Morozov's House - description, history and interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

The family of merchants Morozov 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 placed under it the destructive ideas of socialism 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 we althy 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.

Morozovs on Vozdvizhenka

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

After her husband's death, she successfully managed the Tver manufactory, did charity work, led an active social life andwas 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. Until the end of her days, Varvara Morozova was known as a liberal and supported progressive ideas, which the current government did not like, and therefore 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, Morozovsky town in Tver,asylum for the mentally ill, cancer institute, vocational school and 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 attached 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 was nothing remarkable. 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 will 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 Palacio de Pena palace, 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 of the trip liked the idea of creating a house in the pseudo-Moorish style.

Architectural scandal

It is impossible to attribute the appearance of the building to any direction of architectural style, its eclecticism and bright individuality made Morozov's houseone 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: “Previously, I alone knew 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 caused 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 walking around with witticisms on 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 plateresque 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. Two symmetrically located towers crowned with intricate teeth in the form of a crown and girded with elaborate carvings around the upper perimeter are responsible for the Moorish style in the design of the main entrance.

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 facades of this amazing mansion are surrounded by realistically made ropes, knotted in places.

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 the men's offices.

What's inside

The Morozov 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, there were stuffed animals obtained by himbears, the heads of dead 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 a successful hunt - 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 was visible in every corner - a magnificent mirror in a gilded frame in a former boudoir, luxurious stucco and ceiling paintings in many rooms have been preserved intact.

After Morozov

Today, foreign delegations are received at 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 - philanthropic 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 betrayed his nature, his death had a hint of vaudeville - 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 was infected due to an untreated wound that caused gangrene.

Mansionnationalized after the revolution. In the early years, the house housed the headquarters of the anarchists, 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. 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 are 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 improvement of the life of workers.

Today namesakes of merchants have a certain credit of trust that has grown out of historical memory, sometimes this is unjustified, but it is always a plus for an 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 comfort levels. 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 ensured by household appliances, air conditioning and a bathroom in each room, a shared kitchen, a barbecue area in the local area, 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

Architectural bureau "Dom Morozov" works in Belarus and develops individual projects of cottages, andas 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, landscape design are included.

The advantage of the Morozov House company is the design 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 documentation package 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 different styles, from traditional Russian log cabins to minimalist solutions.