Kotly, 96, Kotly, Leningrad Region, Russia, 188467
The Albrekht Estate is an old manor that belonged to the Russian noble family Albrekht. It is located in the village of Kotly in the Kingisepp district of the Leningrad region.
In 1730, Kotly and several nearby villages were granted by Empress Anna Ioannovna to Major General Ludwig von Albrekht (also known as Ivan Ivanovich Albrekht) for his assistance in her accession to the Russian throne. In the 1760s, the estate was inherited by Colonel Lev Ivanovich Albrekht. Under him, in 1768, the first manor house and a wooden St. Nicholas Church were built. A family crypt of the Albrekhts was constructed by the church walls. In 1784, a stone chapel was erected on the site of the old wooden church.
“Let him perish in Kotly!” – said the “kindest” Empress Elizabeth Petrovna when well-meaning people reminded Her Imperial Majesty about Major General Ivan Ivanovich Albrekht. What had the old serviceman, a hero of the battle of Villmanstrand (where he also lost a leg), done to displease the “gentle Elizabeth”? … Ludwig, also known as Ivan Ivanovich Albrekht, found himself in Russia by chance – he was persuaded by the promises of another “German” – Yakov Vilimovich Bruce, whose brother’s daughter he later married. However, our visiting landsknecht fell into disgrace not for that. As Pekarsky writes, Albrekht, being a “most diligent servant and fiscal of the Birons,” spied on the Tsarevna Elizabeth: who came to her, when, why, and what they talked about… For carrying out this “secret assignment,” he was granted the Kotel estate with villages totaling 90 households… Elizabeth Petrovna did not forget her secret spy, and on the night of the coup that elevated her to the Russian Olympus, the “spy” was one of the first arrested, immediately following the “most important persons” of the brief reign of the unfortunate sovereign Ivan Antonovich… Exile to the estate definitely benefited the “German.” Secluded, inescapable living is ideal for developing various talents. Thus, Ivan Ivanovich became interested in agriculture, cottage industries, and agricultural innovations and soon turned the estate into a flourishing establishment, if not exemplary.
The next owner of the estate was Colonel Ivan Lvovich Albrekht. During his ownership, a landscape park and fruit orchard were laid out, a staircase to the pond was built, and in 1836 the manor house was rebuilt. The new two-story building was designed in the neoclassical style and had two facades. The main facade was decorated with the Albrekht family coat of arms. At the same time, the estate was expanded by purchasing lands of the Retel estate with the villages of Verdevo (now Verdiya), Matigodok (now Matovka), Russkaya Rossiya, Undovo, and Shvedskaya Rossiya. Underground labyrinths were also constructed, with exits located near the house, the family crypt, and in the park.
In 1839, the estate was inherited by Major General Karl Ivanovich Albrekht. Under him, several stone utility buildings were constructed: a barn in the eastern part of the estate, a shed in the northwest, as well as a house with a dairy, an office, an icehouse, and a wooden residential building. The last owner of the family estate was Pyotr Karlovich Albrekht. Under him, some buildings were also constructed: in 1860 a two-story stable, in 1870 a carriage house and icehouse, in 1885 a new stable, and three one-story residential buildings.
In 1893, the estate became owned by Nina Alexandrovna Sapozhnikova, a representative of the Astrakhan merchant family. She divided the estate between her two daughters: Maria, wife of architect Leonty Nikolaevich Benois, and Olga, wife of Alexander Ivanovich Meissner. In the early 20th century, the sisters actively developed the estate, building: in 1900 a cattle yard, in 1902 a barn, in 1903 a greenhouse, as well as several other buildings.
The Kotly estate was in its heyday, with an abundance of works of art, including a unique collection of paintings by Russian and European masters. It is hard to imagine, but the painting collection of the Sapozhnikova sisters included a small picture of the Virgin Mary by an unknown artist, which their grandfather – the Astrakhan merchant Alexander Petrovich Sapozhnikov – had bought from traveling Italian circus performers. The famous artist Alexander Nikolaevich Benois (brother of Leonty) examined the painting and determined that it was the work of the great Leonardo da Vinci. In 1912, the painting was sold to the Hermitage for 150,000 rubles and entered the museum’s exhibition under the title “Madonna with a Flower” or “Benois Madonna.”
The Meissner and Benois families owned the estate until December 14, 1918, after which it was nationalized.
In 1920, an inventory of the property was made. According to this inventory, there were 46 buildings on the former estate grounds, including 16 stone ones. After nationalization, the lands were given to the Kotly state farm. The manor house housed a club. In the 1930s, the Albrekht family crypt was opened, and remains were removed from the crypt. In 1937, a military unit was stationed at the estate.
The estate and park suffered great damage during the Great Patriotic War. The estate housed a German headquarters, a prisoner-of-war camp, and near the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker – a German airfield. In 1944, the Germans blew up the manor house, destroying the park facade.
In the 1950s, the building was reconstructed, and the estate’s appearance became significantly more modest. During this period, the stone mausoleum above the family crypt was also destroyed. After the war, the estate was again given to a military unit. From 1950 to 1979, the manor house housed the Kotly secondary school; the 1860 stable building was used as a boarding school; the 1885 stable housed a canteen, assembly and sports halls, and workshops; the 1900 cattle yard and 1903 greenhouse were combined and used as warehouses. Later, all buildings were abandoned. In 1985, the territory was transferred to the Signal Scientific Production Association. Due to lack of funding for restoration and protection, the buildings began to deteriorate. Seeing this, descendants of the family tried to buy and restore the estate but could not because it was considered an architectural monument. In the 1990s, the sculptural composition “Golgotha” from the Albrekht family crypt was moved to the Kingisepp art gallery. In 2001, the walls of the manor house collapsed, and in May 2009, the front facade fell. Miraculously, the front portico with columns and the family coat of arms still stands, but its days also seem numbered.
Even now, looking at the remains of the house, one is struck by its grandeur and scale. One can only imagine the splendor of the manor house of such size, majestically towering on the hilltop. But even if restorers’ hands ever reach the estate, it will be a reconstruction. The true Albrekht estate is lost forever. Now Kotly is not only off the new highways under construction but also on the sidelines of life. Local residents speak bitterly about the lost values. All that remains for us is to recreate in our imagination the grand appearance of the estate in its best days.
Sources:
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albrekht_Estate_in_Kotly
https://palborum.livejournal.com/125249.html
https://a-121.ru/kotly-unikal-noe-mesto-s-neschastlivoj-sud-boj/
