Description of the attraction
The Mon Repos Landscape Park was created in the 18th century. Now it is a picturesque park on several islands with numerous park pavilions, bridges, ponds and gazebos. The manor house of the 18th century houses a museum dedicated to the history of the estate.
First owners
Once upon a time on this small island (in Swedish it was called Slotsholmen, in Finnish - Linnansaari, and in Russian it began to be called Tverdysh) a stockyard was set up, which supplied meat to the garrison of the Vyborg castle.
In 1760, when the castle had belonged to Russia for fifty years, these lands were granted to the commandant of the fortress, and then to the Vyborg governor, Petr Alekseevich Stupishin … He named the estate Lille Ladugord in memory of his first wife Charlotte - Charlottenthal … It was Pyotr Alekseevich who was the first to ennoble and equip the island: the lower meadows were drained, new soil was poured, alleys were broken. A wooden house was built, and a greenhouse became the main building.
Stupishin's heirs sell the estate, and the next owner settles in it, the new commandant of Vyborg - Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Karl of Württemberg … This is the brother of the young German princess Sophia Dorothea Maria Augusta Louise, the wife of the heir to the throne Paul I, the future Empress Maria Feodorovna. The prince likes the place very much. It was with him that the name Mon Repos appears (from the French Mon Repos - "my rest"). He built himself a new home and continued to develop the park. But relations with the ruling Empress Catherine II did not work out for him, and in 1786 he left the Russian service.
The von Nicolai family
In 1788 Mon Repos becomes the estate of the Baron Ludwig Heinrich von Nicolai … This is a personal secretary Maria Feodorovna, one of the most educated people of his time and one of the closest people to the grand-ducal, and then the reigning, family. The new owner is finishing and rebuilding the estate according to the latest fashion. Italian architect Giuseppe Antonio Martinelli renews the main manor house in Palladian style … Two new outbuildings appear, one of them houses the owner's personal account. There is a large hall for balls and gala dinners, a living room, billiard and smoking rooms, a "royal" room decorated with portraits of royalty. With the next owner, from the front facade of the house appears antique portico with columns.
The park continues to expand and becomes one of the the most graceful landscape parks in Europe - with narrow paths, garden pavilions and carefully thought out "naturalness". The elderly owner himself writes a poem about his park in German, and it is read throughout Europe. There is the Prisoner's castle, the Amur rock, the wooden Hermit's Hut … At the end of the 18th century, the Chinese theme in architecture was very popular - and multi-colored Chinese bridges appeared in the park through a specially dug canal and Chinese pavilions.
In honor of the two reigning persons who favored the family of Nicholas, the owner establishes a solemn marble column of two emperors - Paul I and Alexander I.
On a separate island, a small pavilion is arranged for rest - Turkish tent … Now the pavilion has not survived, but there are benches and an observation deck there, because this place offers the most picturesque view of the estate.
The estate is inherited by his son Paul von Nicolai … By this time Paul was already a well-known diplomat, a close friend of the Vorontsov family. He spends most of his time on diplomatic trips to England and Denmark, but he comes to rest at his Finnish estate. Paul continues to decorate Mon Repos in the English spirit, if desired, here you can see parallels with the Crimean palace of his friend Mikhail Vorontsovwho was also an Anglomaniac.
Under Paul von Nicolai, one of the most interesting places in the estate was established here - Dead island … The castle pavilion on a small island near Mon Repos was built by his father. Baron Ludwig in his poem told a romantic legend that the Swedish king was once imprisoned here Eric IV, whom his evil brothers deposed from the throne (in fact, he was imprisoned in Turku, and then in the Erbuchus castle). But the island was named after him Erichtein … And in 1822, after the death of his father, Paul von Nicolai arranged a neo-Gothic chapel-burial vault here. The place is renamed to Ludwigstein … The island becomes romantic family tombcreated to reflect on eternity. In addition to the chapel and burials, the cave of Medusa with the carved mask of the Gorgon Medusa reminds of death. Only coniferous trees are specially planted on the island so that the atmosphere itself evokes a feeling of solemn sorrow. The only way to get to the island was by a special ferry.
In Soviet times, this place was abandoned, and the crypts were desecrated. Now the ferry service is not working and there is no official access to the island, but you can get there on your own by boat. The chapel and crypts have been preserved, and their restoration is planned.
Paula has a romantic pavilion above the source of Narcissus … Became an architect Auguste Montferrand … The source that supplied the estate with water was considered by local residents to be healing for the eyes. Initially, it was called that - Silma, eye. Ludwig von Nicolai renamed it "The Spring of Silmia" and composed for his poem the legend of the nymph Silmia, in which the shepherd Lars was in love. She did not love him, but she pitied him, and turned to the Sun with a prayer for the healing of the young man. Then the Sun turned her into a healing spring. Lars washed himself with this water and was healed of his unhappy love. But this legend did not take root, and subsequently the source began to be associated with the more famous story of Narcissus.
In 1811 Paul marries Alexandrine de Broglie (or Broglio, as is customary in modern transcription). The marriage was happy, they had ten children, but Alexandrina did not live long and died in 1824. Her two brothers were killed in battles with Napoleon: one at Austerlitz and the other at Kulm. On the site of the former temple of Amur on the Levkadian rock, towering over the park, Paul arranges obelisk in honor of her brothers and in memory of her wife. Now it is from there that the best view of the park opens.
Another interesting sculptor of the park - Väinämäinen, the hero of "Kalevala". The statue was erected in 1831 and renovated in 1873. The first edition of "Kalevala" in the form in which it is known to us now, happened later, in 1834. But even before that, Finnish folk songs were studied in educated circles, and the owner of Mon Repos was keenly interested in the folklore of these places.
In the 1830s, new gate to the park, created in the neo-Gothic style with lancet turrets, carvings and the owner's coat of arms in the center. They were lost in the post-war years and recreated in the 1980s, albeit without the coat of arms.
After Paul's death, the estate passes to his eldest son Nikolaus Armand Michel von Nicolai, and then to the grandson, Paul Ernst Georg von Nicolai … This man was one of the most famous Lutheran religious leaders. He took a vow of celibacy and became a pastor. Paul Ernest worked a lot with young people. He stands at the origins of the Russian student Christian movement, founded in 1899. At first, the movement was popular only among Protestants, but the Orthodox soon began to join it. Young people studied the Bible and were engaged in active charity work. Paul Ernst is writing a gospel study guide for young people. With his participation, another society is being created - the spiritual and educational society "Mayak".
He had no children. Mon Repos went to his sisters, whose descendants lived here until 1940, after which they left for Finland, taking the library and the main values.
XX century
In Soviet times, Mon Repos is used as Holiday Houseand then how Kindergarten … Ski competitions are held in the park. Many objects are destroyed, and the rest are being rebuilt, but already in the 1960s, restoration began. Under the direction of I. Khaustova the main manor house is reconstructed, then the Narcissus pavilion above the spring is restored. In 1985 the Gothic entrance gate was restored.
Officially Museum appears here in 1988. Restoration and conservation are in progress. The last renovation of the house took place in 2006. In 1989, the first museum exhibitions appear.
Now the museum has more than six thousand exhibits. Once in Mon Repos, one of the richest libraries in Europe and one of the most extensive collections of antique gems and cameos was collected, but by the time the museum was founded, there was nothing left here. However, now the museum contains everything that was found on the territory of the park.
One of the main concerns of the museum staff is the preservation and restoration landscape park … Work on its arrangement is still underway. Several trees have survived in the park, which are more than a hundred years old. They are trying to restore the old garden in the style of the beginning of the 19th century: with flowers, fragrant plants and a decorative linden alley. It is planned to restore the fruit orchard. The museum plans to plant here classic varieties of apple trees: Antonovka, pear and white filling.
Interesting Facts
In 1999, the diplomat Count von der Pahlen from Finland, a direct descendant of the Nicolai family, came here.
One of the main items of the museum collection is Swedish armor of the 18th century, which was accidentally caught in the bay during fishing in our time.
On a note
- Location: Leningrad Region, Vyborg, Mon Repos Park.
- How to get there. By bus # 850 from the Parnas metro station, by bus # 810 from the Devyatkino metro station, by train from the Finlyandsky railway station to the Vyborg station. Further by buses №№1, 6.
- Official website:
- Opening hours: in summer 09: 00-20: 00, in winter 9: 00-18: 00.
- Cost: Adult - 100 rubles, concessionary - 50 rubles. Be careful, the ticket office of the museum works only for cash.
