This museum is always crowded. Abramtsevo Manor today is a popular one-day vacation spot among Muscovites. On its territory there is a magnificent museum-reserve. During a tour of the complex, you can learn many interesting facts about the history of Russian art and admire the beautiful nature near Moscow. How to get to the Abramtsevo Museum from Moscow and what you can see here, we will tell in this article.
History of the estate
The first mention of the estate dates back to the 16th century. Then it was a small village belonging to the landowner Volynsky. The most significant period for the village began in 1843, when it became the property of the writer S. T. Aksakov.
Being a passionate admirer of hunting and nature, Sergei Timofeevich felt great at the estate. N. V. Gogol and I. S. Turgenev came to visit him. The actor M. S. Shchepkin and the historian M. P. Pogodin have been here. Aksakov worked fruitfully in Abramtsevo. It was here that “Childhood of Bagrov the Grandson”, a fairy tale about a magical scarlet flower, beloved by many generations, was written.
Savva Mamontov's Estate
After thatas the writer died, the estate quickly fell into decay, and in 1870 the heirs of Aksakov sold it to the famous industrialist S. I. Mamontov. Savva Ivanovich immediately began to restore it. First of all, he renovated the house, built several new outbuildings. Unfortunately, today most of them are lost.
Savva Ivanovich was interested in the history of arts, theater and architecture. In Moscow, his house was always open to talented and creative people. The Mamontov family transferred their good traditions to a new estate near Moscow.
Art Club
Gradually, Savva Mamontov's circle of acquaintances expanded, and a community of famous artists appeared, which today is known as the Mamontov Art Circle. It included such great masters as V. A. Serov, I. E. Repin, V. D. Polenov, M. A. Vrubel, V. M. and A. M. Vasnetsov and other artists. They often and for a long time stayed at the estate, creating their masterpieces. Many canvases created in this estate near Moscow were included in the Golden Fund of Russian fine art.
Craft workshops
Over time, thanks to the initiative of the son of Savva Ivanovich, his wife, famous artists, a rich collection of folk art items was collected in the estate. Even today it is of great artistic value. According to her unique samples, the carpentry workshop located on the estate began to create magnificent wooden furniture.
In 1890, the estate beganwork in a ceramic workshop. M. A. Vrubel became its inspirer and creative director. It produced decorative sculpture, tiles of extraordinary beauty for the Moscow house of the Mamontovs and their estate, author's dishes.
Abramtsevo products quickly found their admirers. They began to be sold in stores in St. Petersburg, Moscow and in a number of other Russian cities. Experts admired the high quality of these artworks. In 1900, the products of the Abramtsevo craftsmen were awarded honorary awards at the World Exhibition in Paris.
The importance of the famous art circle cannot be overestimated. Its participants have preserved priceless monuments of Russian arts and crafts. Thanks to their efforts, handicraft traditions of making tiles and wooden carvings were revived.
A difficult period in the history of the estate
The end of the 19th century brought great changes to the measured life of the estate. In 1899, Savva Ivanovich was accused of economic abuse and was imprisoned for several months. He was acquitted in 1900, but the famous industrialist lost almost all of his fortune.
The house in Moscow, along with the collection of works of art stored there, was sold. Fortunately, Abramtsevo was saved. The estate was rewritten in advance by Mamontov to his wife. At the beginning of the 20th century, a ceramic workshop was transferred from the estate to Moscow, which was transformed into a small pottery factory. Not everyone knows that it was the Abramtsevo masters who made the facades of the Metropol Hotel, as well as the magnificentexterior design of the building of the Tretyakov Gallery.
Manor after 1917
In 1918, after the establishment of Soviet power, the Abramtsevo estate was nationalized. The museum on its territory was opened in the same year. Alexandra Mamontova, the daughter of Savva Ivanovich, became its main guardian. The Abramtsevo House-Museum existed until 1932. Then the Rest House for filmmakers was opened on the estate. Since 1938, the estate began to be used as a sanatorium. And during the Second World War, the estate turned into a military hospital.
In this difficult time for the whole country, the most valuable relics from the estate were transported to Sergiev Posad. The exhibits returned in 1950, and "Abramtsevo" (museum) opened its doors to visitors. During this period, Vsevolod Savvich Mamontov, the son of an industrialist, was appointed curator of the museum. In 1995, it received a special status "Abramtsevo". The estate museum has become a monument of federal significance.
Today, the artistic traditions of the old estate workshops are continued by the Art and Industry College, which bears the name of the Russian artist V. M. Vasnetsova.
"Abramtsevo", museum-estate
The current museum complex covers an area of fifty hectares. It contains several architectural monuments and a beautiful park. "Abramtsevo" (museum-estate), whose address is Museum Street, 1, has the richest collections. They have more than twenty-five thousand unique exhibits. These are graphic and pictorial works, sculpturalcompositions, folk art items, rare archives and photos.
Manor house
The central place of the museum complex is occupied by the oldest building in the manor - the main manor house. It was built in the 18th century. Despite numerous reconstructions, its symmetrical silhouette, conceived during construction, is still visible today.
The eastern facade of the house has an open terrace and overlooks the park, the western facade - the courtyard. Along the eastern facade there was a front suite of rooms - a hall, a living room and a front bedroom. Along the western façade stretched the everyday enfilade, where the living quarters of the family members were located. A spacious corridor ran between the two enfilades.
Today, the manor houses an exposition dedicated to the Aksakov family and their friends. Here you can see paintings and photographs, books and furniture. All these items were collected by the Mamontovs. They were bought in Moscow antique shops.
In the manor house there is another interesting exposition, which is dedicated to the Abramtsevo art circle. Here are portraits of the Mammoth family, members of the art circle, furnishings that have been preserved from those ancient times.
The building of the former medical building today hosts a permanent exhibition of works by Russian and Soviet artists.
Church of the Savior
"Abramtsevo" is a museum that has unique buildings on its territory. First of all, this is the Church of the Savior. The author of her project was the famous artist V. D. Polenov. Later, V. M. Vasnetsov continued his work. Magnificent stylization of Russian antiquity, the iconostasis of the temple is a real work of art. Most of the icons for the church were painted by great artists who were members of the mammoth circle.
Pavilion
Another monument that has become the hallmark of Abramtsevo. The museum keeps the original architectural structure. This is an unusual wooden gazebo - "Hut on chicken legs." It is located near the church. The gazebo appeared in the estate in 1883. The idea of its creation belongs to V. M. Vasnetsov.
Looking at her, it seems that Baba Yaga will now look out of her. Despite the fact that this fabulous building is located very close to the church and other buildings, it seems that the hut stands in a dense impenetrable forest.
Park
"Abramtsevo" is an amazing museum. If you happen to visit the estate, be sure to take a walk in the wonderful park that surrounds it. It was laid out on three terraces that descend into the valley of the small river Vori.
The park is beautiful at any time of the year, but in summer or at the very beginning of autumn it is especially attractive.
Museum Branch
The department of artistic crafts of the Abramtsevo Museum-Reserve is located in the town of Khotkovo, not far from the estate. Its emergence was due to the powerful impulse given by the Abramtsevo workshop to the development of arts and crafts in the vicinity of Abramtsevo.
Actually, the history of the creation of this museum takesits beginning with the workshop, which at first was led by Elizaveta Grigoryevna - the wife of S. Mamontov. Then she was replaced by Elena Polenova. The carpentry workshop was a school that annually, starting in 1876, accepted five or six children from the surrounding villages for training.
For three years the boys studied for free. After completing the training course, the graduate received a workbench and a set of carpentry tools as a gift. The guys returned to their villages and got work at home. The workshop provided them with orders and material. More than two hundred excellent experienced carvers came out of its walls. Many of them worked, not only making ready-made samples according to the developed sketches, but also creating their own works. Some of these works can be seen today in the museum.
Now not only carvers, but also graphic artists, ceramics masters and painters work here and create the most interesting products. Contemporary authors take an active part in exhibitions, for which there are several rooms on the ground floor.
"Abramtsevo", museum-estate: how to get there?
Electric trains depart from the Moscow Yaroslavsky railway station and stop at the Abramtsevo station. These are trains heading to Aleksandrov, Balakirevo, Sergiev Posad. The road to the station you need takes 1.15 hours. From the platform, you need to walk along a picturesque forest path for about one and a half kilometers. The road will give you great pleasure - not often the townspeople have a chance to walk in the forest. It is impossible to get lost here - there arenumerous pointers.
If you are planning a car trip, then from Moscow you need to go to the Yaroslavl highway, and drive until the turn to Leshkovo and Radonezh. Then drive to Khotkovo and turn towards Abramtsevo. The museum is at the end of the main road.
You can also use the bus. From Sergiev Posad to the museum you will be delivered by regular buses and minibus No. 55, which makes eight trips a day.
Working hours
From April to October, the Abramtsevo Museum awaits visitors. Opening hours are convenient for visiting. The manor park is open every day from 10.00 to 20.00, on weekends - until 21.00. Museum expositions can be viewed from 10.00 to 18.00 on weekdays and until 20.00 on weekends. You can get to the Main Museum House only during the tour. In "Abramtsevo" (museum-reserve) they are held daily.
Visitor reviews
Everyone who has already visited the Abramtsevo Museum, the reviews are usually positive. I admire the magnificent nature, the well-groomed and cleanliness of the territory, interesting expositions, the professionalism of the guides.
The disadvantages of the museum, some visitors include high prices for tickets, souvenirs, photography, and even entry into the temple. But, perhaps, it is not necessary to be so categorical in this matter. The money received for visiting the complex is used to restore the estate and its further development.
