The Strogonov family played a huge role in the development of the country. By the beginning of the 20th century, their possessions were second only to the Tsar’s in extent... The book presents the most striking pages in the history of the family that conquered Siberia for Russia. In the 18th century, wealthy commoners from a remote province became barons and counts and quickly entered the circle of the capital's aristocracy. Customers F. Rastrelli and A. Voronikhin tried in every possible way to join European culture, becoming passionate admirers of art. The author talks about all the significant residences of the Strogonovs in Russia and abroad, built over the five centuries that have passed since the founding of the trading house by Anika Fedorovich. The reader will learn a lot of interesting things about the interiors of the palaces and artistic rarities that belonged to the family. Family secrets that more than one generation of researchers have tried in vain to unravel will be revealed. The alchemical activity of Count Alexander Sergeevich has not been forgotten either... Anyone interested in the history of Russian estates will be happy to read the chapters about the Maryino estate, which for the first time is presented in such detail as the family nest of the Strogonov-Golitsyns, as an architectural masterpiece and as the cradle of Russian forestry. The book is superbly illustrated. Particularly valuable are historical photographs, including those from the collections of the Russian emigration, some of which are unique and have never been published before. Although the publication is addressed to a wide range of readers interested in the daily life of the aristocracy, sophisticated connoisseurs of Russian history will also find many new facts in it.