Bezborodko Dacha, also known as Kushelova Dacha, is located on the Sverdlovsk Embankment in St. Petersburg. In the 18th century, royal receptions and salutes were held here. Today, this place, surrounded by 29 stone lions, attracts lovers of antiquity.

In the late 17th century, the site of the modern Sverdlovsk Embankment was home to gardens with healing springs. Here stood the estate of the commandant of the Swedish fortress, from which, according to legend, underground passages led to the Neva River. Nearby was a small hospital. After the Northern War, Peter I gifted the estate to his wife Catherine I.

Later, the plot was acquired by Senator Grigory Teplov, who hoped to heal himself with the local waters. He built a Gothic castle and laid out a garden. The architect of the project was Vasily Bazhenov. Teplov populated the nearby village with his serfs and named it Polyustrovo. In the greenhouses, tobacco and exotic plants were grown. After his death, the estate was purchased by Chancellor Alexander Bezborodko for 22,500 rubles in 1782. He built the famous dacha based on a design by Giacomo Quarenghi.

Nikolai Lvov also participated in the project, suggesting placing lion sculptures in front of the facade. The architect did not destroy Teplov's estate but remodeled it in the classical style. The central ensemble featured the main building facing the Neva, flanked by two side wings. Between the wings, 29 lion sculptures were installed. The facade was adorned with a portico with columns and a pediment. The park had linden alleys, busts of Roman emperors, a coffee pavilion, and an English garden with antique ruins. A pier with sphinx sculptures and a granite grotto was built. The embankment had a ceremonial terrace with cannons and vases.

At 28, Alexander Bezborodko became secretary to Catherine II, and by the age of forty, he was a leading diplomat. After his death, the estate passed to his niece Cleopatra Lobanova-Rostovskaya, and then to her son Alexander Kushelov. The dacha became a resort where many celebrities were treated. Alexandre Dumas and other famous writers stayed here. The Bezborodko-Kushelov art collection included masterpieces of foreign art. After Bezborodko's death, the paintings were distributed among relatives.

Alexander Kushelov expanded the collection, adding works by Aivazovsky and Tenerani. His son Grigory Kushelov published the first book by Ostrovsky and wrote under the pseudonym Gritsko Grigorenko. After Count Kushelov's death, the estate passed to his sister Lyubov Musina-Pushkina. In the 19th century, the resort suffered a fire, and most of the buildings burned down. By the end of the 19th century, the park was sold off, and the area turned into industrial development.

In 1896, the estate was transferred to the Red Cross Society of Elizabeth Feodorovna. An outpatient clinic, pharmacy, and St. Panteleimon Church were built in the park. Medical offices were established in the former estate. In the 20th century, the hospital served more than 10,000 people a year. After the revolution, the estate changed; the church was closed, and a new hospital was opened in the mansion. In the 1960s, the building and pier were restored, and a dispensary for tuberculosis patients was established there.

During the Soviet period, the estate was the filming location for the movie 'Incredible Adventures of Italians in Russia.' In the late 20th century, the stone fence with lion figures was restored. Currently, the building is leased to the Azerbaijani diaspora center in St. Petersburg. It is difficult to enter, but the restored version can be seen.