Velyaminov Estate (Vasino)

The Velyaminov Estate is a former noble manor in the village of Vasino, Chekhov urban district, Moscow Oblast. The Vasino estate is known for its main house, one of the few surviving wooden Empire-style manor houses in the Moscow region. The house is listed as an architectural monument.

History

The estate was founded in the second half of the 18th century by the landowner A. I. Plakhova. In the mid-19th century Vasino passed to the official P. F. Velyaminov, whose name the estate still bears. Later owners included the landowner A. N. Vecheslova and P. P. Kostylev. The main house is tentatively attributed to the architect A. S. Kutepov.

After the 1917 revolution the estate was nationalised. The main house first held a military commissariat, then a secondary school, and once the school moved to a new building, teachers lived in the house. In 1974 the estate was given the status of a historical and cultural monument. Over time the house fell into disrepair and was abandoned.

On 30 September 2014 the estate was sold at auction to Altyn-I, part of the ASG group, on condition that it be restored. A cultural and recreational centre was planned here after restoration. Photographs from 2023 still show the house blackened with age.

Architecture of the Vasino estate

The main house is a single-storey wooden mansion with a mezzanine. The centre of the facade is marked by a six-column Tuscan portico, above which rises a dome on a low drum, and the side wings are topped with decorative spires. The cellars are built of old brick and the plinth is faced with white stone.

Inside, the Empire layout survives: an inner corridor and an enfilade of state rooms along the main facade. In the central hall, which opens onto the park, two corner stoves faced with white tiles remain. Of the estate park, traces of the formal garden and a pond are left. The park also holds a monument whose origin local historians have not established.

Getting there

The reference point is the village of Merleevo. According to travellers' accounts, bus No. 30 runs from Chekhov towards Bulgakovo; from the Merleevo stop it is about 2 km to Vasino along a dirt road. By car, it is easiest to drive to Merleevo and walk the rest of the way.

Good to know

The house is in a dangerous state and belongs to a private company, so going inside is unsafe; the estate is best viewed from the outside.