Article:
MUSEUMS OF RUSSIA
Magazine issue:
#3 2006 (12)
One of the oldest estates in the environs of Moscow, Gorki is first mentioned in a 16th-century source. The estate’s history is long and varied, comprising periods of flourishing growth as well as decline and stagnation. Some years saw the erection of new and beautiful buildings and the appearance of leafy parks, whilst others witnessed the house falling into disrepair, weeds smothering the lawns and the grounds being sold off to holiday-makers. Originally the Spasitelev family estate, Gorki later boasted a whole string of wealthy owners from families such as the Naumovs, Beloselskys, Buturlins, Beketovs, Durasovs and Lopukhins.
“The same familiar scene of peace and calm:
Tall trees with whispering boughs beside a dam,
A lake before a house, a garden in the grounds,
A stream and leafy grove with ancient burial mounds.”
Pyotr Vyazemski
