Gorki Leninskiye is a town-type settlement in the Leninsky district of the Moscow region of Russia, the administrative center of the urban settlement Gorki Leninskie. The population as of January 1, 2010 is 2.3 thousand inhabitants (2.1 thousand inhabitants in 2009). The distance to the administrative center, the city Vidnoe, 7 km. The distance to the nearest railway platform Leninskaya 4 km. In the village there is a museum-reserve "Gorki Leninskie", as well as the Scientific Archive of the Russian Academy of Education.
Leninskiye Gorki is an old estate located not far from Moscow. The
former noble estate houses the Gorki Leninskiye State Museum-Reserve.
Visitors to the estate, in addition to the main buildings, will also
visit the house-museum of V.I. Lenin, they will see the exact models of
his Kremlin office and apartment. In addition, the reserve has a
well-preserved park and a museum of the life of a Russian peasant.
The history of Gorok began in the 18th century, when landowner Marfa
Spasiteleva acquired a piece of land in a small village near Moscow. A
large house was built on the estate and a beautiful garden was planted.
A few years later, the noblewoman went bankrupt and sold her country
estate. The estate passed from one landowner to another, gradually
dilapidated.
In 1824, the estate was bought by a well-known
social activist, politician, participant in the war of 1812, writer and
poet A.A. Pisarev. Under him, a two-story stone manor house was built in
the estate (before that, all the buildings were wooden), the northern
and southern wings, the structure of the park was laid, which has been
preserved to this day.
In 1909 Z.G. became the owner of the
estate. Morozova-Reinboat, heiress of the multi-million dollar fortune
of the manufacturer S. Morozov. Two years after his death in 1905,
Zinaida Grigorievna marries the mayor of Moscow, A.A. Reinobot, but a
few months later, due to accusations of embezzlement, A. Reinobot was
forced to resign. To avoid gossip, Zinaida Grigorievna sells the famous
mansion on Spiridonovka and acquires an estate in Gorki with the
proceeds.
The estate underwent a large-scale reconstruction, as a
result of which the estate acquired a modern look. Electricity, running
water, central steam heating (in the main house) were installed, and in
1913 even a telephone appeared. The architect F. Shekhtel added a Winter
Garden, a veranda to the mansion, decorated the facade of the main house
with a portico and a colonnade. In 1915, a stable, a water tower, and a
small farm appeared on the estate. Several beautiful gazebos were built
in the garden.
Thanks to the water tower, water flowed not only
to the large house, the northern and southern wings, but also to the
outbuildings.
With the advent of Soviet power, Gorki were given
to V.I. Lenin as a residence. Favorable location (not far from Moscow),
beautiful nature, all the conditions for a normal life, but most
importantly, the presence of a telephone was for Lenin the main reason
for choosing this particular estate. Here the leader of the world
proletariat lived and worked for 2.5 years.
By this phone, Lenin
sent about 200 messages-instructions to various cities of Russia. But
the connection was very bad, because. the line did not go directly to
Moscow, but passed through Podolsk. In this regard, Lenin wrote
indignant notes to the People's Commissar of Posts and Telegraphs V.S.
Dovgalevsky: "Comrade Dovgalevsky, again and again I draw your serious
attention to the disgrace with my telephone in the village of Gorki." As
a result, an amplifier was added to the phone.
The northern wing
of the estate in Gorki was considered a guest house, Lenin and N.
Krupskaya lived here in the winter, moving to a large house in the
summer. There was no steam heating in the North Wing, all rooms were
heated by Dutch stoves. Lenin occupied a small room here so that no one
would interfere with his work. Because the guest house did not provide
for a desktop; he had to work at a small dressing table. The skin on the
floor is a gift from the Tver hunters who came to visit him.
Museum
The estate is known due to the fact that since the winter
of 1921-22. and until his death, V. I. Lenin lived here. The estate
largely preserved pre-revolutionary interiors with furnishings from the
times of Zinaida Morozova. Already at that time the estate was
telephoned.
The complex of the museum-reserve includes the
following objects:
Museum-Estate "Gorki" with a preserved memorial
environment in which Vladimir Ilyich Lenin lived, worked and died
Museum of V. I. Lenin
Museum "Office and apartment of V. I. Lenin in
the Kremlin"
Museum of peasant life
Official website of the Leninskiye Gorki Museum-Reserve
http://mgorki.ru/
Work schedule
The protected area is open to visitors daily from 9:00 to 21:00, the
entrance fee to the territory is 100 rubles. Tickets to museums are
purchased taking into account the excursion service. Groups of tourists
are formed from Wednesday to Sunday at the beginning of each hour from
9:00 to 18:00. On Monday and Tuesday, guided tours are possible only by
prior arrangement.
Ticket price
The price of a ticket to visit
one object in 2023 ranges from 100 to 500 rubles. depending on the scale
of the exposure. For a complex ticket for viewing the halls of all
attractions as part of an excursion group, a fee of 1000 rubles is
provided, for tourists who independently wish to see the exhibitions -
800 rubles.
You can buy tickets at the box office or on the
official website of the museum complex. For preferential categories of
citizens, a 50% discount applies to all tickets to museums. Children
under 7 years old can enter all halls of the museum-reserve for free.
Early History and Pre-Revolutionary Ownership
The origins of the
estate trace back to the 18th century, when it belonged to various
prominent Muscovite noblemen. In the early 19th century, it was
developed by a hero of the Napoleonic Wars, establishing the core of the
country mansion that would later become iconic. The property changed
hands among Moscow's elite, reflecting the social dynamics of imperial
Russia.
A significant turning point came in 1909, when Zinaida
Morozova, the widow of the wealthy industrialist and theater patron
Savva Morozov, purchased the estate. Morozova, a member of one of
Russia's richest families, commissioned the renowned architect Fyodor
Schechtel to remodel the mansion in a grand Neoclassical style. This
renovation included distinctive features such as a six-column Ionic
portico on the façade, enhancing its elegance and aligning it with
contemporary architectural trends. The following year, in 1910, Morozova
married General Anatoly Reinbot (later known as Anatoly Rezvoy), who
served as the chief of Moscow's police force, further elevating the
estate's status among the pre-revolutionary aristocracy. During this
period, the mansion retained elements of late 19th-century Art Nouveau
influences, blending old and new styles.
Nationalization and
Lenin's Arrival (1917–1921)
The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917
dramatically altered the estate's trajectory. In 1918, following the
Soviet government's relocation to Moscow, the property was nationalized
and repurposed as a dacha (country retreat) for Vladimir Lenin, the
leader of the Bolshevik Party and the nascent Soviet state. This
decision came shortly after an assassination attempt on Lenin in August
1918 by Fanni Kaplan (also known as Fanya Kaplin), a
Socialist-Revolutionary, who shot him twice outside a Moscow factory.
Wounded in the neck and shoulder, Lenin recuperated at Gorki, marking
the beginning of his deep connection to the site. The estate provided a
serene environment away from the political turbulence in the capital,
allowing him to rest and work intermittently.
Initially, Gorki served
as a weekend retreat, but as Lenin's health began to deteriorate in the
early 1920s, his stays became more prolonged. From 1921 onward, amid the
challenges of the Russian Civil War and the establishment of the Soviet
Union, Lenin used the mansion for living, dining, and conducting limited
state affairs.
Lenin's Decline, Death, and Immediate Aftermath
(1922–1924)
Lenin's time at Gorki Leninskiye intensified as his
illnesses progressed. In May 1922, he suffered his first major stroke,
which caused temporary aphasia (loss of speech) and partial paralysis.
He recovered sufficiently by October to briefly return to Moscow, but a
second stroke in December 1922 forced him back to the estate. On May 15,
1923, Lenin moved to Gorki permanently for semi-retirement, under the
care of his wife, Nadezhda Krupskaya, and a team of doctors.
A third
and most severe stroke struck in March 1923, leaving him partially
paralyzed on his right side and unable to speak coherently. Adaptations
were made to the mansion to accommodate his condition, including extra
banisters on staircases and a specially designed semi-electric
wheelchair. Despite slow recovery, Lenin's health continued to falter.
On January 21, 1924, at the age of 53, he fell into a coma and died at
the estate from a cerebral hemorrhage. Alternative theories about his
death, such as syphilis or even poisoning, have been speculated but
remain unproven.
Following his death, Lenin's body was temporarily
embalmed in the mansion's bathtub before being transported to Moscow. It
lay in state for three days, viewed by up to a million mourners, and
against his wishes and Krupskaya's objections, the Politburo decided on
permanent embalming for display in the Red Square Mausoleum. The estate
was promptly renamed "Gorki Leninskiye" in his honor, cementing its
place in Soviet lore.
Transformation into a Museum (1924–1980s)
In the years after Lenin's death, the estate was preserved largely
intact, with many of his personal belongings left in place. It became a
site of pilgrimage, drawing thousands of Soviet citizens eager to
connect with the revolutionary leader's legacy. Officially, in
1949—marking the 25th anniversary of Lenin's death—the property was
transformed into a formal museum complex. This included the main
mansion, which housed artifacts like Lenin's deathbed, death mask,
telephone with a direct Kremlin line, and his modified Rolls-Royce
Silver Ghost (purchased in 1922 and adapted with caterpillar tracks and
skis for winter use, making it the only known half-track Rolls-Royce).
In 1958, a monument titled "The Death of the Leader" was unveiled in the
18th-century park, further emphasizing the site's commemorative role.
The estate's garage displayed Lenin's Rolls-Royce, which had been
ingeniously modified to run on alcohol during the Civil War fuel
shortages.
The pinnacle of development came in 1987, when a large,
constructivist-style museum dedicated to Lenin's life was constructed on
the grounds. This was the last Lenin museum built in the USSR before its
dissolution in 1991. It featured exhibits such as Lenin's Last Testament
(transcribed by Krupskaya), documents, photographs, books, and
interactive displays on the October Revolution, including projections
and narrations in glass cubes. A central hall housed a marble statue of
Lenin under a halo-like ceiling, symbolizing the cult of personality
surrounding him.
Post-Soviet Era and Contemporary Significance
(1990s–Present)
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Gorki
Leninskiye transitioned into a state-funded museum complex, adapting to
the new political landscape while retaining its historical focus. In
1994, Lenin's office and apartment from the Kremlin were relocated to
the site, complete with original furniture, a library, and private rooms
shared with Krupskaya. The Museum of Political History, part of the 1987
addition, continued to showcase audio-visual installations, documents,
and propaganda elements, including World War II posters.
In recent
years, the site has undergone refurbishments, including fresh paint and
enhanced outdoor displays, maintaining its appeal as a cultural
preserve. It remains a key destination for understanding Bolshevik
history, Lenin's personal life, and the early Soviet period. As of 2025,
Gorki Leninskiye symbolizes the intersection of imperial Russian
elegance and revolutionary transformation, offering insights into one of
the 20th century's most influential figures.
Gorki Leninskiye is an urban-type settlement located in the Leninsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia. It serves as a historical and cultural site, notably known for the estate where Vladimir Lenin spent his final years, but its geography contributes significantly to its serene and isolated character. Positioned just beyond the southern outskirts of Moscow, the settlement blends suburban accessibility with natural seclusion, making it a transitional zone between urban expansion and rural landscapes.
The settlement lies approximately 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) south of Moscow's city limits and the Moscow Ring Road (MKAD), though the actual road distance from central Moscow ranges from 35 to 43 kilometers, depending on the route, placing it about 30 kilometers south of the city center. Its precise coordinates are 55°30′29″N 37°46′39″E (or approximately 55.508°N, 37.777°E), situating it in the central part of European Russia within the Moscow River Basin. Accessibility is facilitated by major infrastructure: the M4 highway (also known as Kashirskoe Shosse) provides a direct car route, typically taking under an hour, while suburban rail from Moscow's Paveletsky Station reaches nearby stations in 45-60 minutes. Surrounding landmarks include the village of Gorki to the north and other settlements in the Leninsky District, with the area forming part of the broader Moscow metropolitan region's green belt.
Gorki Leninskiye occupies elevated terrain at an average elevation of around 166 meters above sea level, characteristic of the gently undulating plains of the Moscow Upland. The landscape is marked by rolling hills and a high riverbank, providing a sense of elevation and scenic views over the surrounding valleys. A notable feature is a steep ravine that descends from the upper areas to the river below, adding ruggedness to the otherwise moderate topography. This elevation was historically valued for its isolation and panoramic perspectives, contributing to the site's selection as a retreat. The terrain includes remnants of ancient features, such as 12th-century Viatichi burial mounds integrated into the hilly wooded areas.
The settlement is intimately tied to local waterways, positioned on the high bank of the Turovka River near its confluence with the larger Pakhra River, both of which are tributaries within the Moscow River system. The Turovka flows along the lower edges of the estate, with a small dam creating a picturesque stream and grotto. Additionally, the area features a private pond or small lake, enhancing the hydrological diversity and providing calm water bodies amid the flowing rivers. These features contribute to a microclimate of moisture and support the surrounding vegetation, while bridges over the Pakhra facilitate local movement.
The geography of Gorki Leninskiye is dominated by pristine woods and dense forests, typical of the mixed deciduous-coniferous zones in central Russia. The area encompasses a divided park system: the upper park features lime tree avenues and wooded hills, while the lower park includes flowerbeds, bridges, and decorative elements along the steep slope to the river. Vegetation is lush, with a focus on native species that create a tranquil, forested valley environment in the Pakhra River basin. Surrounding paths wind through these forests, and the overall setting includes a sculpture park integrated into the natural landscape. Soils are likely podzolic or chernozem types common to the region, supporting agriculture and greenery in nearby areas, though specific soil data is limited. This natural abundance has preserved the site's appeal as a green oasis near urban Moscow.
Gorki Leninskiye experiences a humid continental climate (Dfb classification), similar to Moscow, with distinct seasons: cold, snowy winters and warm, humid summers. Annual precipitation is significant, averaging around 600-700 mm, distributed fairly evenly but with peaks in summer; months with over 150 mm are considered wet, while under 30 mm are dry. Temperatures range from average January lows of -10°C to -5°C (with extremes below -20°C) to July highs of 20°C to 25°C. Humidity is moderate to high, especially in summer, with around 150-200 rainy days per year. Sunshine hours increase in spring and summer, supporting the lush vegetation, while winters bring frequent overcast skies and snowfall. Seasonal variations include short springs and autumns with rapid temperature shifts, influenced by the area's elevation and proximity to rivers, which can moderate local conditions slightly compared to central Moscow.