Tsaritsyno Palace

This sprawling estate in southern Moscow centres on a Gothic-revival palace begun for Catherine the Great in the late eighteenth century, though the empress disliked it and it stood unfinished for two centuries before a modern restoration. Red brick and white stone combine in fanciful towers and pointed arches set among ponds, bridges and landscaped parkland. The reconstructed interiors now house exhibitions, while the grounds are a popular retreat with a musical fountain and a romantic atmosphere.