Kuz'minki Park

Many of the large estates in Moscow's suburbs and beyond were once owned by the country's wealthy pre-revolutionary aristocracy. This one was the property of the Golitsyn family. Despite such lofty origins, the park itself suffers from the effects of a major fire in 1915 and decades of Soviet neglect. This does not exactly make it pretty, but the eerie solitude (particularly in winter months) make it a worthwhile escape destination from the city proper. Incidentally, the estate's Egyptian Pavilion now hosts a biological research center.