M.D. Butin Estate, Butin Palace

The estate’s palace and auxiliary buildings were commissioned by the Butin brothers, prominent Nerchinsk gold industrialists. [...] Construction of the palace commenced in 1864 and over the following decade, auxiliary structures including a water tower, orangery, stables, and storage warehouses were erected.. Originally,  a small garden courtyard with pavilions, a fountain, arbors, and decorative sculptures was situated between the palace and the orangery . A garden featuring pine alleys was established in the estate’s northwestern section.. The estate’s southeastern section was anchored by its largest structures: the three-story palace, the water tower, and the main triple-arched entrance gates (now lost). Among the  numerous structures originally part of the estate, the palace, carriage house complex, water tower with orangery, and storage facilities have been preserved. The palace serves as the centerpiece of the urban planning ensemble, defining the character of Nerchinsk’s central square. According to the Butin brothers’ vision, the estate’s central structure – the palace – designed to be as functional and versatile prompting their decision to expand horizontally rather than vertically [...].

The estate complex was unparalleled at the time of its completion and, despite subsequent losses, retains its uniqueness to this day. The palace’s interiors were renowned for their extraordinary opulence.. Room doors featured applied carvings crafted from precious wood; the parquet flooring was made of Dahurian redwood; and the grand staircase was embellished with a large stained-glass window titled "Archangel Michael Defeating the Devil," produced in a Munich workshop in 1857. Butin purchased the Venetian mirrors for the music hall at 1878 Paris World’s Fair, , transporting them to Nerchinsk by sea via Nikolayevsk-on-Amur, followed by shipment on a custom-built barge along the Amur and Shilka rivers. One of these mirrors – covering 16 square meters – was regarded as  the world’s largest at that time. In 1886, the American journalist George Kennan visited Nerchinsk. He marveled that in the heart of Eastern Siberia – nearly  5,000 miles from St. Petersburg–one could find such a luxurious residence, complete with inlaid parquet of precious woods, silk draperies, exquisitely crafted tapestries, stained glass, ornate candelabra, plush oriental carpets, satin-upholstered furniture, antique Flemish masterpieces, marble sculptures, family portraits painted by the renowned K.E. Makovsky, and an expansive orangery housing palm trees, lemon trees, and rare tropical orchids.

Three years prior to his death in 1904, M.D. Butin bequeathed the palace to the city,  specifying it be used as an educational institution. Before the 1917 revolution, a school operated on the premises; during the the Soviet era, it housed the Officers’ House, a library, the Palace of Pioneers, a cinema, a museum, and various administrative bodies. The palace sustained substantial damaged in fires in 1982 and 1993 [...]. Throughout its operational history, only superficial maintenance and exterior repainting were conducted [...]. Six of the original mirrors have been preserved, including the record-breaking largest specimen.. The music hall’s decorative elements have been preserved: including the sculptural-decorative group "Muse," wall bas-reliefs depicting portraits of Glinka, Mozart, Bach, Mendelssohn, a central molded rosette, and a gilded bronze chandelier (2 meters tall with a 2-meter diameter at the lower section) embellished with leaf and dragon motifs.