Description of the attraction
The estate of A. G. Demidova is located in the village of Taitsy, Gatchinsky District, Leningrad Region. The first mentions of a settlement in these places date back to 1499. The village was called Staishcha and was owned by the boyar Bogdan Esipov. According to the Stolbovo Peace Treaty of 1617, these territories were transferred to the Kingdom of Sweden. As a result of the Northern War, these lands were again ceded to Russia, and Peter I granted these lands to his companion, Admiral Golovin I. M.
The current name Thaitsy comes from the combination "hidden in the ground" (in ancient times, springs were called so). Thais, even in Peter's times, were known for their underground springs, which give rise to the river. Rope. A little later, the Tsarskoye Selo ponds were fed from the Taitskaya water system.
The admiral inherited the estate to his children, dividing it in such a way that the keys were located on the border of two possessions: this is how the Small Thaitsy arose with the villages Staritsa, Klyuchi, Ivanovskaya, Istinka, Tikhvinka, Pegelevka, and Big Thaitsy, which included the Thais., Kuznechikha, Mogilevo Saki, Bolshoye and Nizhnee Pegelevo.
In 1758, his son Alexander Golovin sold Malye Taitsy to A. P. Hannibal. And three years later, Natalya Golovina sold Bolshie Taitsy A. G. Demidov. He immediately appreciated the importance of underground springs for the organization of the park and gave an entire village for the site where the springs were located. Hannibal and his descendants in Little Thaitsy were not engaged in construction. And the estate was sold to E. T. Anichkova. In the 1790s. this part of the Taitskaya manor was also bought out by Demidov.
The famous creator of the Tavrichesky Palace and other buildings of St. Petersburg I. E. Starov, who was married to Demidov's sister, was engaged in the architectural design of the estate.
The ensemble of the estate in Taitsy was created in the style of Russian classicism. Its construction was started in 1774 and completed in 1778. The main manor building was erected on the bank of the river. Rope, which was erected on a high plinth, finished with rustication. Round terraces-loggias of the palace made it possible to enjoy the views of the picturesque surroundings without leaving the house. Most likely, this was done in connection with the illness of the owner of the estate (after all, the house was built by Demidov for his daughter with tuberculosis). Wide staircases, guarded by stone statues of lions, led to the palace from all directions. The building was crowned with a belvedere with a turret.
The entrance to the estate was decorated with two wings, which were united by an openwork metal lattice and a gate. An alley led from here to the house. In front of the palace there was a flower parterre cut by three paths. There was a sundial in the middle of the lawn.
The landscape park in Taitsy was an integral whole with the manor buildings. It was divided into several sections: Bolshaya Polyana, Own Garden, Star, Labyrinth, Menagerie, each of which had its own landscape composition and layout. The plots were interconnected by channels, ponds, canals. Through the river. The rope was thrown over several bridges. Only one has survived to this day - not far from the main building.
A large clearing was located to the east of the palace. Adjacent to it was a pond with islands, cascades and a retaining dam. A decorative mill with a large wheel was also installed on this site. Zvezda's paths, the Menagerie's glades, as well as alleys, which were located along the canals, converged to this site.
Taitsky park was often compared by contemporaries with Pavlovsky, because they had some similar planning elements. So, for example, at the Zvezda section, twelve paths converged at one point, forming a round area, as in Pavlovsk, on which the "Temple of the Sun" was built, a small pavilion in the form of a twelve-column rotunda. The dome of the pavilion was painted with images of the sun and zodiac signs.
Many park structures were also built according to Starov's project: the Grotto, the White Pavilion, the Gothic Gate, and the Turkish pavilion. The Gothic gate has survived to this day. Earlier in one of the turrets there was a clock mechanism that set in motion a bell, which carried a melodic ringing every hour in the park.
In 1862 the estate was transferred to the treasury due to the ruin of its owners. In 1896, the estate was transferred to the Palace Department, to which the Thais were transferred to the Society of Russian Doctors, and the first sanatorium in Russia for pulmonary patients was organized here. The homestead was re-planned in accordance with its new purpose, new buildings for a poultry house and a dairy appeared in the park.
In the 1930s. the estate was redesigned as a sanatorium for patients with hypertension. And she performed this function until the Second World War 1941-1945. During the occupation, a German hospital was located in the main manor building. After the end of the war, there was a rest house, and later a rehabilitation center for the regional hospital.
The Demidovs' estate is included in the UNESCO list of world heritage sites, but today it is empty and is being destroyed.
