Exhibition of the Park of the Ostafyevo Museum-Reserve

About exhibition

One of the most famous and oldest elements of the estate ensemble is the Linden Alley of the Ostafyevo formal park, located on its main planning axis. The lindens, planted as an espalier and joining their crowns, form a corridor. Some of the trees are over 200 years old. Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, who visited Ostafyevo repeatedly, is said to have called the linden alley "the Russian Parnassus." In the 18th century that term was used in the romantic parks of Europe for serpentine paths or alleys that climbed to the top of a natural or artificial rise. On both sides of the alley there is a system of rectangular bosquets planted with rows of lindens. The plantings are known as the "Ken-Cons Grove" and were planted in a checkerboard pattern. They were formed under Andrey Ivanovich Vyazemsky in the 19th century and restored during conservation works in 2006. The park also features Washington oaks, the Field of Mars, a man-made pond, a rotunda, the Azhurny (Openwork) Bridge, and monuments to the estate's famous guests and owners.