Palace of Kuskovo

Welcome to the Kuskovo Estate, a remarkably well-preserved ensemble that offers a window into the life of the Russian nobility during the eighteenth century. This was the summer residence of the Sheremetev family, one of the…

We begin our tour in the Grand Vestibule, the entrance hall designed to immediately immerse visitors in the estate’s playful atmosphere. As you look at the walls, you would swear you are looking at cold, gray marble and green…

Moving into the first of the reception rooms, we find the Card Room. Gambling and social card games were central to noble life, and this room is furnished with original ombre tables covered in green felt. …

We now enter the State Dining Room, a space that highlights the importance of culinary theater in the eighteenth century. Unlike the other rooms, the walls here are not covered in fabric. …

The Tapestry Parlor is one of the most serene rooms in the palace, its walls entirely covered in seventeenth and eighteenth-century Flemish and French tapestries. These 'woven gardens' create a sense of lush, green tranquility,…

While called a bedroom, this space was purely ceremonial, modeled after the 'Parade Bedrooms' of French kings. It is unlikely that the count or countess ever actually slept here. …

We conclude our interior tour in the Dance Hall, the largest and most magnificent room in the palace. Inspired by the Mirror Gallery at Versailles, this hall is a dazzling space of white and gold. …

As we exit the palace and return to the park, take a final look at the Large House. It stands as a miraculous survivor, a wooden dream that has outlasted many of its stone contemporaries. …