Melnikovs' House Garden

This secret garden surrounds the house of the celebrated Constructivist architect Konstantin Melnikov just a minute off a busy pedestrian Arbat street in central Moscow. While access to the house itself requires advance booking through the Architecture Museum, the courtyard remains open and is quietly known among architecture enthusiasts from around the world.

Between 2017 and 2019, the garden was restored under Anna’s direction, with a focus on historical authenticity rather than formal design. Archive materials provided by the museum, together with Melnikov’s diaries and historical photographs, were used to reconstruct the original kitchen garden and to compile accurate planting lists. The work was carried out with the help of volunteers, and species known to have grown here during Melnikov’s lifetime — including lilac, mock orange, currants, hops, morning glory, and Rudbeckia laciniata — are being carefully reintroduced.