Early 20th century view of the manor house on the Demidov Estate in the village of Taytsy, near Gatchina
The manor house was built in 1774-1778 for the famous Russian industrialist Alexander Grigorievich Demidov (1737-1803), by the Russian architect Ivan Egorovich Starov (1745-1808), who was also married to Demidov’s sister, Natalya.
During the Soviet era, the manor house was used as a sanatorium, named after the Bolshevik party administrator and chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, Yakov Sverdlov (1885-1919), who was directly involved in the murder of the Tsar and his family in 1918.
The building has fared much better than other abandoned manor houses in the region. A number of its original elements have survived to this day. Granite watch lions are located on the sides of the stairs of the house, and inside the house there are still an interesting spiral staircase, columns and even some furniture.
Today the Demidov Manor House belongs to the the Engineering Society and is currently empty, and under restoration.
