The Kolomenskoye Estate in Moscow (Коломенское)

Similar to the Izmailovo estate from my previous posts, Kolomenskoe is likewise a complex of cultural monuments with traditional Russian architecture. If you want to see how Moscow looked before the Soviet Union, you should definitely stop by. This former royal residence is a scenic wilderness to the south of central Moscow and overlooks the banks of the Moscow River.

These photos are from a visit in June, not long after the greenery had finally recovered from winter. Because the estate is so large, you can quite literally spend many happy hours strolling through the unfrequented glades with a picnic when the weather is right. Now that Victoria and I have a newborn, we have an excuse to visit more often!

As I mentioned, it was a royal estate, and many of the medieval palaces, churches and such like wooden survivors are dotted around the territory. There are also the remnant features of a traditional village which was populated by descendants of the serfs who were attached to the Tsars’ estates.

I haven’t visited the old village since spring 2017 so I will save those photos for a different post, but a must not miss is the Church of the Ascension which was built in 16th century by Prince Vasili III to commemorate the birth of his son, Ivan IV (the Terrible). It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.

_{An aerial view of the Church of the Ascension Image Source}