Museum "English Compound", Moscow: address, history and interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

In October 1994, a new museum appeared in Moscow on Varvarka - "The English Compound". For more than 20 years, about 40,000 people have been coming to this small complex every year to travel back in time and find themselves in medieval Moscow as foreign trade guests.

History of the "English Compound"

The most beautiful building of the museum "Old English Compound" is an integral part of the exposition, because chambers of commerce have been standing on Moscow soil for more than five centuries and are closely connected with the presence of the British in Russia.

At the end of the XV century. next to the Kremlin on Varvarka Street, the merchant Ivan Bobrischev is laying a stone house to save expensive goods from frequent fires. There is a version that the fashionable Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin also had a hand in creating the house of a we althy merchant who took an active part in the development of Kitay-gorod. In the wards, spacious basements are made of white stone, and a beam is arranged on the facade to lift loads and transfer them to storage.

When Bobrischev had no heirsdies, the house passes into the possession of the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan the Terrible. At that time, the king was very interested in establishing trade relations with England. Therefore, representatives of the Moscow Company, who received a letter from the English Queen Elizabeth I for duty-free trade with Muscovites, met a warm welcome in the Russian capital. Ivan the Terrible grants the British unprecedented rights, including the freedom to set prices for their goods and trade duty-free. For the convenience of English merchants, the British receive the former house of Bobrischev, and the building receives the unofficial name "English Compound".

The British brought European goods, and exported furs, wax, hemp, wood. The basements came in handy again - goods were safely stored in them and were protected from thieves. The upper floors were equipped for receiving guests. An orchard is being laid out around the house, a kitchen is being built.

The building was damaged in 1571 during the Tatar invasion, but then it was repaired and expanded.

At the beginning of the XVII century. the yard is expanded, a vestibule and a staircase are attached. After the British acquire another building in the capital, the courtyard begins to be called the Old English Court.

In 1649, the wonderful life of the British in Muscovy ends: the autocrat Alexei Mikhailovich confiscates merchant property, trade is prohibited.

Chambers in the city center are redeemed by I. Miloslavsky for 500 rubles, after his death the building is given to the Ambassadorial order. In the 18th century the first in the country is arranged herearithmetic school, then the house changes hands. It is constantly being rebuilt, adapting to the needs of new owners, gradually the unique appearance of the English Compound is changing, and by the 19th century. nothing reminds of a beautiful white-stone building in the Russian style.

History of the creation of the museum complex

The history of the English Compound Museum is like a miracle.

Surprisingly, the house that survived wars and revolutions has survived, although it has lost its original appearance. In the Soviet years, institutions were placed here and the area was divided into apartments. For almost 20 years it housed a library.

In the 50s, during the construction of the hotel, the old house was planned to be demolished. But the restorer P. Baranovsky recognized the unique architectural monument under many years of stratification, insisted on reconstruction, and the house was saved.

After restoration work, the chambers of the English Trade Court were given the appearance that those who lived in the 16th century could see: white walls cut through with narrow arrow-shaped windows, decorated with spatulas and thin cornices.

In 1994, a monument of medieval Moscow architecture takes on a second life - a branch of the Museum of Moscow, the English Compound Museum, opens within its walls.

Exposure

Low semi-circular vaults, steep staircases and vestibules welcome museum visitors.

Going down to the basement, you can see the hatch through which the goods were loaded from the street. The exposition is complemented by a variety of items that were traded by the British - barrels, furs,ropes.

The main staircase leads to the 2nd floor, where the Treasury Chamber is located - a hall for receiving guests. The merchant treasury of merchants was also saved here - chests-lari lined up along the walls. The floor is covered with fashionable five centuries ago black and white tiles, in the corner there is an oven decorated with elegant tiles. Tiles and tiles are authentic, they were discovered during excavations of the English Compound.

There is an impressive table in the middle of the hall - it was at this table that English merchants received guests and arranged sumptuous dinners. In the windows you can see copies of documents and books, nautical charts, models of sailboats used by the British in Shakespeare's time.

On the second floor there is a cookery with an exposition dedicated to gastronomic tastes in the Middle Ages.

The English Compound Museum is small, but being in it creates an extraordinary feeling of being transported in time. Many items found during excavations of the courtyard, as well as Zaryadye, allow us to better understand foreign traders who saw in Russia an opportunity to obtain inexhaustible we alth.

Tours

It is very interesting to visit the museum "Old English Compound" with a tour. The staff of the complex has developed a number of exciting interactive programs designed for different ages and interests, as well as a special educational walk for the visually impaired. Guided tours offered at the museum:

review, which may be conducted in English;
costume, during which"foreigners" talk about their visits to ancient Moscow and life in Russia;
walking through the historical environs of Zaryadye;
The program "Journey through the old house" has been prepared for younger students.

In addition, in the museum you can learn the basics of navigation, the gastronomic customs of England of the 16th century, play the role of a merchant and learn how to count in the old way.

The museum hosts lectures on the life of foreigners in medieval Moscow.

Interesting facts

In 1994, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain, attended the opening of the English Compound Museum in Moscow.
In 2016, the exposition was replenished with a hoard of silver coins of the 16th-17th centuries. 20 kg of coins were hidden in a jug, a flask and a jug. The amount of savings amounted to 380 rubles - this is the salary of the colonel of the archers for 10 years.
Thanks to the excellent acoustics of the premises, the Treasury Chamber hosts monthly concerts of early music and historical and literary performances.
In the Chambers you can organize wedding photography, which will be an original gift for the newlyweds, or hold a children's birthday.

Where is the museum

The address of the museum "English Compound" is easy to remember: st. Varvarka, 4A. The nearest metro station is Kitai-gorod. Buses M5 and 158 stop nearby.

How the English Compound Museum works

You can come any day except Monday and the last Friday of the month. On other days, the complex located inThe Old English Courtyard welcomes visitors from 10 am to 6 pm. On Thursday, the museum opens an hour later at 11:00, but closes at 21:00.

Cost of visit

Those who come with a Muscovite card issued to students enter the museum free of charge, as well as a number of preferential categories. However, the cost of visiting the Old English Court Museum (English Courtyard) is not high: