The house of the merchant Igumnov on Yakimanka is striking in the bizarre and pretentiousness of his jewelry. Built in the 19th century, it has survived to the present day almost unchanged. Today, the French ambassador is constantly living there, so just like that, you can’t get to a high-ranking official.
But Igumnov’s house on Yakimanka is still available for visits, and everyone can discover all its magnificent decoration and splendor. External charms can be appreciated if you walk around the area. The history of the creation will tell each brick of the building.
Mansion History
The building, resembling an old Russian tower, built on behalf of Nikolai Igumnov. The house was conceived as the Moscow residence of the owner of the Yaroslavl manufactory. Although Igumnov had large funds, the choice of the area for a new building fell on the prestigious, poor. The rich man justified his preference by the fact that he grew up in these parts. Even the warnings that neighboring wretched houses would spoil the impression of a magnificent palace did not convince the entrepreneur to abandon the idea.
For construction was invited Yaroslavl architect Nikolai Pozdeev, fellow countryman Igumnov. Wanting to emphasize the power of the owner, his condition, the most popular and bright style in the architecture of that time was chosen - pseudo-Russian. By the way, the Terem Palace was built in the same spirit. The pseudo-Russian style was called because of the imitation of old wooden towers.
Sparing no money for the construction, Igumnov ordered a Dutch brick, tiles were ordered at the Kuznetsov porcelain factory.
In the building, as if on a gypsy horse, everything beautiful that existed in Russian architecture was collected. From this excessive splendor, Pozdeyev was branded a provincial, completely tasteless architect. The customer himself was made fun of no less. Having succumbed to criticism and having heard plenty of mocking attacks towards the owner, the architect could not stand it and committed suicide. But not only criticism finished off the artist. The house of the merchant Igumnov flew a pretty penny and exceeded the original estimate. The customer himself refused to overpay for what was not part of the primary project. This ruined Pozdeyev. The only way out was death.
Legends of the house of Igumnov
Igumnov’s house is full of secrets and legends. The most mysterious to this day is the legend of a dancer. According to her, a wealthy merchant built a house for his mistress, the amazing beauty of a girl with whom he was madly in love. But he was not the only one who was pleased with the charm of the eyes and excited the consciousness. Craving for a luxurious life, she managed to host lovers. Finding out about the betrayal, the furious Igumnov did not kill the beauty, but walled up her body in the walls of the building. Since then, they say that the ghost of a white restless girl wanders at night. But the current resident, the Ambassador of France, did not complain and Igumnov’s house on Bolshaya Yakimanka did not intend to leave.
Another fiction claims that Igumnov’s house nearly cost him his life. He ordered to lay the floor of one of the rooms with gold coins, the image of the imperial profile up. For such rash disrespect, Nikolai was almost exiled, and he had to flee. They probably would have found a merchant, but the revolution saved his life.
The purpose of the house in different years
Everyone knows that now Igumnov’s house is occupied by the Ambassador of France. But this has not always been the case, but only since 1938. Initially, the purpose of the house is fanned with secrets: whether it is a "summer residence", or an apartment for a lover. But the fact that it was built for the personal needs of the merchant, for sure.
The revolution requisitioned the mansion and placed it at the disposal of the Goznak factory club. A year after the death of Lenin, in 1925, the building was transformed thanks to new residents. They were the leading doctors who founded the Institute for the Study of the Brain. Researchers tried to penetrate the secret of the genius of Vladimir Ilyich. Then the list of “outstanding brains” was replenished with samples of gray matter from many other great people.
Igumnov House Style
Igumnov’s house combines elements of many styles. Decorative elements: belfries, columns, tents - unconnected until this time, were intertwined in an architectural ensemble under the workshop of Pozdeev’s hand. Although the structure turned out to be a bit overweight, but otherwise the pseudo-Russian style did not seem.
Despite the fact that the Terem Palace in the Moscow Kremlin was already built in this style, the society did not accept the new resident - Igumnov’s house. Art critics of the time characterized the building as a vinaigrette from Greek classicism, Rococo, Renaissance and Gothic.
Now Igumnov’s house in Moscow is an architectural monument and an example of high art.
Building exterior
In the exterior of the building, a large number of decorative elements were used, previously not combined during construction. Such an imaginary dissonance was achieved by introducing woodcarving, curly brickwork of masonry, metal forging and even casting into the decoration of the facade.
Nevertheless, the Russian style is a cross-cutting motive in all elements, although the building, with the exception of the main staircase and the hall to which it leads, is considered to be made in the European style.
Igumnov’s house has retained the decoration of the facades, although since 1938 it has undergone some kind of “official decoration”. Architects were the first to recognize the grandeur of the building and sought to bring a drop of French charm into Russian burden.
Interior
The main style direction in the interior of the room is empire, and each element displays the meaning of the word. Igumnov’s house contained the breadth of the Russian soul and skillfully combined it with classicism. Finishing the house involved Ivan Pozdeev - brother of Nikolai Pozdeev.
Each piece of furniture was decorated with gilded elements. Halls of rooms are lit by large windows that are inserted into arched openings. The walls are painted in ivory, along them are pilasters.
The bas-reliefs form frames, inside of which elite silk was stretched or paintings were hung.
The brain of Igumnov’s house
German neuroscientist Oscar Vogt became the head of the laboratory for the search for genius zones in the brain of the late Vladimir Lenin. In addition to Vogt, several other specialists who worked on this difficult task were settled in the house. After some time, the laboratory grew into the Institute of the brain.
As you know, the truth is known in comparison, therefore, in addition to the outstanding alcoholic mind of Lenin, others began to be brought to the Institute, including Lunacharsky, Zetkin, Bely, Mayakovsky and many others.
It was planned to produce superhumans in a building under the former name “Igumnov’s House”, Moscow. At Yakimanka, a world revolution in medicine was about to take place. But the effectiveness was zero, because the Institute turned into a museum, and then was completely eliminated.
