Description of the attraction
Oparin's house is located in the town of Gorokhovets, Vladimir Region, on the banks of the Klyazma River, not far from the Annunciation Cathedral. The building is a magnificent architectural monument of the 17th century.
The house belonged to the wealthy Gorokhovets merchant Oparin. There is a version that this monument-house was in the possession of the Gorokhovets merchant Selin, who built it. However, this assumption is erroneous, because in historical documents it is noted that the building was built by the Oparins - a family of merchants, wealthy townspeople of Gorokhovets. This is confirmed by the fact that during the reconstruction of the building, personal belongings of this family were found.
The life of the Oparin family is very interesting and intertwined with the fate of the Ershov merchants. The Gorokhovets chronicles tell that back in the 1770s the Ershovs were the richest family in the city, and the Oparin family was not respected by the local population. No more than 50 years have passed and the situation of families has changed: now the son of the once wealthy merchant Ershov was forced to ask for a loan from Fedor Oparin, one of the most respected entrepreneurs.
The Oparin House was built at the end of the 17th century in the old Russian architectural traditions of stone architecture. Later, a porch and an additional side room were added to the main building. During the restoration work, it was decided to dismantle both annexes so as not to violate the original architectural concept, which still excites the hearts of researchers. It is very interesting that the external appearance of the facade walls in no way corresponds to the traditions of those years. The decor of the windows (platbands) is almost identical, while other architectural buildings of the 17th century are full of various forms and carved decorations of the platbands. The Oparinsky house is characterized by more austere features in comparison with the Ershov house and restraint in decoration.
The monumental porch of the Oparin house is its main attraction, but there is information that it was built much later than the house itself. This also causes a number of inconsistencies, since the porch in those years was considered almost the main attribute of the house. Despite this, the builders managed to recreate the Oparin house. Naturally, they did not succeed in accurately restoring its original appearance, but even in its current form, the house is magnificent.
Now it houses state institutions: the city archive and the registry office.
