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Vorontsovo Estate

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Recently, only local historians knew about the Vorontsovo estate: the park was abandoned, and the buildings were in ruins. Now it is a popular place for walks for the residents of Novye Cheryomushki. The Church of the Holy Trinity has been restored and is operational, and the park has been tidied up. However, not all visitors are aware of the estate's significance in the Patriotic War of 1812.

The estate and village likely got their name from the noble family of Vorontsovs, who owned this land in the 14th century. Later, it passed to the Repnins and remained with them until 1837. Prince Pyotr Ivanovich Repnin built the estate building, and then it was owned by Field Marshal Nikolai Vasilyevich Repnin. At the end of the 18th century, guardhouses with pseudo-Gothic towers were built at the entrance to the estate, reminiscent of the towers of the Figured Gates in Tsaritsyno. In the early 19th century, one of the pavilions was converted into the Church of the Holy Trinity.

In May 1812, Vorontsovo became a secret workshop for creating secret weapons. Inventor Franz Leppich and his assistant Shreder arrived here after the French emperor's refusal. They proposed to Alexander I the idea of creating a balloon to bombard the enemy. The gondola could accommodate up to 50 soldiers and bombs. Alexandra Nikolaevna Volkonskaya, daughter of N.V. Repnin, permitted the construction. Her son, Prince Nikolai Grigorievich Repnin-Volkonsky, became the prototype for Andrei Bolkonsky. The work was secret, but soon the Muscovites learned about it.

Leppich's attempt failed; the balloon did not take off. The remnants of the structure were partially taken to Nizhny Novgorod and partially destroyed. Leppich and Shreder were imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress as charlatans. The French searched Vorontsovo and concluded that the balloon was a cover for a "base for organizing the Moscow fire." Several "arsonists" were executed.

The French burned and looted the estate. The main house was not restored; the owners used two surviving wings and two service buildings. The northern wing became the manor house. In 1837, the estate was purchased by Ober-Stallmeister S.I. Mukhanov, and later it changed owners several times.

The Trinity Church, burned by the French, was restored and expanded but ceased to function during Soviet times. It housed a mechanical workshop, then a toy factory, and later the church was abandoned. The church cemetery was demolished before the 1980 Olympics. The estate, which had been a biological station and pig farm, was abandoned by the 1980s, and the park overgrew. In the 1990s, restoration of the park and church began, services resumed, and lost ponds were restored.

Currently, restoration of the eastern and western wings, which are cultural heritage sites, is planned. Special attention will be paid to the facades, recreation of decor, windows, and doors. Porches, stoves, and chimneys will be restored, and the wooden roof will be updated. The main entrance, plank floors, and open staircase will be restored in the western wing. Ramps and emergency stairs will be installed, and engineering systems will be updated. The adjacent territory will also be improved.

Vorontsovo Park attracts not only for its architecture and landscape. After a walk through the picturesque surroundings, it is worth visiting the active recreation areas, sports grounds with pull-up bars and exercise machines, an ice rink, and fields for panna football and volleyball. There are modern playgrounds for children. In 2019, as part of the "My District" program, unusual moon-shaped swings that glow in the dark were installed in the southern ray of the park.

Geo point

Усадьба Воронцово

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