Kolomeskoye Estate

Kolomenskoye Estate was once a favorite summer residence of Moscow's Grand Dukes and Tsars. Today it is a popular public park with museums, a functioning church, old Russian cottages, and other attractions. It's also the site of the city's main celebration of the holiday Maslenitsa (Butter Week), which usually falls at the end of February or beginning of March.

The most remarkable sight within the park is the Church of the Ascension, which sits on the bluff overlooking Moskva Reka (Moscow River). The church was built in 1532 and was restored in the late 1800s. Its skyscraping tower is an example of the tent or pyramid type structure that was popular in Russian architecture in the 16th century (the best example is St. Basil's Cathedral of the Red Square).