The Yasnaya Polyana estate is a unique natural preserve. Its old parks, orchards, and forests were witnesses to Leo Tolstoy's life. The landscape ensemble of the Yasnaya Polyana estate has a history of more than two centuries. Leo Tolstoy's great-grandfather, prince Sergey F. Volkonsky, had here a park of about ten acres. In the early 19 th century prince Nikolay S. Volkonsky, the writer's grandfather, created and realized his own project of the landscape and architectural design of the estate. In it he managed to find a felicitous combination of two styles existing in the Russian landscape architecture in those days - the French style (The "Wedges Park") and the English style (The English Park, or The "Lower Park). "All he had built here was not only solid and comfortable, but also very elegant. The same is true about the park he laid out near the house", - wrote Leo Tolstoy about his grandfather. After death of prince N. S. Volkonsky Yasnaya Polyana was inherited by his daughter Mariya, who was mother of Leo Tolstoy. The writer's father, count Nicholay I. Tolstoy, completed here the building of Empire-styled 32-room-house, extended the orchard and household area. On the website you can find the information about memorial stock and collections, forum, event calendar as well as the information how to get to Yasnaya Polyana. The history of the estate and museum is illustrated by photos from the museum stock
