UndeK.N. Bestuzhev-Ryumin’s “land¬scape of childhood”. Kudryoshki estate: the history of formation and fate of the family estater work
Abstract
On the basis of archival documents and memoirs the authors consider the formation of the architectural structure of the "village" of Kudryoshki (Gorbatovsky district of Nizhny Novgorod province, now Bogorodsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region), which for a long time was the ancestral home of the Bestuzhev-Ryumins. In the second quarter of the 19th century thanks to the efforts of N.P. Bestuzhev-Riumin there appeared the estate park complex, which greatly influenced the personality of his son, the future historian, academician K.N. Bestuzhev-Riumin. Regarded by him as "the landscape of his childhood and the first years of his youth", this architectural environment by its importance is comparable with the "Lyceum gardens" which inspired Aleksandr Pushkin. The article reconstructs the structure of the estate complex, explains the reasons why the large-scale reconstruction of the estate in Kudryoshki remained incomplete and describes the process of the subsequent decline of the estate and the loss of its buildings. The authors characterize the measures that were taken in Soviet and post-Soviet times to save this "memory place" (it was declared to be a monument of history and culture of regional significance, the landscape gardening was documented, all the plots were included in the list of specially protected natural areas). It is concluded that these measures turned out to be insufficient for the preservation and functioning of the estate as a cultural heritage object and nature monument. The authors raise questions about the future existence and development of Kudryoshki as a unique historical territory.
