The Gorokhovets Historical and Architectural Museum is housed in the Ershov (Sapozhnikov) House, a unique example of pre-Petrine Rus' stone residential architecture, dating back to the 17th-century merchant chambers. The Ershov (Sapozhnikov) House, one of the most notable among them, was built in the 1680s. Three-meter-high oak gates, which immediately attract the attention of museum visitors, were built at the same time.
The Gorokhovets Museum of Local History was founded in 1972 and was initially housed in the Church of St. John the Baptist, part of the Annunciation Cathedral complex. A group of local historians and enthusiasts studying their native land had been collecting exhibits for the museum since the late 1960s. In 1974, the Gorokhovets Folk Museum became part of the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve. In 1989, the Gorokhovets branch of this association was transformed into the Gorokhovets Historical and Architectural Museum.
In 1981, an exhibition opened in the Yershov (Sapozhnikov) House, recreating the merchant's life of the late 17th century. The second floor houses the entrance hall, the Red Chamber, the master's and mistress's rooms, and the maid's quarters, where interiors from the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries are recreated. Furniture, dishes, and clothing used by wealthy Gorokhovets merchant families are on display. From the merchant's room, visitors can descend a staircase into the basement, containing household utensils and supplies. These exhibitions at the Yershov (Sapozhnikov) House help visitors to understand the merchant life of Gorokhovets and immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the pre-Petrine past.
On the museum's third floor, the rooms of the house from the second half of the 19th century, when it was owned by the renowned merchant and philanthropist M.F. Sapozhnikov, are recreated: the owner's study, bedroom, living room, and nursery. Furthermore, the exhibition offers insight into the handicrafts and seasonal industries of the Gorokhovets district in the late 19th century—boilermaking, blind and sawn wood carving, and stitch embroidery. The museum's collection contains a unique collection of Russian samovars, which speaks volumes about national hospitality and the generosity of the Russian soul.
Translated by Google •
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