Today the Brusnitsyn mansion is in need of serious restoration. This is an architectural monument of federal significance, which is being destroyed due to the neglect of the authorities. Around the buildings of factories are located, between which its façade flickers faintly.
Characteristic
The Brusnitsyn merchants' mansion is a place about which legends, bordering on mysticism, roam. The local interiors are striking in their beauty. However, the building is on the verge of destruction due to abandonment. Can't find money for tenants often change.
Photo shoots for advertisements, filming of films and clips are held here, which also affects the situation in a not very favorable way. You can come here as part of an excursion group. It is forbidden to touch interior elements due to their fragility. Fortunately, the rich decoration largely remained intact. Heating and electricity are available in some places.
An excursion to the Brusnitsyn mansion is a great way to look at the artistic decor of the local premises. If the building is so beautiful now, it is difficult to imagine what it was like in its heyday. It is as if you are moving into the past to become an immediate part of it, you find yourself in that era. In view of the dilapidated house, you need to catch the opportunity to look at this splendor, because who knows how long everything will remain in the same state.
Historical data
The Brusnitsyn mansion was built in 1770 at the junction of the Kozhevennaya and Kosaya lines. It was a stone building with a facade facing the coast. In 1780, Catherine II issued a decree according to which factories for processing leather were built here. In 1787, the building changed significantly due to the fact that a factory office was placed here. There were also residential-type rooms.
In 1844, this building was bought by N.M. Brusnitsyn. Three years later, the plant began to work. In 1857, the old house was supplemented with an extension on the west side. In the 1860s, the window openings on the first floor were widened. Finished facades on the front. In 1864, new elements of the architectural composition were built in the west.
In 1868, both spouses had ownership of the Brusnitsyns' mansion. In 1882, he passed to their heirs. The three brothers began rebuilding the facility two years later. A.I.Kovsharov embodied his architectural ideas. The second floor was increased, an extension was built, where a staircase was placed for the main entrance. A beautiful greenhouse also appeared. The interior of the house has changed radically, but this only made it better.
Location
The Brusnitsyn mansion, whose address is house 27, looks like the letter "Ш" if you look at the plan. This form is due to the presence of its own wing for each of the brothers.
The architects characterize the style of this house as eclectic. Kovsharov worked here from 1884 to 1886. The fact that this chic building is located in an area where basically all processes are aimed at the development of industry seems strange to many. There was an unpleasant smell and even poisonous fumes, which for some reason did not bother the merchants. Or plant control seemed more important to them.
View from the street
The Brusnitsyn mansion (St. Petersburg) is externally decorated with a frieze with picturesque garlands. If you look above, you can see how strongly the cornice protrudes, on which the denticles are placed. There is a pediment above the stairs.
The façade on the right is decorated with semicircular bay windows. Entering the courtyard, you will see a place where a gorgeous garden used to grow, now there are trees, sheds and outbuildings from it. Once the whole complex was a beautiful estate, where there was a mansion and vegetable gardens, buildings for production and storage purposes.
The Brusnitsyns' mansion was truly an impressive sight. Photos with his past appearance are still preserved, so there is still a small chance to be convinced of this with his own eyes.
The main entrance was boarded up after the 1917 revolution. The monograms with the family mark of the former owners were removed. A hammer and a sickle were placed in the vacant place - the symbols of the communists. In addition to the facade, this symbol can also be seen on the chandelier in the dance hall.
The ownership of the Brusnitsyns' mansion passed to A. Radishchev, the owner of another leather processing plant. The department and laboratory workers met here. More recently, the tables on which skin analyzes were performed using special instruments have been removed.
In the 1920s, the local greenhouse was moved to the building of the Botanical Garden. In the period from 1925 to 1930, where there was a passage earlier, a checkpoint with a lobby was located. In the room of the main staircase, wooden floors appeared, part of the doors were laid. In 1993, a metal covering was installed over the greenhouse. Also, renovations were made in the White Hall and the dining room.
Recently there was an idea, in accordance with it, the buildings of the plant, with which the Brusnitsyn mansion (St. Petersburg) is adjacent, was planned to be reconstructed in such a way that a hotel could be located on this territory. It will overlook the sea coast. However, too much money is needed to carry out this operation, and very few investors will agree to build something in an industrial wilderness area.
Losses
In the center of the building were premises of a ceremonial type, in the remaining parts were the living rooms of the owners and their relatives. The main entrance is to the east. Having come here, you can familiarize yourself with the enfilade layout. Many interesting and impressive details have survived here.
During the Soviet era, the rooms were organized for the work of workshops, so that some elements of luxury still disappeared. The paint is cracked, the stucco is torn in some places, and the walls are shabby. Of course, it is sad to see that the Brusnitsyn brothers' mansion is living out its days. A large number of sculptures and dressers, carpets, crystal dishes and other luxury items have been lost. However, you can still see chandeliers and fireplaces.
Grace and sophistication
Having passed into the passer-by, you can get into the premises of the second floor, one of which is the merchant's ceremonial dining room, whose design style most closely resembles the late Renaissance.
The value of the manor's chambers lies in the fact that there is genuine decoration here, for example, a ceiling decorated with stucco molding. It was painted wood-like to blend in better with the paneling on the walls and the door. You can see a beautiful huge bronze chandelier and wall sconces. They were installed by the founders, later using candles. The sideboard made of carved wood deserves special attention. Each panel on the walls was handcrafted. A secret door was created behind one of them, through which it was possible to enter the billiards room.
On the doors there is a head of a ram and an elegant ornament. This animal is not accidental here, because it personified the deity of trade. Wallpaper and flooring are already the fruits of our time. Previously, the walls were covered with low-density leather. It is certainly immediately clear which plant is in the neighborhood. The openings of doors and windows are finished with dark wood. You cannot look out into the street from the dining room, as the engraved glass faces the greenhouse.
Chic decor
In this room, as in others, the furniture that was here originally has not survived. Once upon a time there was a table made of oak and 60 chairs upholstered in leather. A family of merchants, their work colleagues and friends dined here.
Then you can proceed to the dance hall, whose walls are painted white. The lighting works here, thanks to which the beautiful molding with golden elements is better visible. This room was designed according to the models of the buildings in which Louis XV lived. You can see a lot of bizarre patterns. There are ornaments depicting vegetation, musical instruments, wreaths, panels in the form of flowers, fairy-tale characters. The composition is harmonious and sophisticated.
It is complemented by pilasters and capiels with lyres. The window frames remained intact. Their glasses are dense. The window sills are made of marble. Crystal pendants hang from the chandelier. It itself is made of bronze; it was altered during the reign of Soviet power. Here, too, appears a hammer with a sickle.
A marble fireplace, one of the best in St. Petersburg, remained intact. It is decorated with picturesque sculptures of cupids. In the last century, the use of the White Hall was similar to that of conventional assembly halls. Meetings and holidays were held here. There are beautiful curbstones by the fireplace, which have turned from flower vases into illuminating stands under the statues of Stalin and Lenin.
Mysticism within the walls of the estate
This place is valuable because you seem to move back into the past, getting into the Brusnitsyn mansion. The mirror has been preserved here since the time of the founders' administration. Approaching it, you will see a ceiling and a chic chandelier.
There is a special legend about an older object that hung on this place, which says that it brought misfortune to its owners. It was ordered in Italy when the mansion was still under construction. According to history, the thing was hanging in a tomb in Venice. It was believed that a person experiences unusual feelings when looking into a mirror-like surface.
When inexplicable troubles began to occur, this exhibit was removed for storage in the pantry. After the revolution, he disappeared. Although there are versions according to which this legend is just a fiction, attracting increased attention of tourists here. Such details constantly attract new visitors to the Brusnitsyn mansion. How to get yourself into this mysterious world of the past? They say that it is extremely difficult and much easier to hire a guide or come here to shoot a photo shoot.
Hookah bar
There is a smoking room near the White Hall, where the decor is well preserved. This room is considered one of the most valuable. This hookah was designed with an eye to the Moorish oriental style. You seem to find yourself in a fairy tale about Scheherazade. There is a beautiful dome, which is decorated with gilded plaster molding, decorated with bright colors.
There is a beautifully painted chandelier. Due to the fact that the object of illumination is reflected in the mirror, which has already lost its integrity and is divided into separate fragments, the room seems larger than it really is. On the walls is written "Glory to Allah" in exquisite script. In addition to the hookah, there were sofas, pillows and carpets. The floor covering was done in our days.
Main passage
From here you can get to the front door that comes from the front door, which is now boarded up. There were wooden floors here, thanks to which the appearance of this place was preserved in its original form.
The protection was removed when it was necessary to prepare this place for the filming of the film. Since then, it has been open to the eyes of the guests of the mansion. There is no electric light here, but daylight gets here pretty well. You can wander here for a very long time, bumping into all the new delightful details. It is worth making such a visit at least once in order to feel like a part of a bygone time, to become its guest at least for a short moment.
