Morozov's mansion: what the strangest house in this city looks like from the inside. Arseny Morozov's mansion on Vozdvizhenka - history and photos of the Miracle Castle estate of the Morozov dynasty on Vozdvizhenka


This time I'm showing a very interesting building in the center of Moscow - Arseny Morozov's mansion on Vozdvizhenka (Metro Arbatskaya). The mansion was built in 1895-99. according to the project of arch. V. Mazyrin for one of the representatives of the Morozov family - Arseny Morozov (1873-1908).

The Morozov family is a family of Old Believer merchants and very wealthy industrialists. There are many interesting mansions belonging to the Morozovs in Moscow and its suburbs. But this one stands out. After all, it was not for nothing that his exotic pretentiousness was noted by his contemporaries. The owner of the mansion, Arseniy Abramovich Morozov, "distinguished himself in history" for his riot of morals, the construction of this mansion and noble drinking parties. His death was ridiculous, he spread his leg on a dare and died of blood poisoning at the age of 35. This offspring of the Morozov family was, in modern terms, "a typical playboy." There is a recollection that when asked by the architect Mazyrin in what style to design a house, he answered: "In all styles! I have money!"

Contemporaries criticized this house.
From Wikipedia: Even Tolstoy did not bypass the new house with his attention. In the novel Resurrection, he gave both the mansion and the owner a deadly description: driving along Vozdvizhenka, Nekhlyudov reflects on the construction of "a stupid unnecessary palace for some stupid unnecessary person."

In one of the streets a cab driver, a middle-aged man with an intelligent and good-natured face, turned to Nekhlyudov and pointed to a huge house under construction.
“Wow, what a domino they brought in,” he said, as if he was partly responsible for this construction and was proud of it.
Indeed, the house was built huge and in some complex, unusual style.

L.N. Tolstoy

Imagine that this is Nekhlyudov in a wheelchair passing by this house...

It is surprising that this house caused such negative emotions. Most likely, this was due to the personality of the owner. The exalted owner of the house, according to his contemporaries, had bad taste.

Arseny's mother, Varvara Alekseevna Morozova (Khludova), (who gave him land for the construction of this mansion) told her son when she saw the mansion built:

"Before, I alone knew that you were a fool, but now all of Moscow will know about it."

A historical anecdote that remained in the memory of descendants.

The phrase and the mood of contemporaries were remembered ... But the building remained and adorns the city. Sometimes exalted personalities leave a good memory of themselves)).


1910

The mansion of the mother (Varvara Morozova) is a stone's throw from the son's mansion. It is built in the classical style (it is hard to see today because of the fence and overgrown trees), and the son's mansion is an exotic Moorish style. The prototype was Pena Castle in Sintra (Portugal). You can look at the links for this castle, as well as those styles (Manueline and Mudéjar) that served as the basis for the architect.

Built in a style that combines elements of Gothic, Moorish style, Renaissance with the addition of elements of style (the shells on the facade of the house are the same as on the facades in Salamanca (Spain), this mansion is amazing for the center of Moscow.

For Muscovites, this house is known as the House of Friendship of Peoples (House of Friendship with the Peoples of Foreign Countries).

And today it is called the Reception House of the Government of the Russian Federation. Unfortunately, both this house and the house of Arseniy's mother, Varvara Morozova, are closed for inspection today, so I won't show you the interiors, but we can see the house from the outside.


Here you can see the same "Spanish" shells, "Portuguese" ropes and sea knots, twisted columns and "peppercorns" decorating the building.

And what a beautiful Moorish balcony adorns the facade of the house. And the "crown" on the roof of the house! Amazing.


Here is an enlarged frame with ropes and knots.

A winged dragon lurks above the front door.


On the right side, the house is decorated with an elegant balcony, which is very similar to one of the balconies in the Pine Palace (Portugal). Notice the amazing water pipes.

Arseny Morozov's mansion on Vozdvizhenka

This most unusual building in the very center of Moscow was called the Spanish house and the Spanish castle. Even some guidebooks said that Morozov's mansion was built based on "Spanish architecture of the 15th-16th centuries." However, this is not entirely true.

The first owner of the mansion, Arseniy Abramovich Morozov, while traveling in Portugal, was fascinated by the palace in the ancient city of Sintra and decided to build a similar one in Moscow on Vozdvizhenka. The palace, which absorbed elements of Spanish-Moorish medieval architecture and the national Manueline style, struck him with a combination of seemingly incongruous – belfries and minarets, domes and lancet windows, dragons and fantastic animals. And the millionaire Morozov decided, in turn, to hit the capital.

Previously, this place on Vozdvizhenka housed the circus of the Bavarian citizen Karl Marcus Genne. In 1892, a fire destroyed the circus building. The building was not subject to restoration.

Morozov's mansion on Vozdvizhenka

The land on which the circus was located was acquired by Varvara Alekseevna Morozova, nee Khludova, who was married to the respectable and wealthy Abram Morozov, the owner of the Tver manufactory.

After the death of her husband, she took over the management of the manufactory. The land on Vozdvizhenka was next to her house. Varvara Alekseevna purchased this land for her third son, Arseniy. By the way, Arseny was the cousin of Savva Timofeevich Morozov.

It was assumed that the heir to his father's capital would build a worthy mansion here. But Arseniy Abramovich, famous for his eccentric behavior, decided to build a real castle in the neo-Mauritanian style. According to one version, he agreed with the proposal of the architect Viktor Aleksandrovich Mazurin, according to another, he himself insisted that the house should look like a Portuguese palace. In fact, both the customer and the architect gravitated toward the exotic, and the architect also gravitated towards the esoteric.

Mazurin was a graduate of the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. After graduating from college, he received the title of "class artist of architecture", he built the Russian pavilion at the World Exhibition in Antwerp, and then in Paris. By the way, at the World Exhibition in Antwerp, Arseniy Morozov met the architect Viktor Mazurin. Mazurin traveled a lot and, like a real architect, brought sketchbooks from each trip - drawings of various buildings, details and fragments of architectural structures that he liked.

The construction of the building on Vozdvizhenka began in 1895. Even at the construction stage, the building became the object of mocking Muscovites, gossip, rumors and critical newspaper publications. Public opinion took the exotic mansion disapprovingly. The architect himself, who did not hide his craving for mysticism and faith in the transmigration of souls, added fuel to the fire.

Over the course of five years, the project was repeatedly changed, changes and alterations were made to it. The architect tried to combine elements of the Middle Ages with the motifs of the late Renaissance. Most of all, the facades were redesigned, in which motifs of sea shells, marine ropes, horseshoe-shaped and lancet arches, and other elements of “Moorish architecture” appeared exotic for Moscow at that time. The interiors of the premises were made in different styles: Chinese, Italian, Moorish.

The construction of the unique building was completed in 1899. Arseniy Abramovich Morozov got the house of his dreams - the most bizarre mansion in Moscow. True, many laughed at his dream, including the closest relatives. Among Muscovites, there were even jokes about the most “absurd” house. Even the count and writer Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a critic of Morozov real estate.

The general composition of the mansion, with an accentuated lack of symmetry of the parts of the building, went back to the characteristic techniques of Art Nouveau architecture.

The large volume of the house was asymmetrical and turned to the street with a monumental arch. The arch served as the entrance gate of the castle.

The ensemble of gates was complemented by round turrets with jagged patterned tops. Almost all stone decor elements are made large and often even grotesque. In particular, such elements include thick embossed "ropes" that wrap around the building and in some places are "tied" into knots. The decor of the window framing of the inner staircase on the left side facade and the unusual execution of the walls of the towers are interestingly solved.

Arseniy Morozov arranged evenings that all of Moscow was talking about. For example, on one of them in the hall stood a stuffed bear with a silver tray filled with black caviar.

But Arseniy Abramovich was not destined to live long in the luxury of an exotic home.

In 1908, he shot himself in the leg on a dare, trying to prove that a person is able to endure any pain. He endured the pain. But blood poisoning began, from which he died three days later at the age of 35.

After the revolution, anarchists were housed in the former Morozov mansion. And behind them - Proletkult.

Directors Sergei Eisenstein and Vsevolod Meyerhold staged their performances here. In general, the so-called theater of Proletkult was very peculiar. The small but high hall of Morozov's mansion was converted into something resembling a circus arena. Spectators were seated on two steep amphitheaters separated by aisles. The floor in front of the amphitheaters was covered with a round carpet, and here was the stage. The walls of the hall were hung with curtains, from behind which the actors came out.

Eisenstein, for example, staged Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky's play "Enough Stupidity in Every Wise Man" here. The main task of the performance was to expose the world counter-revolution. The artistic means of this revelation were circus tricks, wire walking, and even a short film projected onto a suddenly lowering screen.

Meyerhold staged the play by Alexander Vasilyevich Sukhovo-Kobylin "Death of Tarelkin". In the hands of the actors were sticks with bullish bubbles at the end. Dry peas rolled in bubbles. Actors hit each other with these bubbles, and sometimes fired pistols. Gradually, the stage was covered with gunpowder smoke, against which, like bones, household items knocked together from white planks stood out. And in the middle of the stage stood a large mousetrap, into which Tarelkin fell. The production was admired by Anatoly Lunacharsky and Vladimir Mayakovsky.

In the late 1920s, the building was handed over to the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs. From 1928 to 1940, the Japanese embassy was located here. During the war years, from 1941 to 1945, he was the editorial office of the British newspaper The British Ally. In 1952, the house was given to the Indian Embassy. In 1959, the Union of Soviet Societies for Friendship and Cultural Relations with the Peoples of Foreign Countries became the owner of the building. The mansion received the common name of the House of Friendship.

Currently, it is the Reception House of the Government of the Russian Federation. But even despite the current official name, the mansion does not change its essence and remains like a castle from an amazing fairy tale of time.

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The Morozov family of merchants was one of the powerful driving forces in the development of Russian industry and culture. Different branches of the family influenced statehood throughout the 19th century - they created capitalism with one hand and planted destructive ideas of socialism under it with the other. Received an excellent education in European universities, the heirs of the founder of the dynasty were distinguished by their sharp temper and many eccentricities. As befits every wealthy person, the manufacturers did not skimp on the construction of mansions for themselves and their families. One of the most original houses of the Morozovs was the estate on Vozdvizhenka.

Morozov on Vozdvizhenka

On Vozdvizhenka, two Morozov mansions adjoin, radically different in architecture. One of them in the neoclassical style belonged to Varvara Morozova. Being the heiress of the Khludov textile empire, she married Abram Morozov, a manufacturer and also a textile magnate.

After the death of her husband, she successfully managed the Tver manufactory, did charity work, led an active social life and was the mother of three sons. The youngest of them, Arseniy Morozov, received as a gift a plot of land next to his mother's house and built the house much later than his mother's estate.

The project of Morozova's house on Vozdvizhenka was created by the architect R. Klein, it was his first independent work. The two-storey city estate was built in 1888. The front facade of the house faces Vozdvizhenka and is separated from the street by a small garden with a fountain. Two lateral risalits with porticos stand out in the decoration; they are decorated with stylized figures of griffins and stone lilies. The house rests steadily on a high foundation and is somewhat similar to a stylized Italian palazzo, at least according to contemporaries.

23 rooms were designed on two floors of Morozova's house on Vozdvizhenka. The main hall accommodated up to 300 guests, and on festive days up to 500 people. Additional space was in the basement, there were 19 rooms. With the light hand of the hostess, the house became a fashion salon, where progressive thinkers, aristocrats of the spirit, writers, and philosophers gathered for dinner. Varvara Morozova until the end of her days was known as a liberal and supported progressive ideas, which the current government did not like, and therefore the secret police supervision was not removed from her until her death.

Before the revolution, she did not live quite a bit - she died in September 1917, according to contemporaries, the new way of life would suit her quite well. In memory of Varvara Morozova, there was a public library in Moscow, the Morozovsky town in Tver, a hospital for the mentally ill, a cancer institute, a vocational school and much more.

Idea search

Today Morozova's mansion belongs to the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, receptions of foreign delegations are held here. From the historical complex, the house itself, the gatehouse and later outbuildings were completely preserved, they were designed by the architect V. Mazyrin. This master became the author of one of the most striking buildings in Moscow, built for the son of Varvara Morozova - Arseny.

This offspring of a merchant family did not stand out in any way. Traveling was his only passion. Having received from his mother in 1895 as a birthday present, an impressive plot of land located next to her mansion, Arseniy Morozov decided that he needed to build a house, but he had no specific ideas. The order for the project was given to Viktor Mazyrin, but no instructions were received from the owner about how the future mansion would look like.

It was decided to draw inspiration from a joint trip, a role model was not immediately found. In the Portuguese town of Sintra, the heir of the Morozovs liked the one built in the 19th century for local monarchs. There was no need to build a building in Moscow on such a scale as the royal palace in Portugal, but both participants in the trip liked the idea of ​​​​creating a house in the pseudo-Moorish style.

Architectural scandal

It is impossible to refer the appearance of the building to any direction of architectural style, its eclecticism and bright individuality made Morozov's house one of the memorable sights of the capital. Construction began, tentatively, in 1897 and ended as soon as possible. Two years later, Morozov's house was already surprising, teasing, shocking all of Moscow with its unusualness.

Even during the construction process, the mansion was subjected to sharp and caustic criticism from the world and the press. The reaction of the mother was also unequivocal, Arseniy was amused by all the attacks, retelling all the gossip, he also mentioned the words of V. Morozova: “I used to know that you were my fool, but now all of Moscow knows.” This phrase became legendary not without the participation of Arseny, and the rest of the relatives did not stand aside.

Morozov's house evoked attacks from uncles and brothers of a large family, but the young heir, prophesying, answered that his house would stand forever, and no one knows what would happen to their collections. Literary Moscow enjoyed joking around the appearance of the house - the actor M. Sadovsky dedicated a caustic epigram to the mansion, Leo Tolstoy immortalized it in the novel Resurrection. In the construction of the shocking house, probably, Arseny's famous Morozov eccentricity manifested itself, forcing Moscow and all of Russia to race to discuss the dynasty for more than one hundred years. Even today, representatives of this merchant family are of genuine interest.

Description

The facade of the mansion is decorated with shells, connoisseurs admit that this Plateresco decor element was borrowed by Mazyrin in Spain from the main attraction of the city of Salamanca - the Casa de las Conchas house. Shells are believed to bring happiness and good luck. For the Moorish style in the design of the main entrance, two symmetrically located towers are responsible, crowned with intricate teeth in the form of a crown and girded around the upper perimeter with skillful carvings.

On both sides of the arch, in front of the doorway, there are two columns in the form of three intertwined ship ropes, and around the door there is a carved decoration of ropes tied with sea knots - an element that brings good luck according to Portuguese beliefs. Above the main entrance there are two more symbols of good luck - a horseshoe, as a tribute to Russian traditions, and a captive dragon, which is a symbol of the East and Asia. All the facades of this amazing mansion are surrounded by realistically made ropes, sometimes tied into knots.

Today it is almost impossible to get into the rooms of Morozov's house, but there is some information about the interior decoration. The owners of millions of capitals, when asked how to decorate the chambers in what style, often answered: "In all." The fashion for all styles was firmly established in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. So, the ballrooms were finished like Greek palaces, the bedrooms corresponded to the style of rococo or boudoir in the spirit of Louis IV, hunting symbols were welcomed in men's offices.

What's inside

Morozov's house supported the direction of mixing styles, but the choice of themes for the halls was made by the extravagant owner in a very intricate way. The lobby was dedicated to another of Morozov's favorite pastimes - hunting. During the tenure of Arseniy Abramovich, stuffed bears he had hunted stood here, the heads of killed wild boars, elks, deer flaunted under the ceiling, there was a place in the collection for squirrels.

The decor of the space above the massive fireplace depicts all kinds of weapons (bows, crossbows), hunting accessories (horns, falcons) and a symbol of successful hunting - two oak branches tied with a tight rope knot. It is said that a tame lynx roamed the hall.

The rest of the halls are also decorated pompously and pretentiously. Luxury could be seen in every corner - a magnificent mirror in a gilded frame in a former boudoir, luxurious stucco molding was preserved intact in many rooms.

After Morozov

Today, foreign delegations are received in Morozov's house, so there are no tours here, and rare journalists are allowed only in a few rooms. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, the owner of the house was hospitable and often arranged feasts. It was not difficult to gather a society - patronizing uncles quickly united the theatrical beau monde and made up a cheerful company. At parties, performances were given, songs were sung, gossip was discussed and business was turned.

Arseniy Morozov never changed his nature, his death had a vaudeville tinge - shooting his leg on a dare while hunting, he did not wince and told his friends that he did not feel pain, he learned this skill in spiritual practices. What became the final point of his life is not clear, according to some stories, he bled to death, according to others, he got infected due to an untreated wound that caused gangrene.

The mansion was nationalized after the revolution. In the early years, the headquarters of the anarchists was located in the house, later the Proletkult Theater, where performances by Meyerhold and Eisenstein were staged. In the pre-war years, the palace was given to the Japanese embassy, ​​and after that - to the Indian embassy. Until 2003, the House of Peoples' Friendship was located in the rooms of Morozov's house. After the restoration, the building was taken over by the Government of the Russian Federation and is used to receive foreign delegations, representative and government negotiations, international conferences, etc.

Other Morozovs, Suzdal

The surname Morozov, at some subconscious level, is strongly associated with success and quality for many. The Morozov manufactories invariably produced excellent products, as contemporaries said, they could be taken with their eyes closed, no one doubted their consumer properties. And not only in Russia, but also in many foreign countries.

The merchant dynasty was ramified and the house-museums of the Morozovs were scattered throughout Russia - in the village of Glukhovo (Noginsk region), in Syktyvkar, Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities. They left behind well-equipped factories that used advanced production technologies and demonstrated an integrated approach to the implementation of projects, from the idea to the arrangement of the life of workers.

Today, the namesakes of merchants have some credit of trust, which has grown out of historical memory, sometimes this is unjustified, but it is always a plus for the entrepreneur. The Morozovs' guest house in Suzdal is a successfully developing, yet small, hotel.

Guests are invited to stay in one of three rooms of different levels of comfort. The convenient location in the historical and business center of the city allows tourists to fully immerse themselves in the area of ​​interest to the life of a modern metropolis. For business people, it is convenient to solve current issues without wasting time on long journeys, and tourists immediately find themselves in the center of historical events and ancient architecture. Hotel address: Krasnoarmeisky lane, building 13. Arrival with animals is allowed.

Hospitality in Adler

Guest house on Morozova in this city is a hotel 400 meters from a well-maintained beach. For vacationers there are 20 rooms of different sizes from one to five people. Comfort is provided by household appliances, air conditioning and a bathroom in each room, a shared kitchen, a barbecue area in the adjacent territory, and a children's playground.

There is also a laundry, ironing room, 24-hour access to wi-fi. By public transport, you can reach the Olympic Park in 10 minutes. The guest house (Pavlik Morozov St., 67) in Adler is an excellent solution for a budget holiday with children. If necessary, the administration provides a free transfer from the railway station or airport. The cost of rooms starts from 2 thousand rubles per person per day.

Almost brand

The architectural bureau "Dom Morozov" works in Belarus and develops individual cottage projects, as well as typical low-rise buildings according to existing projects. At the request of the customer, changes are made to any of the selected options to obtain the ideal solution. The workshop offers ready-made projects, where the nodes of engineering networks have already been carefully worked out, the design of the interior space of each room, the developments of the concepts for decorating a personal plot, and landscape design are included.

The advantage of the House of Morozovs is the projects of houses, taking into account the individual preferences of customers, the ability to work in a convenient mode - at a distance or directly at the construction site. The package of documentation is created in accordance with the current building codes, the client gets a complete picture of the amount of necessary building materials at each stage of the construction of the cottage. In addition to the drawings, 3D models of the house, rooms, and garden are developed and attached to the project documentation. The bureau's arsenal includes houses of various styles, from traditional Russian log cabins to minimalist solutions.

In Moscow, on Vozdvizhenka Street, there is an amazing building - the mansion of Arseny Morozov. This is one of the oldest and most unusual houses in the entire capital. It remained underestimated for a long time, because in the 19th century its architecture seemed too unusual and pretentious for contemporaries. For people living in the 21st century, these mansions resemble a castle that has come to life from a fairy tale.

The beautiful mansion of Arseny Morozov on Vozdvizhenka is fraught with many mysteries and is surrounded by a halo of legends. The house was commissioned by Arseny Morozov, the great-grandson of Savva Morozov, who came from a respected merchant family. He was a famous businessman and philanthropist.

Arseny was born to the grandson of Savva - Abram and his wife - Barbara. According to the customs of the Morozov times, Varvara Alekseevna was married against her will. She never had romantic feelings for her husband, and when he passed away, she experienced an endowment. However, in the will of the spouse it was said that if the newly-made widow was again married, she would quickly lose her inheritance.

Fortunately, her husband's fortune turned out to be so huge that the life of a widow did not sadden her too much. It is worth paying tribute, Varvara Alekseevna was engaged in charity work: it was she who sponsored the construction of the first cancer center in Russia (the Morozov Institute for the treatment of people suffering from cancer). She also founded the Turgenev Library and the Russkiye Vedomosti newspaper.

But in the family, Varvara Morozova showed herself very tough and demanding, trying to keep everything under control. When Arseniy was 21 years old, and he gained the right to independently manage his share of the capital, his mother bought him a plot of land next to her mansion on Vozdvizhenka. She wanted him to always be under her supervision. But the young man did not want to remain under the care of his mother.

Creation of a mansion

Previously, on the site of the Morozov estate in Moscow, there was a large equestrian circus of Karl Markus Ginne. However, after the fire, the impresario was unable to restore the building due to lack of funds, and the land, along with the surviving buildings, was put up for sale.

Almost immediately Varvara Alekseevna bought the square and invited the architect Viktor Mazyrin to design a beautiful mansion in the classical style. However, Arseniy had a different vision of beauty, and he wanted to realize a different, more original project. Inspiration came from a trip abroad that he made with Mazyrin. In the small town of Sintra, they saw the Pena Palace, which left an indelible impression on Arseny's soul. This building was made in the Moorish style. It was owned by the royal family.

Morozov was delighted: immediately after returning to Moscow, the construction of the mansion began. So on Vozdvizhenka Street, 16, an unusual estate decorated with shells appeared (perhaps, such an idea was visited by comrades when they saw Casa de las Conchas - the famous Spanish house with shells in Salamanca).

Muscovites reacted to the construction with skepticism. Even Leo Tolstoy in his novel "Sunday" mentioned workers who "were forced ... to build a stupid and unnecessary palace for some stupid and unnecessary person." However, Morozov, unlike his mother, did not care much about what was written in the newspapers. Varvara Alekseevna, seeing the mansion built, uttered a phrase that became legendary: “Previously, only I knew that you were a fool, but now all of Moscow knows about it.”

Palace architecture

The appearance of the building is very unusual. You can see the following details:

  • The side towers and the main entrance of the courtyard are made in the Neo-Moorish style.
  • The opening is in the shape of a horseshoe.
  • The stucco molding is framed in the form of shells.
  • Openwork cornice and twisted columns are very colorful.
  • If we talk about other parts of the building, even the architects could not agree on the style in which they were made.
  • In general, there are elements of classicism, but scattered symmetry speaks of the use of modernist techniques.

Interior decoration

With interior design, Arseniy acted in a truly original way. When Mazurin asked him about the style in which to make the interior decoration, Morozov replied: "in all." Therefore, each room is very different from the other. Entering the mansion, people understood that its owner was an extravagant person., having a lot of interests and all kinds of hobbies:

  1. In the lobby of the house was a hunting hall. Morozov loved to hunt. There was a huge amount of trophies in this room. His passion for hunting was reflected even in the design of the fireplace. It is decorated with images of a falcon, crossbow, bow and hound dogs. Animals were loved in this house: during the life of Morozov, a real tame lynx walked around the mansion.
  2. The hall in the mansion is mostly made in the Greek style.
  3. After that there is a large hall in the Roman style, from where you can go to the boudoir with a huge mirror.
  4. The hall in the classical style looks the most harmonious and elegant.
  5. The boudoir of Morozov's wife is made in the Baroque style. Surely she was very proud of this room, but Arseny's efforts to please his wife did not bring the proper result. Their marriage did not work out: the couple had to leave.

The owner of the mansion lived in it for a very short time. The death of Arseny Morozov can be called ridiculous. Once he made a bet with friends, promising that he would be able to shoot himself in the foot and not feel a drop of pain thanks to the help of the holy spirit. The young man fired a shot and his face showed no signs of pain, so he won the argument. But because of the untreated wound, blood poisoning set in, and three days later the frivolous young man died.

Morozov bequeathed the house to his mistress, Nina Konshina, in advance. Arseny's wife, Vera Sergeevna, with whom Morozov had not lived for about 6 years, tried to challenge the will, saying that the deceased husband was incompetent, but the court considered her arguments untenable. Beloved Arsenia almost immediately sold the estate to the son of A.I. Mantashev - Leon Mantashev.

House after the revolution

After the events of 1917, the palace became the headquarters of the anarchists, then the administration of the Proletkult Theater drew attention to it. A mobile corpse of artists moved there. Before the Second World War, the Japanese embassy was located here, in wartime - the British embassy, ​​and after the end of hostilities - the Indian embassy. Since 1959, the mansion began to be called the house of friendship with the peoples of foreign countries in Moscow. Meetings with foreign figures were held in the building.

In 2003, a thorough restoration and reconstruction of the mansion was carried out. Exclusive mahogany furniture was brought in, reminiscent of interior items of the late 19th century. Since 2006, it has been the house of receptions of the government of the Russian Federation. The building hosts events related to the participation of the Russian Federation in international affairs, diplomatic negotiations, conferences and important meetings.

Unfortunately, this is not a place where you can go inside, touch ancient interior items and take a walk in the park next to the estate. For obvious reasons, there are no guided tours at DDN. But you can get to the address Vozdvizhenka 16 and enjoy an unusual architectural creation. You can get there from the Arbatskaya metro station.

The Morozov dynasty left Moscow a rich legacy - a galaxy of magnificent mansions, each of which is associated with a vivid story ... or scandal. No less famous than the mansion of Arseny Morozov is the mansion of his famous great-grandfather, Savva Morozov at Spiridonovka, 17, which is often called Morozov's house on the Arbat. But unlike the mansion described above, he immediately received the title of one of the most beautiful houses in Moscow and was considered a model of taste. It was built for the wife of Savva Morozov - Zinaida, as a symbol of their love. The Neo-Gothic mansion was built by the most talented architect Fyodor Shekhtel, with the participation of Mikhail Vrubel. Now there is the Reception House of the Russian Foreign Ministry. For obvious reasons, this mansion is also closed to the public and it is almost impossible to sign up for an excursion there. Recently, the opportunity to visit there appears on the Night of Museums and the Day of the Historical Heritage of Moscow.

But what about the museum? Is there really no museum in any of the Morozov mansions? There is - in Leontievsky lane. There, in the former mansion of Sergei Morozov, the Handicraft Museum used to be located, and now the Museum of Folk Crafts operates.

The quaint estate of Arseniy Moroz is the real pride of the capital. The building is rightfully considered one of the most unusual and beautiful.

Arseny Morozov's mansion on Vozdvizhenka is a light, graceful building resembling a castle, the towers of which are decorated with stone lace and stucco decoration in the form of shells. The building looks unusual, even if you compare it with other mansions of the Art Nouveau era - the time of experiments in architecture. However, the mother of a wealthy merchant, Varvara Alekseevna, seeing what kind of mansion her son had "rebuilt" for herself, called him a fool, and said that now "all of Moscow would know about it."

Before the construction of the mansion, there was a wooden building of the equestrian circus on this site, which burned down in 1892. It was not restored, but the land was put up for sale. Varvara Morozova, whose house was next door, bought the plot and soon transferred it to her son, making a gift for his 25th birthday.

The construction of the mansion was supervised by a friend of Arseny Morozov, the architect Viktor Mazyrin, with whom they traveled together in Europe and in Portugal were very impressed with the appearance of the Pena Palace in the city of Sintra, built in the 40s of the XIX century. Returning to Moscow, Arseniy Morozov decided to build a building resembling a palace, and so a mansion appeared on Moscow's Ostozhenka, in which the architect and the customer preferred to see the features of two styles - the Moorish and Portuguese Manueline style, which is also called the Portuguese Renaissance.

Not only the mother criticized the pretentious structure. Criticism in newspapers, assessments of contemporaries were also negative: the appearance of the building was considered very eccentric, tasteless, the idea of ​​​​its construction was stupid and empty. The interior of this neo-Moorish castle was also very eclectic: inside there were rooms decorated in the spirit of chivalry, Empire, Baroque, Chinese and Arabic.

Arseniy Morozov lived in this house for about ten years and died at the age of 35 from blood poisoning after an accidental wound in the leg. The mansion was inherited not by the legal wife, but by the mistress Nina Konshina, who almost immediately sold it to the oilman Mantashev.

During the revolutionary years, the mansion became a home for the poets Sergei Yesenin and Sergei Klychkov. Since 1918, the Proletkult Theater was located in the house, and the poets lived in its premises. Director Sergei Eisenstein staged several performances for this theater in the mansion. From the end of the 1920s, the building began to be used by the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs - at first it was occupied by the Commissariat itself, then by the embassies of Japan, Great Britain, and India. The mansion became the House of Friendship of Peoples. Today it is the Reception House of the Russian government and a federal architectural monument.

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