The Tsaritsyno greenhouse is the place that followsvisit every lover of nature. However, the museum-reserve will attract attention not only with exotic plants, but also with its unique architecture, beautiful park and fascinating legends.
Today, looking at the beauty of the Tsaritsyn land,hardly anyone can assume that in ancient times the local places were cacophonically called Black Grime because of healing springs and mud there. Here the pagans lived - Vyatichi. In the 18th century, Tsar Peter the Great granted the lands to Prince Dmitry Kantemir. The prince was from Moldavia, for him a manor was built here, and the Moldovans who settled around her planted gardens. It was then that the first greenhouse of Tsaritsyno appeared.
The last owner of the possessions of the genus Kantemirovbecame Prince Semyon. He bought them and Catherine II, who once helped the healing mud of these places. The estate was renamed Tsaritsyno, to become its new owner. The Empress had huge plans for possession - the construction of the residence of the Romanovs.
This project involved the most talented and famous at that time architects - Vasily Bazhenov and Matvey Kazakov.
The history of the Tsaritsyn estate is shrouded in secrets andlegends. And there are a lot of reasons for this. The farmstead was erected on the site of ancient graves of Vyatichi. This was confirmed by the mound, on the site of which now runs Kashirskoye highway.
Many believe that these places are cursed, andmore than once. The first curse is attributed to the first wife of Tsar Basil - Solomon. She was exiled to a monastery and killed with her son on the orders of the second wife of the king. The second time the estate was cursed by Princess Maria, the daughter of Dmitry Cantemir, who was deeply unhappy, living here. Vasily Bazhenov, who designed the main buildings in Tsaritsyno, with the help of a local sorcerer, cast a curse on the estate, resenting the queen for completing the construction, she commissioned another architect.
Since then, the estate has been after misfortune.Numerous fires prevented the organization of hospitals, schools, museums at different times. Of course, there are no reliable confirmations to these legends. However, some researchers in the history of the village are firmly convinced that the cause of the fact that the estate was empty for so long was exactly evil rock.
The first greenhouse Tsaritsyno was built in the middle of the eighteenth century tothe order of Prince Cantemir. Empress Catherine the Great, becoming the owner of the estate, ordered to expand the greenhouses. To care for the plants left four gardeners. Initially, the greenhouses were wooden, and only in 1785 a stone complex was built.
It is worth noting that in the Tsaritsyn greenhousesonly grown plants, but also taught gardening serfs. The content of the greenhouses was very lucrative, there is growing exotic fruits that were served to the table of the nobility. In addition, an extensive apple orchard grew in the estate.
The greenhouse Tsaritsyno was constantly developing andincreased. By 1804, there were two new buildings, a collection of exotic plants constantly replenished. Thus, at the beginning of the XIX century, the greenhouse in Tsaritsyno was considered one of the most extensive and rich in the world. In the middle of the XIX century greenhouses were leased out, and the resulting harvest filled the counters of the Moscow markets.
By 1820, the greenhouse had eight buildings. The name of the greenhouses in Tsaritsyno was due to the plants growing there. The Tsaritsyn complex included:
During the reign of Tsar Nicholas IIt was planned to demolish dilapidated Tsaritsyn greenhouses and move the site to another place. It was decided to move the greenhouses to Neskuchny Garden. But the idea did not come true. There were few places in that garden, moreover, the demolition of tsaritsynsky lands would lead to a significant increase in prices in the Moscow markets. The orangehouse was abandoned, and most of the plants from it were transported to St. Petersburg.
In 1858, on the initiative of Prince Trubetskoi, inwhose office at that time were greenhouses, a revision of the Tsaritsyn lands was carried out and a conclusion was drawn that the economy was unprofitable. The greenhouses were fully leased. Tenants often changed, with time the greenhouses fell into decay.
By the end of the twentieth century Tsaritsyno lost its former glossand wealth, having turned into a holiday village. The revival of the complex began in 2007. To restore the original appearance of the Tsaritsyn estate it was required to study a lot of historical documents and drawings.
A huge work was done, the mastersmanaged to recreate the complex for the projects of architects Bazhenov and Kazakov. Tsaritsyno is the largest architectural monument of Russian Gothic. The greenhouses of the Tsaritsyno museum reserve have also started to work again.
It is important to note that exposition of exotic plants is recreated according to the register records that were kept under Catherine II. Greenhouses were opened in 2011.
The museum-reserve was reopened forvisitors on the Day of the City of Moscow on September 2, 2007. Tsaritsino is located in the southeast of the capital, you can get there both by private transport and by metro. The nearest metro stations are Orekhovo and Tsaritsyno, the complex is a ten minute walk from them.
The territory of the reserve is more than 400hectares. There is an extensive park with ponds, greenhouses and a palace ensemble. The architectural palace ensemble includes restored buildings of the eighteenth century: three palaces, a bread house, a temple, as well as bridges and gates.
Each of these buildings is uniquean architectural monument of the eighteenth century. The whole ensemble is made in the style of pseudo-gothic with elements of baroque and classicism. In the park are pavilions "Milovid" and "Nerastankino", the arbor "Temple of Ceres" and the tower-ruin.
Today the museum-reserve is open for visitingEvery visitor who wants to plunge into the Catherine's age, get acquainted with exotic plants and admire the local landscapes. The conservatory Tsaritsyno wins an abundance of fresh greens at any time of the year. An innovation in the museum was a light singing fountain. There was much debate about whether the fountain would fit into the landscape. The decision was made in favor of its installation, and now visitors can enjoy another great show.
The number of enthusiastic reviews of thegrowing every day. Greenhouses are conquered by a variety of plants, their collection is constantly replenished. Hardly anyone will remain indifferent to Tsaritsyno, plunging into the exotic greenhouse paradise, which will cheer up even on a cold winter day.