The Manor House of Goncharovs was built in the 1730s. The author of the project is unknown, but it is attributed to the great architect of those times Francesco Rastrelli, who built most of the royal palaces in St. Petersburg. At first, the manor house had two floors, but soon the third floor was built on. The facade is made in a classic style.
On the ground floor there were office premises, as there was a huge paper mill next to the house. On the second floor there were enfilades of state halls where the Goncharovs held receptions. On the third floor were the family`s private rooms.
The Linen Factory Estate was severely damaged during the WWII. Until the 1980s, the manor house was in ruins, but by 1999 it was completely restored, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Pushkin.
An oak staircase leads from the lobby of the Linen Factory Museum to the second floor. A museum dedicated to the Goncharov family has been created here, although considerable emphasis is placed on the era of the first half of the 19th century, when Alexander Pushkin came to the Linen Factory after his marriage to Natalia Goncharova.
In 13 halls of the museum there are exhibits that recreate the interiors of the Linen Factory Estate of the 19th century. In the first hall you can see the most famous portrait of Natalia Goncharova, painted in 1832 by Alexander Bryullov, the elder brother of the famous artist Karl Bryullov.
In other halls there are many authentic objects that belonged to the Goncharovs, a collection of weapons, as well as numerous portraits of all the Goncharovs who lived in the Linen Factory Estate.
Various documents of the Goncharovs are also of great interest. Here you can see the decree of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna from 1742, by which she awarded Afanasy Goncharov the rank of collegiate assessor with the rank of major. It gave him the right to hereditary nobility. Next to the Main House, an 18th-century production workshop has been preserved, which now houses the exposition of the Buzeon Paper Museum.
In the room of Natalia Ivanovna Goncharova, the owner of the estate, you can see a portrait of Mikhail Kutuzov. It is located here in memory of the days that the Russian army spent near the Linen Factory Estate after the Battle of Maloyaroslavets. Kutuzov`s headquarters was located directly in the Manor House of the Linen Factory. From here, the Russian army began to pursue Napoleon`s retreating army.
