There is an opinion that a noble estate is a luxurious manor with a village of peasants and hunting grounds. However, landowners often created parks as well. In its time, the garden ensemble of the Dugino estate in the Smolensk region amazed guests with its magnificence and elegance.

The village belonged to Count Alexander Panin, who was passionate about biology and agronomy. He used his knowledge to create the park. The ensemble was divided into two parts, from which five alleys branched out, named: larch, birch, oak, maple, and linden. Paths led to ponds where carp and catfish lived. Panin also landscaped the shores of the lakes: on one side grew Canadian maples, and on the other, weeping willows. According to some sources, over an area of more than 100 hectares, up to 80 species of trees and shrubs grew, including five varieties of linden, seven species of fir, and five species of maple. American fast-growing oak and black-stemmed birch were introduced, the wood of which was resistant to the axe.

This was not just a park, but a true dendrarium. In the greenhouses, pineapples, grapes, watermelons, melons, mandarins, and strawberries were grown. The greenhouses were adorned with vines and flowers from the islands of the Indian Ocean. It is said that Smolensk orchids were supplied to the British royal court. In addition to exotic plants, a vast vegetable garden was cultivated for personal needs, with vegetables preserved for winter.

A feature of the park was its unusual "inhabitants," spotted deer and fluffy rabbits. During the Civil War, the estate burned down, and part of the park was cut down. Only the black-stemmed birches, which did not succumb to axes and saws, remind us of its former grandeur.