The Romanovs manor, located on the man-made Izmailovsky island, is the oldest noble estate in Moscow. Built in the XV century, it was rebuilt many times, it was destroyed and rebuilt, new buildings were erected and even changed the landscape of the island. Reviews of tourists report that only four buildings have survived to this day: the entrance gate (front and rear), the Bridge Tower, the Cathedral and the Nikolaev almshouse. Now Izmailovo is a museum-reserve, one of the oldest and most picturesque places in Moscow.
From peasant huts to royal chambers
Historians still do not know exactly when the first buildings of the future royal residence appeared at the mouth of a small river near Robka. It is known that at the beginning of the 15th century several peasant households stood here, and reliable information about the estate appeared only in 1571. Then Ivan the Terrible granted the Izmailovsky lands to falconer Nikita Zakharyin-Yuriev. From this begins the story of a new noble estate called Izmailovo. Moscow was only 7 miles away - this made it possible to carry out construction projects at minimal cost. The estate changed its owners many times, and for several years it was completely empty - after the plague epidemic, it was defined as a "tainted" estate.
Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich - the first descendant of the great Romanov dynasty, took control of the estate in 1663. He decided to build a real architectural ensemble on the site of wooden chambers, consisting of palaces, cathedrals, outbuildings, greenhouses and nurseries. For 25 years, Aleksei Fedorovich managed to turn the boyar village into a real model estate with a large farm and well-organized hunting grounds.
Royal residence
Under Tsar Fedor Alekseevich Izmailovo became the favorite place for summer vacation of the royal family. The emperor lived with his family from May to November. Neither the tsar, nor his wife, Sofya Alekseevna, were great adherents of household farming. Receptions and balls were arranged at the estate, foreign ambassadors were received here, and the Boyar Duma held meetings. It was the most secular period in the history of Izmailovo. Moscow the noble considered the estate the second royal palace.
Peter the Great here won the first military victories of his "amusing troops" and dreamed of the greatness of the future of the Russian fleet. At the beginning of the 17th century, Izmailovo withdrew Praskovye Fedorovna and her daughters - they lived in solitude, built a real theater in the estate and spent most of their time in gardens and greenhouses. Reviews of tourists can tell that the last royal person who managed the estate was Anna Ioannovna. She restored the hunting yards and lived in Izmailovo for two years, devoting time to hunting and entertainment.
New history of the estate
The Russian nobility never lived on Izmaylovsky Island again, they came here on vacation or hunting. In 1812, the estate was looted by French soldiers and stood abandoned for almost 25 years, until in 1837 the construction of an almshouse - a shelter for the disabled of the Patriotic War.
The chronology of events after the events of 1917 was as follows. Red soldiers were stationed in Izmailovo, later communal apartments appeared in the buildings of the almshouse and the royal boards. Izmailovsky Island was renamed the town named after Bauman, and for almost a hundred years, people lived in unique historical buildings and public institutions were located.
Museum and historical complex
The first restoration work here began to be carried out only in the second half of the last century. Izmailovo - Museum-Reserve, was opened only in 2005. Now it is a major historical and cultural center, where, in addition to conducting excursions, guests are invited to listen to lectures by museum workers on various historical topics, participate in master classes and work of creative studios.
From the reviews of tourists, you can get information that the combined museum-reserve Izmailovo is one of the first Russian museum complexes, which made the main emphasis on working with young guests. Several children's educational programs are constantly working here.
The children are invited to find the treasure by going through the Izmaylovsky park with a map, to take part in the quest "In the last century through the world of objects", to the sounds of military marches to listen to a fascinating story about the war of 1812 and the history of Izmailovo. The Museum-Reserve constantly holds concerts and exhibitions, and in 2016 the unique project “Olympics. Museums Parks. Homesteads. " Any student who loves and knows history can become a real Olympian.
Izmailovo as part of a large museum complex
Immediately after the opening, the museum became part of the largest architectural and landscape complex in the country "Moscow Art Historical, Architectural and Natural Landscape Museum-Reserve" Kolomenskoye - Izmailovo - Lefortovo - Lublino "."
The complex united the four most significant historical territories of Moscow: the Kolomna Tsar’s Palace, the merchant’s estate in Lublino, the imperial chambers in Lefortovo, the Romanovs’suburban residence in Izmailovo. The museum has become the oldest part of this large complex.
