Opening Date and History

The mansion for Baron A.L. Knop was built in 1900 by architect Karl Vasilyevich (Gustavovich) Treiman. The estate also includes service buildings, such as a guardhouse and an autonomous power station, designed in the neo-Gothic style, like the fence.

Description

In the ancient Kolpachny Lane stands a true Gothic castle with a crenellated turret and ornate finishes. This is a beautiful example of neo-Gothic style, close to 'Tudor Gothic.'

Owners and Significant Figures

The founder of the merchant dynasty of Knops in Moscow was Johann Ludwig Knop, a native of Bremen. He first arrived in Russia from England in 1839 as a representative of the English firm 'De Jersey & Co' and stayed here forever. Thanks to his efforts, the country's textile industry was modernized. He began actively importing steam engines for textile factories into Russia and selling them to Russian merchants on credit. A significant portion of the equipment he supplied was on the condition of receiving shares, which allowed him to become a co-owner of more than a hundred factories by the end of the 19th century. Because of this, there was a saying: 'Where there is a church, there is a priest, and where there is a factory, there is Knop.'

In 1852, he founded 'Trading House L. Knop,' which had branches in many cities of the Russian Empire.

In 1877, Ludwig Knop was granted hereditary baronial title by Emperor Alexander II for his achievements in Russian industry.

Knop chose Kolpachny Lane for his residence not by chance: nearby was the Lutheran church of Peter and Paul, attended by his family.

After Ludwig Knop's death, the family business passed to his sons, Andreas (Andrei Lvovich) and Theodor (Fedor Lvovich). They divided their father's extensive estate in Kolpachny Lane into two parts. Andreas Knop built the 'Gothic Castle' on the current property No. 5. Andrei Lvovich was the chairman of the 'Piterpaulkirche' community and one of the main benefactors in the construction of the new building of the Lutheran church in 1903 and 1905.

After the revolution, the mansion was nationalized. Initially, it housed the representation of the Ukrainian SSR, then the Committee for Higher Technical Education under the Central Executive Committee of the USSR. From the late 1930s, the building housed the Moscow City Committee of the Komsomol. In 1941, applications from volunteers were accepted here, and travel documents to the front were issued, teams for air defense, sand units, and reconnaissance groups for work behind enemy lines were formed. It was here that Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya received her travel document to the special military unit 9903.

In the 1990s, the former house of A.L. Knop housed the reception house of the 'YUKOS' company.

In the mid-1990s, the mansion was restored, and part of the pre-revolutionary interiors was preserved.

Modern Use

Currently, various commercial organizations are located here.