Kuskovo

Kuskovo (Russian Кусково ) is a well-known architectural ensemble in the Russian capital Moscow. The listed site today consists of a classical palace from the 18th century, a pond and a park with a number prominent buildings. The ensemble is located in the Eastern district of the city.

The village called Kuskovo was first mentioned in a document dating from the late 16th century, from which also shows that she was already at that time the property of the noble family of the high Sheremetievs. It was at that time at a country estate with farms, a manor house and a wooden church. The castle with the parks emerged in the 1770s to a design by the Moscow architect Karl Blank and served the Sheremetievs mainly for ceremonial receptions and other recreational activities. For these purposes, the Castle Park also received numerous pavilions, an orangery, a hunting lodge and an animal enclosure. At the pond, a small rowing boat fleet was entertained. The size of the park is about 230 acres.

The estate belonged to the Sheremetievs until 1917. After the October Revolution it was nationalized in 1919 and received the status of an open-air museum. 1938, the State Ceramics Museum of Art was incorporated into the Kuskowoer museum complex.

At the castle park ensemble is adjacent to a 310 -acre urban forest, which was created in 1935. It is essentially a deciduous forest with a larger stock of birch, linden and oak trees.