Description of the attraction
The building of the Noble Assembly in Kostroma is an example of a building made in the style of provincial Russian classicism of the late 18th - early 19th centuries. The author of the project of the Noble Assembly is the architect M. M. Right. This building is considered one of the best in the Russian province.
The building is distinguished by the originality of the layout, and the nobility of the interior, and rich stucco decoration. The building has a cubic volume. To decorate it, rods, shoulder blades, and reliefs were used. All of them create a wonderful play of shadow and light. The ground floor of the building is finished with rustic wood. Its central part along the facade is highlighted by six Corinthian pilasters. The second floor is a front floor, so its window openings are large and are additionally emphasized by inserts and rosettes. An openwork cast-iron staircase begins in the spacious vestibule; it is believed that Emperor Nicholas II ascended the ceremonial halls along it in May 1913.
The main condition during the development of the project was the arrangement of the Great Meeting Hall. He is located in the left wing. The hall is finished in ivory artificial marble. Hence its name "White Hall". Its perimeter is decorated with two tiers of Corinthian semi-columns. Above the windows of the first tier of the colonnade, there are stucco images of the coats of arms of the cities of the Kostroma province. The western part of the hall acts as a stage and is designed as an exedra niche, above it there are musical choirs. Musicians consider this hall to be the best in Russia. Therefore, concerts, musical and gala evenings held in the White Hall are very popular.
The entrance to the White and Small Halls is preceded by the Catherine Hall. The columns divide it into three parts. Once its walls were upholstered with crimson damask, today they are decorated in burgundy colors. The capitals of the pilasters and columns, some elements of the cornice are gilded. The walls of the hall are decorated with portraits of representatives of the royal family from the museum collection, as well as portraits of prominent figures of the Kostroma land.
On the third floor, there are eight rooms, the decoration of which is more modest, in contrast to the ceremonial halls.
The history of the Noble Assembly of Kostroma is divided into two periods. The first is connected with the time when the assembly of the nobility occupied a wooden mansion near the Church of the Ascension. And the second is the period when the nobility of Kostroma bought a three-story chamber house on Pavlovskaya Street from the descendants of the merchant Durygin. The new owners adapted the mansion for a noble assembly; the provincial architect M. M. Right, it was ordered to keep the facade in its original form. The building was opened in the winter of 1839. The newly opened assembly of the nobility was distinguished by its nobility and luxury of interior decoration.
The history of the building of the Noble Assembly, as the residence of the Kostroma nobility, ended at the beginning of the 20th century. After the revolutionary events of 1917, all kinds of educational institutions were housed in the building of the former Noble Assembly. After the war, this building housed the House of Pioneers.
In 1991, the staff of the Kostroma Museum-Reserve asked the city and regional councils of people's deputies to transfer to the museum the building that previously housed the Noble Assembly. On September 3, 1991, the building was transferred to the State Art Museum of Kostroma.
Today, the Noble Assembly is one of five buildings that are part of the Kostroma Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve, except for sixteen regional branches. The history of the Kostroma Museum-Reserve in 1891 began with the Nobility Assembly.
Currently, the building of the Noble Assembly houses exhibitions that tell about the life of the city of the nobles of Kostroma in the 19th century. In addition, interactive history classes for adults and children are held here every day. Family Club and various art studios have been successfully operating here for several years.
