Description of the attraction
Initially, the most thoroughbred cattle were bred on the imperial farm to improve Russian animal husbandry. Now there is an equestrian complex of the Tsarskoye Selo Museum-Reserve with beautiful horses, which visitors of the park can ride. In the future, it is planned to establish a horse museum and a family recreation center.
The farm complex is located in the Fermsky Park, currently it also belongs to the Alexander Park, since the first main part belongs to the Agrarian University and is in disrepair. And the reserve includes only the farm building and the adjacent land plot (about 6 hectares), which is being improved. This area is a continuation of the Alexander Park, therefore it is attributed to it.
The first wooden buildings were built in 1810 for the imperial farm, transferred here from St. Petersburg. In 1818-1828, the architect A. A. Menelas erected a stone ensemble of buildings in the Anglogical style. All buildings - one- and two-story - are united by one fence and form a picturesque complex that has survived to this day, with the exception of buildings made of wood.
The complex included the following buildings: a pavilion of the highest presence (if the emperor arrives here), a two-story caretaker's house, one-story outhouses for various services, apartments for cattlemen and a veterinarian, a cowshed building (84 stalls), a dairy outhouse necessary for milk processing and storage of products (a milk cellar, a glacier, an oil mill with separators, a cheese factory), a shed for merino, a stone bathhouse and a few more wooden buildings.
A landscape park consisting of meadows with small “oases” of trees was set up around the complex for grazing. The grass was sown using a special western technology.
The farm was the favorite pastime of Emperor Alexander I. Here he supervised the field work, himself recorded the income from his rams, was happy and proud that the cloth of his uniform was made of their wool. At first, the main goal of the farm was to breed and select the best breeds of livestock. For this, foreign cows and sheep were purchased, but after a few years, due to illness, all these animals died. Therefore, it was decided to breed only Russian breeds.
In the 1860s and 1880s, the farm passed into the hands of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich. He again began to buy livestock of various breeds abroad and sold the offspring to private individuals. By the beginning of the 20th century, things were getting better. Also, the task of the farm in the production of milk and dairy products for the imperial family came to the fore, and everyone could buy the surplus. During the First World War, due to the lack of meat, pigs were raised here.
After the nationalization, the farm buildings were transferred to the Agrarian University, and for a long time were used for their intended purpose. During the Great Patriotic War, the buildings were badly damaged.
Until the early 1990s, a riding school operated on this territory, and since 1992 - the equestrian complex of the Tsarskoye Selo Museum. In 1988, the restoration of the ensemble began. The caretaker's building and the cowshed (now the stable) have been restored. Now anyone can ride in carriages drawn by Orlov trotters in the park. The coachmen have a special uniform. It is planned to open a riding club here.
The farm will soon open a museum where guests will be able to trace the history of human use of the horse. Carriages and sleds of the 19th-20th centuries, harnesses, and details of ammunition will be exhibited here. There will also be a hotel, a playground, a cafe and a small farm with real animals.
