The estate in Andreyevskoye was founded in the last quarter of the 18th century by the first Vladimir governor, Senator R. I. Vorontsov (1717-1783), who is associated with the improvement of the estate and the beginning of construction of the palace and park complex there. The surrounding lands became the property of the Vorontsovs as a dowry for R. I. Vorontsov's wife, Marfa Ivanovna Surmina. The Vorontsov estate included three villages and more than two dozen hamlets.
It is worth noting that during the Patriotic War of 1812, Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov converted the estate in the village of Andreyevskoye into a hospital, which housed up to 50 wounded generals, staff and senior officers, and over 300 privates. This event was depicted by Leo Tolstoy in his novel War and Peace.
Roman Illarionovich rebuilt the Andreevskoye family estate on a grand scale, befitting his financial means and the family's status. The estate complex was designed and overseen by the Vorontsovs' personal architect, Nikolai Petrovich von Berk (Fonberk). He also created the first formal development plan for Vladimir, already as the provincial architect.
The central feature of the estate complex was a three-story stone palace, connected to an elongated one-story building that formed a square around the main courtyard. A tiered gate tower, crowned with an octagonal shape and a high dome and spire, towered over the arched entrance to the courtyard. It not only centered the palace building but dominated the entire estate complex.
The Vorontsov Palace was striking in its beauty. Inside, wide staircases led to a suite of rooms, some 80 in number: drawing rooms, dining rooms, a tea room, a billiard room, living quarters, and the offices of the count and his family. Legend has it that the parquet floor in one of the rooms had a secret: it produced musical sounds when walked on. The interior items (furniture, porcelain, crystal, bronze lamps, etc.) were of considerable artistic value. The house, home to the most educated people of the era, naturally boasted a vast library and archive. The palace's crowning glory was its magnificent portrait hall, containing several hundred paintings, including portraits of members of the Vorontsov family by F.S. Rokotov. Many paintings from this collection are now housed in the collections and exhibits of the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve.
Translated by Google •
In the know? Log-in to add a tip for other adventurers!