The Monrepo Landscape Park has been created since the 18th century. Now it is a picturesque park on several islands with numerous park pavilions, bridges, ponds and pavilions. The 18th century manor house houses a museum dedicated to the history of the estate.
The first owners
Once upon a time on this small island (in Swedish it was called Slotsholmen, in Finnish - Linnansaari, and in Russian it became known as Tverdysh) there was a cattle yard, which supplied the garrison of the Vyborg castle with meat.
In 1760, when the castle had already belonged to Russia for fifty years, these lands were granted to the commandant of the fortress, and later to the governor of Vyborg, Peter Alekseevich Stupishin. He named the estate Lille Ladugorde in memory of his first wife Charlotte - Charlottenthal. It was Peter Alekseevich who was the first to ennoble and organise the island: the lower meadows were drained, new soil was poured, and alleys were laid out. A wooden house was built, and the main building was a greenhouse.
Stupishin's heirs sell the estate, and the next owner, the new commandant of Vyborg - Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Karl of Württemberg - settles in it. This is a native brother of the young German princess Sophia Dorothea Maria Augusta Louise, wife of the heir to the throne Paul I, the future Empress Maria Feodorovna. The place is very much liked by the prince. It is under him that the name Montrepo (from the French Mon Repos - "my repose") appears. He built himself a new house and continued to improve the park. But relations with the ruling empress Catherine II did not work out and in 1786 he left the Russian service.
The von Nicolai family
In 1788, Montrepo became the estate of Baron Ludwig Heinrich von Nicolai. This is the personal secretary of Maria Feodorovna, one of the most educated people of his time and one of the closest people to the Grand Ducal, and later the reigning, family. The new owner decorates and rebuilds the estate according to the latest fashion. The Italian architect Giuseppe Antonio Martinelli renovates the main manor house in the Palladio style. Two new wings appear, one of which houses the master's private study. There is a large hall for balls and gala dinners, a drawing room, billiard and smoking rooms, a "royal" room decorated with portraits of reigning persons. Under the next owner, an antique portico with columns appears on the front facade of the house.
The park continues to expand and becomes one of the most graceful landscape parks in Europe - with narrow paths, garden pavilions and carefully designed "naturalness". The elderly owner himself writes a poem about his park in German, and it is read all over Europe. There is Prisoner's Castle, Cupid's Rock, wooden Hermit's Hut... At the end of the 18th century, the Chinese theme in architecture was very popular - and in the park there are multi-coloured Chinese bridges over a specially dug channel and Chinese pavilions.
In honour of the two reigning persons who favoured the Nicolai family, the owner erected a solemn marble column of the two emperors - Paul I and Alexander I.
On a separate islet a small pavilion for rest - Turkish tent. Now the pavilion is not preserved, but there are benches and a viewing platform, because from this place opens the most picturesque view of the estate.
The estate is inherited by his son Paul von Nicolai. Paul by this time is already a well-known diplomat, a close friend of the Vorontsov family. He spends most of his time on diplomatic trips, in England and Denmark, but rest comes to his Finnish estate. Paul continues to decorate Monrepo in the English spirit, if you want to see parallels with the Crimean palace of his friend Mikhail Vorontsov, who was also an Anglomaniac.
Under Paul von Nicolai, one of the most interesting places in the estate - Island of the Dead - is being organised here. The castle pavilion on a small island near Monrepo was built by his father. Baron Ludwig in his poem told a romantic legend that the Swedish king Erik IV, who was once imprisoned here and deposed by his evil brothers (in fact, he was imprisoned in Turku and then in Erbuhus Castle). But in his honour, the island was called Erichtein. And in 1822, after the death of his father, Paul von Nicolai organises here a chapel-tomb in neo-Gothic style. The place is renamed Ludwigstein. The island becomes a romantic family tomb, created to reflect on eternity. In addition to the chapel and burials, the Medusa Grotto with a carved mask of Medusa Gorgon reminds of death. Only coniferous trees are specially planted on the island so that the atmosphere itself evokes a sense of solemn sorrow. It was possible to get to the island only on a special ferry.
During the Soviet era, the place was abandoned and the crypts were desecrated. Now the ferry crossing does not operate and there is no official access to the island, but you can get there on your own by boat. The chapel and crypts have been mothballed and restoration is planned.
Under Paul's reign, the romantic pavilion over the spring of Narcissus appears. The architect was Auguste Montferrand. The spring, which supplied the estate with water, was considered by the locals to be healing for the eyes. It was originally called Silma, the eye. Ludwig von Nicolai renamed it Silmia's Spring and composed for his poem the legend of the nymph Silmia, with whom the shepherd Lars was in love. She did not love him, but pitied him, and appealed to the Sun to heal the young man. Then the Sun turned her into a healing spring. Lars washed his face with this water and was cured of his unhappy love. But this legend did not catch on, and the spring was later associated with the more famous story of Narcissus.
In 1811, Paul married Alexandrine de Broglie (or Broglio, as is the modern transcription). The marriage was a happy one, they had ten children, but Alexandrina did not live long and died in 1824. Two of her brothers died in battles with Napoleon: one at Austerlitz and the other at Kulm. On the site of the former temple of Cupid on the Leucadian rock overlooking the park, Paul erects a obelisk in honour of her brothers and in memory of his wife. It is now the best view of the park.
Another interesting sculpture of the park is Väinämäinen, the hero of the "Kalevala". The statue was erected in 1831 and updated in 1873. The first edition of "Kalevala" in the form in which it is known to us now, occurred later, in 1834. But even before that, Finnish folk songs were studied in educated circles, and the owner of Monrepo was keenly interested in the folklore of these places.
In the 1830s, new gates to the park appeared, created in neo-Gothic style with lancet turrets, carvings and the owner's coat of arms in the centre. They were lost in the post-war years and recreated in the 1980s, but without the coat of arms.
After Paul's death, the estate passed to his eldest son, Nikolaus Armand Michel von Nikolai, and then to his grandson, Paul Ernst Georg von Nikolai. This man was one of the most famous Lutheran religious figures. He took a vow of celibacy and became a pastor. Paul Ernest worked extensively with young people. He is at the origin of the Russian Student Christian Movement, founded in 1899. At first the movement was popular only among Protestants, but soon the Orthodox began to join it. Young people studied the Bible and were active in charity work. Paul Ernst wrote a manual on the study of the Gospel for young people. With his participation another society is created - the spiritual-educational society "Lighthouse".
He had no children. Monrepo went to his sisters, whose descendants lived here until 1940, after which they left for Finland, taking the library and the main valuables.
20th century
In Soviet times, Monrepo was used as a holiday home and then as a kindergarten. Ski competitions are held in the park. Many objects are destroyed and the rest are rebuilt, but already in the 1960s restoration begins. Under the leadership of I. Haustova the main manor house is reconstructed, then the Narcissus pavilion above the spring is restored. In 1985 the Gothic entrance gate was restored.
Officially, the museum appears here in 1988. Restoration and conservation continues. The last renovation of the house took place in 2006. In 1989 the first museum expositions appear.
Now in the funds of the museum more than six thousand exhibits. Once in Monrepo was collected one of the richest libraries in Europe and one of the most extensive collections of ancient gems and cameos, but by the time of the museum there was nothing left. However, the museum now contains everything that could be found in the park.
One of the main concerns of the museum staff is the preservation and restoration of the landscape park. Works on its arrangement are still in progress. The park has preserved several trees that are more than a hundred years old. Here they are trying to restore the old garden in the taste of the early 19th century: with flowers, fragrant plants and an ornamental linden alley. It is planned to restore the apple orchard. The museum plans to plant here classic varieties of apple trees: Antonovka, pear and white.
Interesting facts
In 1999, diplomat Count von der Palen from Finland, a direct descendant of the Nikolai family, came here.
One of the main items of the museum collection is a Swedish armour of the 18th century accidentally caught in the bay during fishing in our time.
On a side note
- Location: Leningrad Oblast, Vyborg, Vyborg Park, Vyborg, Monrepo Park.
- How to get there. Bus № 850 from metro station "Parnas", bus № 810 from metro station "Devyatkino", by train from Finland railway station to the station "Vyborg". Further by buses №№ 1, 6.
- Official website: http://www.parkmonrepos.org/main
- Opening hours: summer 09:00-20:00, winter 9:00-18:00.
- Cost: Adult - 100 rubles, discount - 50 rubles. Be careful, the museum's cash desk works only for cash..
