History of the Kuskovo Estate in Moscow

Kuskovo was known since the beginning of 16th century as situated near Moscow ancestral lands of boyars Sheremetev. These woody and marshy places were of little use for economic development and were used for hunting. Since 1715 the ancestral lands belonged to field-marshal Boris P. Sheremetev who has conceived to construct here a country palace, but he did not have time to carry out the project. His son Petr B. Sheremetev (1713-1788) became the organizer of the manor.

The construction in Kuskovo was most active in 1750s, during the rule in Russia of empress Elizabeth. Several architects took part in the construction of the architectural-park ensemble, including Jurij I. Kologrivov, Fjodor S. Argunov, Karl I. Blank and others. The architecture of Kuskovo combines features of Baroque and Classicism. The main building of the estate, which is located on a bank of the Great pond, is the wooden palace. The composition center of the estate is the Regular park.

In 18th century in Kuskovo festivities were hold, which were attended by many inhabitants of Moscow. At that time the estate was 7.5 km from Moscow, between Vladimir and Ryazan roads.

In 19th century the estate fell into decline. In 1919 in Kuskovo the museum was organized which has been functioning ever since.