On August 29, a sightseeing tour of the Moscow State Integrated Museum-Reserve “Kolomenskoye,” dedicated to the 100th anniversary of its founding, took place on the virtual platform of the Russian House in Brussels. Participants had the opportunity to connect with the rich history of one of the oldest places in Moscow.

Kolomenskoye is known for its archaeological monuments, which testify to the presence of humans here since the Stone Age. These ancient artifacts shed light on the history of the settlement, associated with the Finno-Ugric tribes who lived on the banks of the Moskva River long before the Slavs appeared.

The central focus of the tour was the Church of the Ascension of the Lord, built in 1532 in honor of the birth of Ivan the Terrible. This ancient temple, along with other architectural monuments such as the St. George’s Bell Tower and the Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist, attests to the important role of Kolomenskoye as the residence of the great princes and tsars of Russia.

Kolomenskoye experienced a special flourishing during the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who built a magnificent wooden palace here, considered the eighth wonder of the world. However, the palace has not survived to this day, and during the reign of Catherine the Great, it was replaced by a new four-story complex, which became the new symbol of this historic site.