🌿 Of all the places in Tarusa, this was the one I wanted to visit first.
In 1929, agronomist Nikolai Petrovich Rakitsky built a house here and created an experimental arboretum garden, planting exotic species from different climate zones and studying how they could adapt to local conditions.
After the botanist’s death in 1979, the unique garden gradually fell into neglect and became overgrown, while the house itself stood abandoned — until designer Evgenia Zhdanova took on the project of restoring it.
In 2022, Rakitsky’s House reopened its doors — this time as a museum. The revival of the garden was carried out by the landscape studio MOX, the same team behind the Herb Garden in New Holland in St. Petersburg and the new garden at the Spaso-Evfimiev Monastery in Suzdal. They didn’t take any payment for their work, considering Evgenia’s project too important not to support. That’s how the arboretum came back to life. 🌳
In winter the plants gather strength beneath the snow, so you won’t fully experience the colors and aromas of the garden until spring — but that’s a perfect excuse to return to Tarusa. The museum itself, however, is beautiful in any season. Take a look at the photos! 📸
📍Coordinates: Yandex.Maps
🏙️ Beyond Moscow 🏔️