“Did you ever dream of a place where artists gathered?” That place is the ruins of the main house of the Dugino estate. The Dugino estate sits in the Meshcherino area of the Moscow region. Today we are standing before what remains of the Dugino estate. This once grand estate now exists as ruins after a fire on May 3, 2014.
The Dugino estate got its name from the dugout-dugi on the Pakhra River. A circular viewing platform faced the river. It was surrounded by birch trees.
Vasily Efremovich Meshcherin, a merchant, owned the Dugino estate. The estate then passed down through his family. Many famous Russian artists stayed at the Dugino estate in the late 19th century. Among them were V.A. Serov and I.I. Levitan. V.E. Borisov-Musatov also stayed there as well as I.S. Ostroukhov. I.E. Grabar and A.M. Vasnetsov visited the estate as well as A.M. Korin. V.V. Perepletchikov also visited the Dugino estate.
Two master suites existed in the main house. One belonged to Nikolai Vasilyevich Meshcherin. The other was for guests. The artists would complete works while visiting the Dugino estate. They would make sketches in the Sosny Churilek and Shestovo areas. Also, they would visit Lukino, Kupriyankha and Nemchinovo.
Alexei Korin often visited Dugino. Igor Grabar spent about 13 years at the estate. He started his time there as a youth. He married a local woman.
After the revolution, the Dugino estate fell into disrepair. The house was to become a museum. Instead, it became a neglected building. A fire in 2004 left only ruins. Even as ruins, the main house of the Dugino estate still attracts artists. You can imagine their presence on the walls of the house. Now only light and shadows dance where they once stood.