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Mar. 11, 2011 Whether you arrive by car, bus or train, your first impression of Bogoroditsk is that of a sleepy unpretentious town. You would never imagine that here was the birthplace of an idea that would change the world´s map. On a hill not far from the railway station, in grand contrast with the humble city of 30,000 people stands a stately white building referred by the locals as the palace. Prior to the Revolution, the inhabitants of the building called it simply the house. Even during Soviet rule it was a place of reverence. During World War II the building was heavily damaged. After the war, despite the severe housing shortage, the Soviet government restored the palace and made it a National Monument and museum. Oddly enough it is not only a monument to Russian architecture but also to an extraordinary noble family. The palace was built in 1770 to hide a secret and as a place of exile worthy of a novel. The Bogoroditzk Palace Story begins in 1762 just months before Catherine The Great was to assume the Russian Imperial Throne. She and Count Gregory Orloff had an illegitimate son. The son was named Alexey and was bundled off to proxy parents. Count Gregory Orloff led a bloodless coup d'etat and placed Catherine II on the Russian throne Catherine owned huge tracts of land. She gave Alexey the surname of Bobrinsky and a large estate sixty kilometers southeast of the city of Tula. Well away from the Russian capital. Despite having practically abandoned her son, Catherine was very fond of the boy and secretly visited him. After Catherine's death in 1796, Emperor Paul Acknowledged Alexey as his half-brother and gave him the title of Count. Alexey led a quiet life alternating residences between Bogoroditzk and a house in Saint Petersburg. In 1812 Bogoroditzk was occupied by Napoleon's troops. This gave rise to guerillas who raided Tula and took as trophy Napoleon's bronze Victory Column he intended to place in Moscow. This column is now displayed in Tula's Kremlin Museum. The first Bobrinsky died in 1814 leaving a comprehensive scientific library, which has strongly influenced his descendants. From exile, the Bobrinskys would rise to prominence. His son Alexey Alexeyevich was fond of scientific experiments. After a number of years as a government official in Saint Petersburg, he retired to Bogoroditzk where he dedicated himself to improving agricultural methods. In his spare time he thought on how to improve Russia. He built a small rail line on his estate. After experimenting with it, in 1837 he returned to Saint Petersburg and built a steam powered railway line between Saint Petersburg and nearby Czarskoe Selo. Three years later, he connected Saint Petersburg and Moscow by rail. This established him as the father of Russian railways. His son, as minister of transport would continue his father´s work and complete the world's largest railway network. The Bobrinskys were all progressive democrats and true aristocrats serving their country. Russia´s first volunteer fire brigade was organized by a Bobrinsky and the bell tower/gateway to the estate became a fire watchtower. The first eight hour work day in Russia was introduced at the Bogoroditsk sugar refinery. Leo Tolstoy was a frequent visitor and if you have read Anna Karenina you will feel at home as Tolstoy faithfully reproduced the estate in his world classic novel. Today, entering the wide Lenin Street one can metaphorically turn one's back to the architect of Russia's greatest disaster. The street descends to a lake. On the other side, rises a steep bluff atop of which, the white palace stands majestically inviting you to come in not only to the building and superb 43 acre park, but to a past that will convert itself to a brighter future. This is a magic place that has resisted the ravages of invasions and revolution. It has a magnetic power that draws the best in people. A stroll through the 43 acre park including the Kazan church and a visit of the Museum will have a profound effect on you. It is said that Catherine's ghost still visits her secret son here. The palace and park ensemble. Architecture. http://palace-museum-park.org/ Some daring do by Count Vladimir Alexeyevich was reported by the NY Times (February 1914) How to get there: Paveletzkiy Bus Station, Moscow. Tambov bus leaves at 08:00 (AM) arrives approximately 12:30 Recommended itinerary is Day 1 Moscow - Tula. Visit Tula Kremlin and Museum Day 2 Tula churches Day 3 Tula - Bogoroditzk, visit Palace and park. Overnight either Tula or Bogoroditzk. Check the museum site for cultural activities.
Recitals, concerts and plays are staged regularly..
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