Hey, guys!
Yesterday I was on a wonderful tour dedicated to the history of Kyiv and in particular the Tereshchenko dynasty. The tour is unique in that it allows you to see inside the estate, which is closed to the public. And the guide's story was accompanied by live saxophone playing. It turns out I really missed live music.
The skies were gray and gloomy, so I am using Mansion's photo from wiki as a cover for my post to show you that it is very beautiful.
And this is how it looks now:
Looking at the windows, covered with wooden shields that were installed after being hit by nearby Russian missiles, one involuntarily recalls the old and very beautiful estate on Bankova Street, which was severely damaged after being attacked by drones on January 1 of this year.
The construction of the house in the Renaissance style with Baroque elements was completed in 1898 according to the project of the architect Peter Boytsov. The owner of the estate was Olexander Tereshchenko, the grandson of the founder of the dynasty. Peter Boytsov was at that time a very popular Russian architect who accepted orders only from nobles. The Tereshchenkos were not nobles, but they were wealthy. They gained their wealth through their own labor and talent, without starting capital and without patronage.
In addition, which was an absolutely unique phenomenon of that time, the Tereshchenkos were very honest people with a good reputation. The founder of the dynasty, Artemiy Tereshchenko, decreed that the family would donate 80% of its industrial income to charity. Before his death, his sons promised him to continue this tradition and kept their word.
The building currently houses the National Scientific Medical Library of Ukraine, and access is limited to students and faculty.
Despite the fact that after the October coup, the building was looted by the Bolsheviks, its interior is well preserved. Ancient massive doors, carved panels, cabinets, original mirrors, including a huge Venetian mirror, as well as collected and restored Chinese vases found in the basement of the house. It is unknown whether they belonged to the owners or were brought in from other Kyiv houses.
This small room leads to the reading room and the order room. The charming spiral staircase has been preserved here.
The house was equipped with the latest technology. It had running water, electricity and steam heating. The elevator, which was used to lift heavy objects from the lower floor, has survived to this day. It is still used to lift books from the book depository.
This little character sits on the doors to the reading room. There was one reader inside at the time. We were allowed to go in and look around.
The next room is the catalog. Its size is impressive. God, I don't think I've seen such large catalogs since I was in university. It's nice to remember the old days.
We return to the large hallway. Next to the Venetian mirror is the door to the homeowner's study. Now it houses the Ukrainian-Polish library.
This is an original safe. Still works.
The last and most impressive room on the first floor that we can enter is the grand ballroom. Its ceiling is decorated with stucco, paintings and gold leaf. It is a detailed and accurate restoration according to the original drawings, blueprints and photographs.
We sit down in the hall, our guide also sits down, and we listen to the saxophone. And then the story begins about the most amazing fate of one of the last descendants of this famous rock - Mykhailo Tereshchenko.
He was young, handsome, and obscenely rich. He owned the world's largest yacht (at the time), and for the celebration he completely rented out the most expensive and prestigious restaurant in Paris. He wanted to engage in theater and stage his own play. He commissioned the libretto from Alexander Blok, with whom he had friendly relations.
Mykhailo was a gambler and often traveled to Monaco. He brought his own cooks and musicians with him. He was very lucky in the game, and several times he was the reason why the casino covered its gaming tables with black cloth, which meant that the game was stopped because it threatened the casino with bankruptcy.
Mykhailo belonged to the golden youth but fell in love with an ordinary Parisian woman. His mother was against their marriage, as she wanted a better match for her son. Therefore, Mykhailo lived with his beloved Marguerite Noé in a civil marriage. When Marguerite became pregnant, Mykhailo was so happy that he bought a huge blue diamond found in India, the second largest in the world. He decided to make this diamond the central element of a necklace with many other diamonds. Cartier personally cut the diamond, and this order became the most expensive order for the house of Cartier in its entire history. Yes, that's true.
After the October coup, Tereshchenko became the first Minister of Finance of the Provisional Government. He was honest and said what he meant. Because of this, Lenin considered him a personal enemy (and later Hitler too). Thanks to Tereshchenko's reputation, the Provisional Government received large foreign loans under Tereshchenko's personal guarantees. But later the Bolsheviks threw him in prison and were going to shoot him. Only the blue diamond saved his life. Lenin did not agree to accept the diamond in exchange for Tereshchenko's life, but Leon Trotsky overheard his conversation with Mikhail's wife...
After secret emigration, Tereshchenko lived in Norway, France, and Great Britain. Since Bolshevik Russia was not going to pay his debts, everything that belonged to him abroad (including his largest yacht) was takenbut even though this was not enough to repay the debt. Tereshchenko fiercely hated Bolshevik Russia, forbade anyone at home to speak Russian. But he valued his reputation extremely, so he agreed to pay the debt. And in the end he paid it.
I don't want to tell you the whole content of the tour. Believe me, it was worth every hryvnia.
At the end, it turned out that from the main hall there is an entrance to another room. It was a wow effect. The most impressive corner room. It has preserved the original table under a green cloth. This table has secret drawers that can still be opened if you know where the secret mechanism is. We were not shown it. Probably because it is secret.
The window frames, lock, and sill are also original. The window overlooks the street named after this outstanding dynasty.
The End.
All my travel posts on the map are here.
Hope you enjoyed the story.😉
Thank you so much for your time!
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