The book you hold is devoted to some few surviving masterpieces of Russia"s estate art. You"ll read about the royal country estates, such as Gatchina, Tsaritsino, Massandra; the seats of nobleman"s culture - Kuskovo, Ostankino, Arkhangelskoe, Dubrovitsy, Alupka; the Russian Parnassus - the estates turned into workshops and studios by workers in the arts: Ostafievo, Mikhailovskoe, Polenovo, Abramtsevo and Talashkino. Traveling into the remotest parts of Russia and near abroad will actually mean traveling into the past of Russia"s culture and art. IN RUSSIAN.