Meyendorff Castle

President Dmitry Medvedev and Hugo Chavez at Barvikha Castle

Meyendorff Castle or Meiendorf Castle (Майендорф or Майндорф) is a Châteauesque architectural extravaganza constructed at the turn of the 20th century in Barvikha near Moscow to Pyotr Boytsov's designs as a private residence of the Meyendorff family (a cadet line of the Baltic German noble house of Uexküll). After the outbreak of World War I the owners of the castle left Russia.

After the October Revolution the castle was occupied by Vladimir Lenin and other Bolshevik leaders. In 1935 the grounds were declared a high-profile, exclusive sanatorium. Mikhail Bulgakov, Sergey Korolyov and Yuri Gagarin were among those who vacationed at Barvikha. There is also a World War II cemetery marked by Yevgeny Vuchetich's miniature copy of his Mamayev Monument.

In the 21st century Barvikha Castle has been designated a country residence of the President of Russia. It was there that the Meyendorff Declaration of 2008 was signed by the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

See also

Coordinates: 55°43′27″N 37°16′20″E / 55.72417°N 37.27222°E / 55.72417; 37.27222

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