June 2010 in Moscow : Kolomenskoe

In summer, Kolomenskoe is one of the most popular Muscovite park, although there remains little space in the park (390 ha) to find calm and solitude.

In winter, the park is perhaps even more impressive when there are fewer visitors and the buildings seem to have been abandoned to the crows and snow.

Whatever time of year when you come to Moscow, Kolomenskoe should absolutely be on your itinerary. We tested with and without snow !

The village of Kolomenskoe was founded in 1237 by refugees from Kolomna (city 100 km south-east of Moscow). There will probably be an article in the blog about this town in the coming months : wait and see ...

Archeological remains have been found here dating back over 2,500 years of civilization from pre-Slavic. Peter the Great (Peter 1st) was brought here to ensure his safety during the insurrection of 1682, and began his studies here. His daughter, Elizabeth, was also born here. Later, Alexander the Great studied here with his grandmother, Catherine the Great (1790). Hmm, you're lost in the dynasty of Russian Czars ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanov or view the family tree :

Also (in French) : http://www.bibliotheque-orange.org/v2/livres-2009/la-saga-des-romanov/

The main entrance of Kolomenskoe is 10 minutes walking away from the Kolomenskaya subway station.

Coming from the metro you walk through the door of the Saviour (1670). The wood shingles are characteristic of 16th-17th century Russian architecture. Before 1917, there was an icon of the Savior above the arches, hence its name.

Going straight you discover the beautiful Church of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan with bright blue domes and much gold, built under Alexei II in 1644.

By continuing you arrive at the Red Door which was the main entrance of the royal palaces.
Its construction dates from 1672 to 1673. In buildings located on the sides you can visit an exhibition on the history of Kolomenskoe and a collection of art.

Let's go through the Red Door to discover the Church of the Ascension (1530-1532). This is one of the most remarkable buildings of Moscow : it was a radical break with the traditional Byzantine style. Basil III has made this building as a pyramid shape feature to commemorate the birth of his heir, Ivan the Terrible. Unlike traditional cruciform domed churches, the Church of the Ascension has been created as a huge pillar and has neither support nor columns. The height of the church is 62 meters. The Church of the Ascension has been classified a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996.

Besides the Church of the Ascension there is the bell tower of the remaining St. George the Victorious church which was built in the first half of the 16th century by an architect not yet identified.

Not far from it these is the water tower built in the 1670s. The interior is a mechanism created by the captain Bogdan Puchin. A deep well was dug beneath the tower and the water was pumped to go in a tank in white stone, and thence to the Royal Court.

In this March day, enjoy the landscape towards the Moskva river and have still a look to the Church of the Ascension.

Continuing through the park with its gardens, you can visit an old wooden house (wood brought here from different regions of Russia) : Cabin of Peter 1st of Arkhangelsk.

A special feature of parks around Moscow there is a cashier for each building to visit and the bad surprise is that it is 4 times more expensive for non-Russians (it's easily to recognize them by our accent ...).
Come visit this house which takes us back 3 centuries.

It seems that Peter 1st (Peter the Great) was really tall : we have verified (2.04 m), it is the highest spike !

Let's go to the Church of Saint John the Baptist through orchards, then down into a valley and up the stairs (not easy to find!).

Near an old cemetery (most of the graves are covered with lily of the valley, which seems to be a tradition), this St. John the Baptist church was built by Ivan the Terrible to mark his coronation.

One option is to leave the park at this location to explore the countryside around and then join the Moskva river where there is a pier with boats that can drive you back to the center of Moscow.
And there is even a "pub" below !