Kolomenskoye Park

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The Tsar's new wooden palace

Next stop was to see a copy of the wooden palace of Alexey Mikhaylovich. This huge building is still under construction so we weren't allowed inside which was a great pity. This place is a "work of art" in timber. It is enormous and comprises several large buildings connected by passageways. We were told there are 3,000 window panes in the building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The building has taken three years to construct and will be officially opened on September 4th 2010.

Mubin shifted his car to a different area of Kolomenskoye. It was very busy with tourists and it was extremely difficult to find room to park his car. We headed off in through the park gates with our picnic gear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the park we found some toilets but they weren't very wholesome. We didn't have much choice though. We wandered past little stalls selling tourist knick knacks until we found a grassy area over-looking the river. Here we spread out the picnic rug and collapsed into a heap onto it. Lucia had packed a tasty picnic lunch and we were pleased to find the left-over rissoles from last night were included too. It was delightful to rest our legs. Our socks and shoes quickly came off and we enjoyed relaxing and eating in the cool breeze.

After our lunch we forced ourselves to get up and take a look around the park. We really could have relaxed there for the rest of the day. Ian and I feel like we have walked non-stop across Russia.

 

Kolomenskoye Park is very old. It's history goes as far back as the 13th century when a village was first established there. Generations of Russian Tsars have lived there, calling it their summer retreat. They built splendid palaces and churches there. The original Alexey Mikhaylovich's Palace was there until Catherine the Great ordered it to be pulled down. Fortunately prior to it being demolished she ordered that an exact model be made and it is housed there in the museum. The wooden palace was once called the 8th Wonder of the World. The park is a photographer's dream as there is so much to look at.

 

The white Church of the Ascension is the oldest standing structure and it dates back to 1532. It was created in the form of a giant pillar and the entire weight of the building presses against its 3 metre thick walls. It doesn't have any supporting columns or piers. It is 62 metres high.

Red Gate used to be the main entrance into the Palaces. The photo to the right also shows the nearby Saint George Bell Tower which is used for bell-ringing concerts.

Several historic wooden constructions from across the country were brought here to the park and re-constructed. There are oak trees in the park that date back 400 - 600 years and water springs that are said to have restorative qualities. To learn much more about this park look at Kolomenskoye Park. The park is open daily from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m., except for Mondays.

 

Time to leave Kolomenskoye

All the walking and fresh air were magnificent but we were all ready for home.

Once back we showered and changed and headed off to a restaurant for dinner. It was Mubin and Lucia's 4th anniversary and also Ian's birthday so it was good reason to celebrate. Somehow or other Mubin and Lucia found a lovely shirt which they gave Ian for his birthday.

They recommended a restaurant near their home where we could sit outdoors to eat. It was late June, a balmy night and of course it stayed light for hours. We had a delicious meal and we were entertained by live music too. A perfect end to a perfect day.

 

Next page: Sergiev Posad

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