Gorenki, now part of the city of Balashikha, is one of the largest estates near Moscow, formed from lands on both banks of the Gorenka River before its confluence with Pekhorka. In 1714-1730s. The village and surrounding villages were owned by A.G. Dolgorukov is a member of the Supreme Privy Council. Even then, there were “stone chambers with a church (house), greenhouses and great ponds.”
The Dolgorukov family under young Peter II was at the height of its power, especially after Peter II, who had long been burdened by Menshikov’s tutelage, broke off his engagement to his daughter Maria, accused him of treason and theft of the treasury, and then exiled him to Berezov along with his family.
Prince Alexei Grigorievich Dolgoruky, the tutor of the young emperor, enjoyed almost unlimited influence in the state. The prince's son, Ivan Alekseevich, was friendly with the young sovereign and often hunted with Peter II in the vicinity of the estate. The Dolgorukovs cherished the dream of strengthening their position through the marriage of Peter II with the daughter of His Serene Highness Prince Alexei Grigorievich, Princess Catherine. The wedding day had already been set, but this event was prevented by the sudden death of the emperor, who died of smallpox. Having forged the will of Peter II, the Dolgorukovs hoped that the crown would go to his would-be wife Catherine, but the deception was discovered, and the entire family was sent into exile. The unfortunate bride was imprisoned in the Resurrection Goritsky nunnery on Beloozero, where she was kept in strictness, like a well.
Only with the accession of Empress Elizabeth, the surviving Dolgorukovs (father and son were executed) were able to regain their lost possessions, and the freed Princess Ekaterina Alekseevna was granted the rank of maid of honor.
In 1747, Gorenki was sold to Count Alexei Grigoryevich Razumovsky, a brave Cossack, participant in the 1741 coup and the morganatic husband of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.
“The construction activity of the Counts Razumovsky is one of the brilliant pages of Russian architecture of the 18th century. The ancestor and senior representative of the family A.G. Razumovsky, with the help of the best architects of his time, Rastrelli and Kvasov, erected palaces in Gostilitsy near St. Petersburg, in Perov near Moscow, where he constantly received Empress Elizabeth, churches in Kozelets, and a palace in Pochep in Ukraine. His brother, K.R. Razumovsky, Hetman of Ukraine, builds palaces in Baturin according to the drawings of Charles Cameron, a grandiose palace in Moscow on Gorokhovskaya Street, houses in Polivanovo and Petrovsko-Razumovsky and many other buildings,” writes A.N. Grech in “Wreath of Estates”.
Palace in Gorenki. Front facade
In the second half of the 18th century, under Count A.K. Razumovsky, the son of the last hetman of Ukraine, a palace and park ensemble in the style of mature classicism, magnificent in design and execution, was created on the estate.
“In the gardener who recently arrived here, I found a man not only with a lot of knowledge in his craft, but, moreover, a fair architect and very skilled in all earthworks,” Alexey Kirillovich expressed his opinion about the landscape architect discharged from Vienna.
We can only assume that this praise was intended for the Englishman by birth, Adam Adamovich Menelas, who had a bright and original talent. Having managed to amaze with his creations both in Gorenki and in neighboring Yakovlevsky, he set off to conquer jaded Petersburg, in the vicinity of which parks and pavilions inspired by the architect appeared.
From two entrance gates with identical buildings of guardhouses and service wings, endlessly long alleys with embankments and lined with trees lead to the palace, slowly bending.
The Gorenok manor house, designed by Menelas, was placed in the depths of a huge desert cour d'honneur, reaching a diameter of seven hundred meters. Covered galleries with loggias lead from the palace with a central six-column portico and side symmetrical exedra projections to the two-story wings bordering the front courtyard. From the wings, Tuscan colonnades with pavilions at the ends smoothly diverge to the left and right, facing the park. Both the wings, the colonnades (one of them was later laid), and the park facade, decorated with a majestic loggia with columns, were created by the architect S.E. Chernyshev at the beginning of the 19th century.
Palace in Gorenki. Loggia from the pond
Thus, the garden façade was an almost continuous alternation of columns: round and straight, Ionic and Doric, bearing an entablature and spanning the building to a height of two floors. These colonnades, spreading evenly, like the strings of a harp, made the architecture sound.
A once wide, but now barely noticeable, white stone staircase, overgrown with bushes and weeds, descends to a huge pond, on the sides of which there are sculptures of bronze eagles with outstretched wings. Both the eagles and numerous park amenities: “temples,” gazebos, fountains, bridges spanning the islands, have now disappeared without a trace. Only the grotto, built of large cobblestones on the bank of the dammed Gorenka River, has survived.
The estate's hydraulic system included the Upper and Middle (now drained) ponds. To achieve a constant water level in the Upper Pond, a white stone dam with a sluice was built, partially preserved to this day.
In front of the house there was an indispensable curiosity of those times - a menagerie, which is reminiscent of a small “saucer” pond with the remains of ramparts and a moat.
Under A.K. Razumovsky, a botanist and minister of public education during the time of Alexander I, the estate became widely known not only for its architectural ensemble, but also for the botanical garden - Gorenok’s special pride. Here, under the supervision of famous Russian and foreign scientists, exemplary greenhouses and nurseries were built.
Count Razumovsky, who seemed impossibly arrogant, nicknamed the Russian Linnaeus, lived unsociablely in Gorenki. His only surroundings were all kinds of herbalists. Intensely involved in the mysteries of nature, the count did not recognize idleness, preferring thoughtful academic studies to lordly amusements. He could not stand annoying neighbors and even with relatives who burdened him with their presence, he was sometimes irritable and harsh.
More than 40 greenhouses and greenhouses had a total length of almost 1.5 km. Mineral collections and herbariums occupied a special wing in the park. In 1809, the first Botanical Society in Russia was created in Gorenki. By the beginning of the 1820s. In the Gorenok Botanical Garden, according to the systematic catalog, more than three thousand acclimatized plants were grown.
“Among the rarest trees you should notice the helical palm, Dragon’s blood, Jamaican cedar, Bamboo, American olive tree,” wrote one of the most inquisitive Russian people of that time, traveler and diplomat Pavel Petrovich Svinin. After the count's death in 1822, his life's work was lost in a matter of months. The estate was sold to N.A. Volkov and Prince. N.B. Yusupov. Yusupov is a famous collector and patron of the arts; he moved some of the greenhouses and sculptures to his Arkhangelskoye estate. The other part of the botanical collection came to the disposal of Moscow University. The rest was bought up or stolen by the surrounding landowners, or perished.
Fabricant N.A. Volkov set up a paper spinning factory in the empty palace, which operated successfully until the end of the 19th century under the next owner, Tretyakov. Only V.P. Sevryugin, an industrialist and connoisseur of beauty, attempted to restore the estate complex and the house, returning them to their previous functional purpose. He hired the young and talented architect Chernyshev, who managed to transform the palace inside and out...
After the revolution of 1917, the “Red Rose” sanatorium was established in the estate, which still occupies the Razumovsky house. Gorenok’s former greatness is reminiscent of a dilapidated house-palace, significantly distorted for the needs of a sanatorium, a half-cut down park, and a huge court d’honneur divided into vegetable gardens by “local botanists”...
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The Gorenki estate is located literally a ten-minute drive from Moscow, on the traffic-plagued Entuziastov Highway, formerly known as the Vladimir Road. Who would have thought that the tattered fence, past which I drove hundreds of times, there is a wonderful estate, which in the age of the nobility was very famous, it was owned by the Dolgorukys, Razumovskys, and Yusupovs.
Gorenki Estate
One Sunday, my friends and I went on a tour of the Moscow region as part of a group of like-minded people and an excellent guide. The Gorenki estate was appointed as the meeting place. Following the directions of the navigator, we turned right, leaving the Enthusiasts Highway to a strange fence and an unobstructed entrance. Grandparents were constantly driving in and out of the arch in their cars, clearly going to the dacha (judging by the seedlings in the car, the Panama hats on their heads, and the shovels and pitchforks sticking out of the windows). It turned out that there is a seedling nursery popular among summer residents. And later I learned from the guide that on the territory of Gorenok there was one of the most famous botanical gardens in the Moscow region, perhaps this fact somehow influenced the location of the nursery.
We parked near the nursery, poured hot coffee from a thermos and, chatting happily, waited for the cars of the rest of the excursion participants.
The first thing that struck me was the feeling that we were somewhere outside the city, in the middle of a forest, and as if there were no modern highways, new buildings or hypermarkets a hundred steps away from here.
As soon as everyone had gathered, the guide took us to the park area of the estate, stopped in front of the main house and began to introduce us to the history of this place. By the way, entry to the territory is free; you don’t have to ask security.
Gorenki Estate
The estate got its name from the Gorenki River, on the banks of which it is located. Scribes mentioned Gorenki in books back at the end of the 16th century, so the guide had a lot to tell - we listened to the stories for at least 40 minutes, despite the strong wind and the viscous mud from the mud under our feet.
Various owners lived on this land. By the end of the 17th century, a village was formed here, where there were 6 peasant households. After 15 years, the Lords appeared in Gorenki. The steward of Emperor Peter I founded an estate here, which was intended for his daughter Praskovya as a dowry. It was Prince Yuri Khilkov.
A few years later, Praskovya became the wife of Alexei Dolgorukov. Her husband built the first palace here, and before construction began, he also added Chizhevo to the Gorenki estate. Their son Ivan was successful at the imperial court and had an excellent career.
Peter II often visited Gorenki, and soon Ivan Dolgoruky became a favorite of the young emperor. His father had a plan to marry the sovereign to his young daughter Catherine. Things were heading towards a wedding, even an engagement took place, but the dreams of the enterprising father were destroyed by the unexpected death of the emperor. The Dolgorukys tried to draw up a forged will, according to which Peter declared his bride to be his heir, but no one believed this paper. Instead of intermarrying with the highest persons, the Dolgorukovs went into distant exile, and their lands were confiscated.
In 1747, the estate was bought by Count Alexei Razumovsky. The famous favorite of Empress Catherine the Great is building a stone house here, and also building a church on the estate in the name of the All-Merciful Savior. After the count died, Gorenki was inherited by his brother Kirill. He decided to give Gorenki to his half-son Alexei. Having acquired a new owner, Gorenki blossomed. Alexey completely rebuilt the palace, and in front of it he laid out an amazing park, which was decorated with cascades of ponds and cool grottoes. The owner of the estate was engaged in collecting rare plants, so a botanical garden was gradually formed on the territory of the estate. For this purpose, several greenhouses were erected, which could boast more than 7 thousand different plants.
Until the mid-19th century, the Razumovsky Botanical Garden was considered a miracle near Moscow. The count's guests looked with interest at the bamboo and palm trees, Jamaican cedar and cypress trees. Nowadays you won’t surprise anyone with a palm tree, but in the 18-19th century no one went on vacation to the Maldives. Even outlandish American spruces grew here. Serious scientists, travelers, and naturalists began to visit Gorenka. In addition to plants, valuable collections of books and art objects were kept in the estate. Just think what a botanical garden could be like now! But the count's heirs did not appreciate the collection.
Gorenki Estate
After the death of the count-collector, they sold his brainchild to Count Yusupov. Yusupov moved Razumovsky’s valuable collections and library to his other residence, which was located in the Arkhangelskoye estate. Surely, many have been to Arkhangelskoye and were amazed at the beauty of this estate. Now we know that the Gorenki estate, which most residents of the Moscow region have not even heard of, made a huge contribution to this.
Yusupov did not own Gorenki for long. After some time, he sold the estate to Nikolai Volkov. The new owner of the estate was a guardsman, leader of the Moscow nobility and decided to approach the issue of developing the estate from a practical side. Instead of lush celebrations or cheerful balls, I decided to get down to business, especially since the large rooms of the palace were perfect for this. In his chambers he built a very hectic paper mill. Volkov also did not notice the beauty of the local park, created by the previous owners with warmth and good taste. On its territory, he created a small foundry - a plant for the manufacture of machine tools. The merchant Vasily Tretyakov became his companion.
Production equipment hummed right in the palace interiors, and their owner was not at all embarrassed by this. The luxurious chambers of the spoiled princes began to inexorably collapse. The right side of the building fell into disrepair the most. Already at the stage of installation of the machines, they pierced ancient ceilings, which the owner ordered to simply seal with plaster.
After the closure of the paper weaving factory in 1885, the estate was no longer needed and fell into complete disrepair. For a long time he did not have a zealous owner. Only 25 years later the estate was acquired by the manufacturer Sevryugov. Under him, the park and palace were restored. But soon the government changed in the country.
Gorenki Estate
The revolution abolished private property. The executive committee was located in the estate. Stalin, who everywhere he went tried to do something that would remind him of his homeland, ordered the planting of his favorite coniferous trees. That is why near Gorenki we can now see pine trees that at least a little remind us of the Caucasian landscapes.
Even later, part of the palace was transferred to an orphanage, and then the estate was turned into a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients.
Many cultural figures also loved to spend time in Gorenki. Meyerhold came here with his wife Zinaida Reich, the first wife of Sergei Yesenin. They had a dacha in the vicinity of the estate. The flower of creative bohemia came to visit them - Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Olesha, Tolstoy, Garin. Here, in nature, the children of Sergei Yesenin grew up, who after the divorce remained with their mother.
What is now in the Gorenki Estate
Now in Gorenki there is a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients. Hearing this, I shivered slightly, but since we were walking around and didn’t go into buildings, there was nothing to be afraid of. In addition to our group, people with dogs and couples were walking through the park, apparently because entry to the territory is free.
There is a lot to see at the Gorenki estate. The manor house is well preserved.
Manor's house of the Gorenki estate
It is believed that it was built by the architect Menelas at the end of the 18th century. A large, majestic colonnade connects it with the outbuildings.
Colonnade of the Gorenki estate
Colonnade of the Gorenki estate
In addition, to the left of the main house you can find an artificial grotto, which, however, is almost destroyed, but you can still admire its faded beauty, as well as the driveway, shaped like a semicircle. The grotto served for storing food and drinks that required refrigeration. For example, Gorenok’s guests loved to drink cold champagne, which at that time was considered a very exotic drink.
Grotto at the Gorenki estate
In the park you can also find an ancient, almost collapsed staircase that went down to a pond that has now disappeared.
Ancient staircase to the pond
Finally, a farewell look at the estate.
Gorenki Estate
How to get to Gorenok
To take a walk around the estate, you need to get to Balashikha. By car the trip will be tireless and short. The Gorenki estate is located approximately five kilometers from the Moscow Ring Road along the Entuziastov Highway.
By bus you can get from Novogireevo metro station to the stop "Sanatorium Red Rose", minibuses 291 (peak hours), 444, 322, 25, 1012, 108, 110, 125, 193, 588, 473, 291 (not during peak hours), 550, 886, 587, 993.
In 1714, the daughter of Prince Yu.Ya. Khilkova married a member of the Supreme Privy Council, Alexei Grigorievich Dolgorukov, and received the estate as a dowry.
In 1719, Dolgorukov built a church in Gorenki in the name of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. The construction of the first palace probably dates back to this time. Later, Dolgorukov buys the neighboring village of Chizhovo. Since then, both these names are inextricably linked.
Prince A.G. Dolgorukov was the guardian of the young Emperor Peter II, who often visited Gorenki in the period from 1728-1729. At the instigation of the Dolgorukovs, 14-year-old Peter became addicted to hunting and visited the capital less and less. But Gorenki turned into a kind of residence. Alexei Grigorievich's son Ivan, who played an important role at court at that time, had great influence on Peter II, who even allowed him to sign documents. Wanting to enter into a relationship with Peter and subjugate him to his will, Alexey Grigorievich tries to marry him to his 18-year-old daughter Ekaterina. The engagement was officially announced, the wedding day was set, but the unexpected happened. While hunting, Peter II caught smallpox and died on January 18, 1730, the day on which his wedding was scheduled.
The accession of Anna Ioannovna to the throne led to the disgrace of the Dolgorukovs. The confiscated estate was transferred to the Palace Department.
In 1747, the estate, returned to E.A. Dolgorukova, is being sold to the favorite of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, Count Alexei Grigorievich Razumovsky. It was under the Razumovskys, mainly Alexei Kirillovich - the nephew of Alexei Grigorievich (the future first Russian Minister of Public Education, the initiator of the creation of the lyceum in Tsarskoe Selo) that the estate ensemble was created. The palace was rebuilt, and a wonderful park was laid out around the palace.
But the main glory of Gorenki was created by the botanical garden with numerous greenhouses. More than 7,000 species of plants, unique collections of seeds and a huge natural history library were collected here. In 1809, the first Phytographic (Botanical) Society in Russia was organized in Gorenki.
In 1819, Count Alexey Kirillovich left the estate and went to Ukraine, and a few years later his heirs sold the estate and estate to a member of the State Council, Prince N.B. Yusupov. At this time, Yusupov was improving his estate in Arkhangelskoye, where he took sculptures and other works of art from Gorenki. Part of the herbarium, the library and some plants were taken to the St. Petersburg Botanical Garden and the garden of Moscow University, the rest was sold to private individuals.
In 1830, the Gorenki estate was bought by Guards Colonel N.A. Volkov, who is in alliance with the merchant V.N. Tretyakov set up a paper spinning and paper weaving factory in the palace premises. However, Volkov soon left the business, losing his share to the merchant F.F. Panteleev. During this time, the palace was mutilated, part of the park structures and colonnades were dismantled. The factory ceased to exist in 1885.
After the revolution of 1917, the Gorenki estate was nationalized. The Razinsky volost executive committee was located here. From 1920-1925 there was an orphanage named after. S. Razin.
And from 1926 to this day, the “Red Rose” sanatorium has been located in the estate. During the Great Patriotic War, a military hospital operated here. The estate became part of Balashikha in 1950.
The Gorenki estate is a monument of federal significance and is protected by the state.