Russias country estates were fulcrums of culture learning and socioadministration under the
imperial state. Only a fraction of the original numbers of these structures survives today and
yet even today several of the most famous of these buildings have uncertain futures. At risk is
the survival of this fascinating remnant of Russias cultural history. This matter is especially
salient as post-Soviet Russia has participated in a struggle over means of its own
self-representation. Historic landmarks enter the political arena during periods of drastic
change. The struggle over monuments reveals notable adjustments and continuities over a nations
historical narrative the study of the treatment of certain monuments provides insight to the
language symbols and memory of a people in transition. This book examines links between two
seemingly divergent spheres of human interaction those of politics and culture. The aim of
this book is not to analyse the artistic and architectural merits of Russias country estates
as a plethoraof works already address this subject. Rather the objective is to look at the
underlying attitudes and circumstances which affect the survival of this integral feature of
Russias pre-revolutionary secular past. A variety of factors come into play in estate
preservation such as: privatization restitution taxation legislation actions of
governmental and nongovernment organizations tourism and others. This book analyzes Russias
institutions and actors that continually compete for shifting and scarce resources in the
sphere of culture often to the detriment of physical cultural artefacts themselves. More than
just Russias estates are subject to these forces although estates serve as an excellent lens
with which to view these destructive processes
