Izmaylovo Country Estate

Lonely Planet review

Izmaylovo is best known for its extensive arts and crafts market, held every weekend. After shopping, however, Izmaylovsky Park and the crumbling royal estate are nice for a picnic or more serious outdoor activity.

A former royal hunting preserve 10km east of the Kremlin, Izmaylovsky Park is the nearest large tract of undeveloped land to central Moscow. Its 15 sq km contain a recreation park at the western end, and a much larger expanse of woodland (Izmaylovsky Lesopark) east of Glavnaya alleya, the road which cuts north-south across the park. Trails wind around this park, making it a good place to escape the city for hiking or biking. To get there, head south (away from the giant Hotel Izmaylovo complex) from Izmaylovsky Park metro.

The royal estate is on a small, moated island. Tsar Alexey had an experimental farm here in the 17th century, where Western farming methods and cottage industries were sampled. It was on the farm ponds that his son Peter learnt to sail in a little boat, which came to be called the Grandfather of the Russian Navy.

Past an extensive 18th-century barracks (now partly occupied by the police) is the beautiful, five-domed 1679 Intercession Cathedral, an early example of Moscow baroque. The nearby triple-arched, tent-roofed Ceremonial Gates (1682) and the squat brick bridge tower (1671) are the only other original buildings remaining. The latter contains an exhibition hall.