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Экскурсии по Москве и Подмосковью для детей и взрослых

The Tretyakov gallery and Zamoskvoreche Tue - Sun, 4 hrs

Zamoskvoreche ( literally "beyond the Moscow river") - an old and quiet district of Moscow. The area was almost untouched by the replanning of the 1930-s. In the 19-th century wealthy merchants settled there. A lot of beautiful churches in the district were built at their expense. For example The church of St. Clement, The Church of Resurrection in Kadashi etc. We'll visit the churches and the convent of Saints Martha and Mary which was founded by the saint martyr Grand Duchess Yelizaveta Fyodorovna, sister in law of Tsar Nicolas II. We'll have a look at the striking sculptural composition "Children are the victims of adult's vices" created by Mihail Shemiakin in Blolotnaya square.

In 1892 the millionaire merchant and textiles manufacturer Pavel Tretyakov presented his private museum to the city of Moscow. Nowadays it is the world's largest collection of Russian art and icons. The museum is situated in Zamoskvoreche so a visit to the gallery could be a part of the big tour around this old district of Moscow

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The State Tretyakov Gallery is the national treasury of Russian fine art and one of the greatest museums in the world. It is located in one of the oldest directs of Moscow – Zamoskvorechye, not far from the Kremlin. The Gallery's collection consists entirely of Russian art and artists who have made а contribution to the history of Russian art or been closely connected with it. This is how it was conceived by its founder, the Moscow merchant and industrialist Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov (1832-1898) and how it has remained to this day.

The date of its foundation is usually taken to be 1856 when the young Tretyakov first acquired works by Russian artists of his day with the aim of creating а collection, which might later grow into а museum of national art. "For me, а true and ardent lover of painting, there can be no finer wish than to found а universally accessible repository of the fine arts, which will benefit many and give pleasure to all," wrote the collector in 1860, adding "I… should like to leave а national gallery, that is, а gallery with pictures by Russian artists".

The years passed and the young collector's desire was brilliantly put into practice. In 1892 Moscow, and with it the whole of Russia was presented by Tretyakov with а large and already famous gallery containing about 2,000 paintings, drawings and sculptures of genuine works of Russian art.

Nowadays, the Gallery's Collection contains more than 130 000 works of painting, sculpture and graphics, created throughout the centuries by successive generations of Russian artists. Two separate buildings at different locations – at Lavrushinskiy Pereulok, and at Krymskiy Val, – house the works selected for display.

Russian art works, ranging in date from the 11th to the early 20th century, are on the show in Gallery's historic building on Lavrushinskiy Pereulok. Here one can see the outstanding collection of Russian Medieval icon painting, works by best-known Russian artists of the 18th – first half of the 19th century, masterpieces of national art dating to second half of the 19th century, collection of art works of the turn of the 19th century. Gallery's complex located at Lavrushinskiy Pereulok incorporates the Engineering Building, which regularly hosts temporary exhibitions, the “Church of St. Nicholas at Tolmachi” museum, a masterpiece of 17th – 19th century architecture. The latter, contains collection of 15th – 19th century icons, and Russian national palladium – the 12th century icon of “The Virgin of Vladimir”.

Hours Tues-Sun 10am-7:30pm

Address 10 Lavrushinsky Pereulok

Transportation: metro Tretyakovskaya or Novokuznetskaya

Phone (495)230-7788

Tretyakov gallery on the Internet

European art in Moscow

The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts - Russia's largest collection of Western European art, comprising Early Byzantine icons, Coptic portraits, Italian Renaissance, Poussin and Barbyson school. One of the best collections of French Impressionists. A perfectly displayed collection of ancient Egypt, mummies stellas, statues, manuscripts, sarcophaguses. Henry Schlimann's breakthrough - Golden Treasures of Troy v Kuskovo estate - the "Russian Versailles", a historical and art museum-park.