Pashkov House
Facing the Kremlin, on the Vagankosvky hills stands a sumptuous neoclassical palace: the Pashkov House.
It was named after Pyotr Pashkov, captain of the Semionovsky Imperial Guard regiment. It is believed that the building was designed by architect Vasily Bazhenov. It was completed in 1786.
Property of the State from 1839, the palace became the home of the Institute of Nobility and then of a high school. In 1861, it found a new purpose: it hosted Moscow’s Public Museum and the Rumyantsev Museum. In 1925 the Lenin library settled in the house and was later renamed the Russian State Library.
In the years 2000, Pashkov House went through a long period of renovation that enabled the building to go back to its original architecture. Closed to the public for many years, it is now open again.