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LIONHEART Yacht – Enchanting $150M Superyacht

LIONHEART yacht is a 90-metre (295 ft) motor yacht built by Benetti in Italy. She was delivered in July of 2016 to the current owner who recently sold his brands Topshop and Selfridges, gaining him a net worth of US $2.4 billion.

LIONHEART features a sleek and modern design with space for up to 12 guests and 30 crew members. Her home berth lies in Monaco, which is where Green and his family spend most of their time.

LIONHEART yacht interior

The LIONHEART yacht features a lot of intricate details in its design that make her stand out from other comparable vessels on the market.

The interior of this yacht had exceptionally high-quality materials used in her construction, which gives her an elegant look and feel throughout all the different spaces on board. 

The design house Green & Mingarelli is responsible for the luxurious interior design of LIONHEART.

The LIONHEART yacht can welcome 12 guests in her six cabins as well as a crew of 30 members of staff. 

The interior of the yacht features a beach club, a beauty salon as well as expansive health and wellness facilities that include a spa, a hairdressing salon, a gym with a personal trainer, and a massage room with a masseur available at all hours.

The different floors of the yacht are connected by an elevator, and of course, the yacht has several pools, two of which are located on the upper decks. 

A grand staircase is situated in the center of the yacht, which gives the vessel the likeness of a luxury hotel. The interior is furnished with exclusive furniture with dark wood and cream upholstery.

The yacht features several sizable chandeliers and other extravagant lighting fixtures. Everything about the interior of LIONHEART is lavish and luxurious, flaunting the US $150 Million price tag that this incredible vessel bears.

Specifications

The LIONHEART yacht is 90 meters (296 ft) long with a beam of 14.4 meters (47.3 ft) and a draft of 7.5 meters (24.9 ft). She was built by Benetti Yachts in Livorno, Italy, and launched in 2016.

At the time, LIONHEART was Benetti’s flagship and the largest yacht they had ever produced, overtaking NABILA (later TRUMP PRINCESS owned by Donald Trump).

Her gross tonnage lies at 2,990 GT, reaching cruising speeds of 15 knots and maximum speeds of 16 knots.

She is definitely not the fastest yacht in her size category, but her caterpillar engines are reliable and robust.

LIONHEART has an immense aluminum superstructure, and her hull was constructed from premium steel. Her traditional teak decks nicely contrast her white exterior.

The LIONHEART yacht is values at US $150 million and has annual running costs of US $10-$15 Million. She is not currently available for charter or for sale, although Green’s other yachts are.

The exterior of the LIONHEART yacht was designed by Stefano Natucci, who was also responsible for LIONESS V, Green’s previous yacht by Benetti.

Natucci has designed a total of 45 yachts, the LIONHEART yacht being the largest of his past projects.

The yacht is fitted with a sophisticated stabilizer system that ensures a comfortable experience for guests when at anchor or underway. She has a total of four decks featuring generous outdoor spaces. 

The front of the bow has room for a small helipad where aircraft can land to pick up or drop off guests.

The top deck has an outdoor bar and jacuzzi, and behind the flybridge, there is a large pool.

All decks have luxurious outdoor seating with cream upholstery which is also the color of the crew uniforms aboard the LIONHEART yacht. 

At the aft, the yacht has a sizable beach club and extendable swimming platform where water toys can be launched.

She also has several smaller, shaded decks with ample space for dining or parties. On both her port and starboard sides, Lionheart has small balcony decks which are attached to two of the suites.

Toys and equipment

The LIONHEART yacht carries several tenders, although her most memorable is a VanDutch 55 named Lioncub.

This tender has a black and white photograph of a lion painted on its side, making it stand out from traditional tenders and attracting yacht spotters.

LIONHEART also has a Pascoe Limousine, a Pascoe Beachlande, and a Pascoe Outboard Shuttle giving her passengers a wide selection of transportation options for shore leave or excursions.

Although exact details aren’t known, the yacht carries a large number of water toys, including jet skis and water bobs.

With a large swimming platform at the back of the vessel and an attached beach club with a lounge area, a luxury that might be desired is available to her guests.

Additional information

Construction for LIONHEART began in 2012 after the owner Green commissioned his third yacht from Benetti .

The two previous vessels were also named LIONHEART but have since been renamed LUMIERE and LIONESS V. 

LUMIERE was built in 1999 and has a length of 49.9 meters (164 ft). Green sold her when he obtained LIONHEART V in 2006, and she is now available for charter.

LIONESS V has a length of 63.5 meters (208 ft) and was replaced by LIONHEART in 2016, 10 years after her launch. 

Interestingly all three vessels can welcome the same number of guests, and only their amenities and length changed over the years.

LIONESS V is still owned by the Green family, more specifically Tina Green. This yacht is available for charter.

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Philip Green's superyacht docks in Palma

Lionheart considered one of the most luxurious yacht in the world.

Lionheart moored in the Club de Mar.

A super-yacht owned by former retail king, Philip Green, docked in Palma this week and is moored in the Club de Mar. The current 90-metre Lionheart yacht is the third commissioned by Green to be built by Benetti Yachts (project FB262). [1] With contracts signed in 2012, it is built of steel with an aluminium superstructure. Completed in early 2016, after sea trials off Livorno, it undertook a commissioning run to Malta in May, able to cruise at a speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).

She is a fully equipped yacht with her own Helicopter Landing Pad, At anchor Stabilizers , Gym, Spa, Jacuzzi (on deck), Lift (Elevator), Swimming Pool, Beach Club, Beauty Salon, BBQ, Tender Garage, Swimming Platform, Air Conditioning, Underwater Lights, Owner Study, Exterior Bar.

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One of the world’s largest super yachts went "missing" after leaving Mallorca

Green was the chairman and chief executive of Amber Day from 1988 to 1992. In 1999, he acquired Sears plc. He bought British Home Stores (BHS) for £200 million in 2000, and subsequently spent £840 million to acquire the Arcadia Group in 2002. Arcadia became a private company and was delisted from the London Stock Exchange. He unsuccessfully sought to acquire Marks & Spencer in 1999 and 2004.

At its peak, Green's Arcadia Group owned the clothing retailers Topshop, Topman, Wallis, Evans, Burton, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins and Outfit. BHS was part of Arcadia from 2009 to 2015. Arcadia had more than 2,500 outlets in the UK, concessions in UK department stores such as Debenhams and Selfridges, and several hundred franchises in other countries. After high street sales fell in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Arcadia entered administration and ASOS acquired the Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge brands in 2021.

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He is the Author of Corporate Theft

On peoples pension money!!

Another disgraceful waste of poor peoples money from a bad man.

This is truly not something to celebrate. This guy has history!

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Philip Green docks in Spain: British tycoon’s €142m superyacht complete with helipad, jacuzzi and more drops anchor in Mallorca

CONTROVERSIAL British fashion tycoon Philip Green has docked in Mallorca.

He has brought his boat, Lionheart, dubbed ‘the most luxurious yacht in the world’ to Palma. 

The 90-metre yacht worth an estimated €142m and complete with a jacuzzi, helipad and spa, is docked at Club de Mar. 

Commissioned in 2012, the ship is the third yacht of millionaire Green.

Built by Benetti Yachts, the steel superstructure was completed in 2016 with a gym, swimming pool and even garage for cars.

It can sail at speeds of up to 17mph, or 15 knots. 

The retail tycoon behind brands including Top shop, Miss Selfridge and Wallis is believed to be worth around £910 million. 

His image was badly tarnished when he sold his ailing BHS chain for £1 to Dominic Chappell, a former Spanish-based bankrupt with no retail experience.

The company failed a year later with the loss of 11,000 jobs and a giant €600m pension fund was plundered and he was ordered to top it up with his own money.

A parliamentary probe concluded he had systematically milked BHS and described the hole in the pension fund as ‘the unacceptable face of capitalism’.

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Sir Philip Green’s super-yacht quarantined in Monaco over coronavirus outbreak

The $150 million and 90-meter-long super-yacht Lionheart has been docked at Monaco’s Port Hercule for over a week. Two crew members tested positive for coronavirus.

The impressive luxury vessel belongs to Sir Philip Green, British billionaire and owner of Topshop, and his wife Lady Tina Green, who is a Monaco resident. The Lionheart is the biggest yacht ever built by historic Italian yacht-maker Benetti and was bought by Sir Philip Green for an estimated 150 million dollars. The yacht has space for 16 crew members and can welcome up to 12 people.

At the time, the purchase of this yacht raised public concern in the United Kingdom. The supe-yacht was bought by Green one year after the British tycoon sold BHS clothing stores to a little-known investor for £1.

Philip Green’s retail business has been hard-hit by the pandemic and in April it was announced that he had taken government money to pay for staff during the Coronavirus lockdown. Over the last 4 years, his wealth has drastically diminished. Forbes estimates that from $5,9 billion in 2016, Philip and Tina Green are now worth a “mere” $2,2 billion.

Coronavirus outbreak on board

“After maintenance in Italy, the boat returned to Monaco. We were meant to go on a cruise with my family. It was my responsibility to have the whole crew tested before leaving. We then discovered two cases — one asymptomatic and the other with a sore throat. The two have been confined to the cabin ever since,” Lady Tina Green told the local newspaper Monaco Mati n . She added that everyone was well.

According to Monaco Matin , 14 boats have now been asked to quarantine by Monaco’s government since the start of the pandemic . Their status is indicated by a yellow flag hoisted on the mast. The Lionheart question should be solved quickly enough. According to local media, all of the new tests conducted on the yacht’s crew at the beginning of the week came back negative.

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Rise and fall of Sir Philip Green, the man who lost his Midas touch

Back in 2006 Sir Philip Green was riding high. His family had banked a £1.2 billion dividend from his Arcadia fashion empire and he had elbowed his way into the establishment.

A month before being knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours Sir Philip had summoned Tony Blair, then prime minister, to the grand opening of his Fashion Retail Academy project, which the tycoon had also persuaded to be backed by old adversary Stuart Rose with student masterclasses run by Next’s Simon Wolfson.

Sir Philip, now 68, was not just retail’s ringleader, he was the poster boy for a rag trade to riches story. He conducted his business meetings from his own suite at the Dorchester in Mayfair and flaunted his family’s billions on superyachts, private

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Sir Philip Green relaxes aboard new £100m superyacht Lionheart as first 20 BHS stores prepare to close

The Topshop tycoon and his wife, Tina, were seen relaxing on the 300ft vessel, which features a helipad, a pool and luxury cabins for 12 guests

• 12:42, 18 Jul 2016
• Updated 12:56, 18 Jul 2016

Surrounded by plush cushions, gleaming sofas and green plants, Sir Philip Green takes in the view from his family's new £100million superyacht.

The billionaire was pictured relaxing on the 300ft vessel, dubbed Lionheart, in Malta, hundreds of miles away from the MPs investigating BHS's collapse.

Dressed in a grey, V-neck t-shirt, he was joined on the deck by his spouse, Tina - nicknamed 'Lady Greed' by critics - who wore a colourful bikini top and sunglasses.

Earlier, Lady Green had been seen walking aboard the yacht in the beaming sunshine, after flying to the Mediterranean to receive delivery of it.

Then, she had been pictured strolling onto the enormous vessel with a panting white dog under her arm, leaving her bags on the shore behind her.

It is believed that Sir Philip later joined her aboard Lionheart.

The couple's daughter, 24-year-old ex-Made In Chelsea star Chloe, was also seen relaxing on-board the yacht, dressed in a pretty, red outfit.

In addition to its glamorous decking area, Lionheart features three lifts, a helipad, hot tubs, a swimming pool and luxury cabins for 12 guests.

It is undoubtedly the crown jewel of the Green family collection of expensive playthings, which already includes two other superyachts and two private jets.

Lady Green, who is the sole owner of Lionheart, runs her own business in Monaco advising oligarchs on interior design.

Her expensive tastes are likely to be reflected in every detail on the yacht, where the family will entertain friends such as supermodel Kate Moss and TV mogul Simon Cowell.

The new images come as Sir Philip Green is upping his efforts to assist MPs in their investigation into the collapse of BHS.

The politicians are preparing to publish a damning report into the retailer's demise in the coming weeks.

The Topshop tycoon has written an extensive letter to the business and pensions committees defending his ownership of the department store chain, with their findings due to be published on July 24.

In it, Sir Philip outlines more than £400 million of investment into BHS and claims that he pushed for a "sustainable solution" for the firm's troubled pension scheme.

He also says that he offered to help bankroll to the tune of £5 million a rescue bid for BHS from fellow billionaire and Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley.

"The purchase would include buying all of the stock, for which Mr Ashley offered to pay £10 million," he said.

"This amount was not acceptable to the administrators. It appeared that £15 million to close the deal would work and I therefore offered the additional £5 million to help the business be sold as a going concern."

However, Work and Pensions Committee chairman Frank Field said: "Sir Philip is aware we are writing our report and is suddenly volunteering all manner of last-minute assistance."

A Westminster insider also told the Press Association: "The committee gets the feeling that Sir Philip, having tried to exert his control over the process, is now understanding that the report will be damning and is attempting to vindicate himself by sending over large swathes of documents."

Sir Philip's reputation has taken a battering since BHS collapsed in April, leaving behind a £571 million pension deficit and putting 11,000 jobs at risk.

The billionaire, who owned the retailer for 15 years until 2015, has come under fire for taking £400 million in dividends from the company and then selling it to former bankrupt Dominic Chappell for £1.

In response, Sir Philip said: "Frank Field never ceases to surprise me. I was merely responding to the questions in a letter that he signed."

The new pictures also come as the names of the first 20 BHS stores set to close on Saturday have been revealed - including shops in Peterborough and Southport.

Around 580 staff will be affected by the closures, although administrators say they will try to find temporary work for them in other BHS branches nearby.

However, the future looks bleak for those remaining 143 stores as last ditch efforts are made to find a buyer.

The 20 branches are due to shut next Saturday because stock levels have fallen so low.

Should Sir Philip Green be stripped of his title?

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Philip Green Yacht – Lionheart

Lionheart yacht – one of philip green’s yachts.

The Lionheart, coming in at 90 meters in length (295 feet) is one of the biggest yachts constructed by Benetti Yachts for Sir Philip Green, a British born billionaire. The Lionheart is one of the many yachts Green owns, all of which have similar names to the king of the Jungle, that of Lioness, Lionchase, and Lion Cub.

Slightly confusing to the outside world of yachting, let us clarify the vessels that Green currently owns. The 2016 Lionheart replaced Green’s older yacht of a decade earlier that was then also dubbed Lionheart but has since been replaced with the name Lioness V.

The Lioness has a smaller stature compared to her newer version, with a length of 63 meters (207 feet) and costs approximately US $50 million to build; both vessels were designed by Stefano Natucci, who has designed numerous vessels over the years.

The Lion Cub, is the original Lionheart’s tender, an Otam Cigarette 45, and is identifiable by its distinct leopard spots as well as its silhouette of the wild cat on the bottom of its hull. The Lionheart, itself, is valued at $150 million American and was built as project FB 262 and was delivered to her owner in 2016.

She was constructed with steel and is then encompassed with an aluminum superstructure much like many superyachts are. Inside her levels, there are six spacious guest cabins, that can accommodate 12 guests in total, and she can hold a crew complement of 30. Her main residence, along with Green’s other yachts, is in Monaco, France where Green currently resides with his wife.

Lionheart Yacht Interior – Inside Look

The Lionheart is built for luxury as she is equipped with one helipad, a beauty salon and spa, as well as a pool and a Jacuzzi. With an outdoor bar that connects directly to a lounge area, this beauty is all about relaxing, especially with its very own beach club.

Within you will find three lifts, a garage that has side-opening doors that allow for easy access of the tenders, as well as three elevators for crew and guests. Unique to this vessel are the dumbwaiter and a zero-speed stabilizer, the latter of which acts as the ship’s anchor. With a cruising speed of 15 knots and a top speed of 15.5 knots, she is certainly set for smooth sailing.

With the interior design kept a secret it was shared that she was designed by Green & Mingarelli Design, which is said to have used a contemporary classic look while on the outside, she has been given a sporty look with sleek curves. In total there are four decks each that include dual access doors to the beach club.

The idea for the second Lionheart was first conceptualized in 2012, she took a total of four years to build. She is the third boat created for Philip Green by Benetti, the Italian shipbuilding and boat building company that is based in Viareggio, Livorno, and Fano.

Philip Green is an entrepreneur who began his business as a shoe importer which he later turned into a clothing profession, the Arcadia Group, where he now resides as the company’s CEO. Green first inherited his father’s property development company when he was 12 years old since then he has made most of his millions buying other companies and then selling them for a high-profit margin.

Green and his family are often found relaxing aboard their crown jewel of a yacht when taking a break from their life in business.

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Sir Philip Green Targeted By Comedian Lee Nelson In Yacht Prank

Lee Nelson sails up to the £100m vessel with a banner saying 'BHS Destroyer' and attaches it to the boat.

Wednesday 7 September 2016 11:46, UK

Sir Philip Green's newly built luxury superyacht Lionheart has been dubbed BHS Destroyer in a stunt by a British comedian.

Lee Nelson, who famously threw fake dollar bills at former FIFA president Sepp Blatter , has now targeted the billionaire peer.

Posting pictures of himself carrying out the stunt, Nelson tweeted: "Good of Sir Philip Green to rename his £100m yacht to something more appropriate. I was glad to help."

Sir Philip, former owner of the now-collapsed chain, is currently being investigated by regulators in a probe into BHS' vast pension deficit.

Last month, Sir Philip reacted angrily to attempts by Sky News to question him about the closure of BHS and the loss of thousands of jobs.

The former owner of the business was holidaying on his new yacht in the Greek islands.

Also in August, Sky News revealed he was seeking assurances regulators will abandon the probe if he makes a "voluntary" financial contribution to the retirement pots of thousands of the firm's former employees .

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The precise sum Sir Philip will have to contribute remains subject to weeks or even months of further negotiations, although experts say it will be at least £300m based on talks so far.

The tycoon promised to "sort" the deficit when he appeared before MPs in June, although he has since been criticised by parliamentarians over the lack of visible progress.

Approximately 11,000 people have seen their jobs disappear as a result of the collapse, with Sir Philip shouldering much of the blame in a critical report published by MPs last month.

Lee Nelson 'renames' Sir Philip Green's yacht 'BHS destroyer'

• And Finally
• Wednesday 7 September 2016 at 8:15am

Simon Brodkin, most known as his comic alter ego Lee Nelson, has apparently rebranded Sir Philip Green's yacht in Monaco the "BHS destroyer".

The stunt, according to photos posted on his social media accounts, involved a team of people driving up to the yacht and attaching a banner on the millionaire retail mogul's yacht.

Lee captioned the photos: "Good of Sir Philip Green to rename his £100 million yacht to something more appropriate. I was glad to help."

Brodkin, in character as Lee Nelson, is no stranger to controversy or the limelight - this is the latest stunt in many that the comic has carried out over the years.

Earlier this year, he was escorted out by security after showing up to Donald Trump's opening speech at his new golf course in Scotland, with swastika-marked golf balls .

Last year the stunt comedian showered Sepp Blatter with fake money at a Fifa press conference in Zurich, saying the money was "for North Korea".

He also showed up on stage at Glastonbury in 2015 during Kanye West's set , mimicking the rapper-singer before being bundled off-stage by security.

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Green with envy? Former BHS owner Philip Green's huge yacht is overshadowed as it sails alongside Russian oligarch's incredible Sailing Yacht A and Motor Yacht A

• Sailing Yacht A, worth £360m, and £240m Motor Yacht A, are both owned by billionaire Andrey Melnichenko
• They were spotted today in the principality of Monaco on the French Riviera alongside Philip Green's yacht
• Lionheart, the former BHS boss' luxury vessel, is worth £115million, and is dwarfed by her Russian equivalents 
• Mr Melnichenko received his new Sailing Yacht A last week after she completed her final sea trials in Gibraltar
• The oligarch, 45, is worth around £11billion, and is a Russian industrialist with assets in fertiliser and coal

By Gareth Davies and Thomas Burrows for MailOnline

Published: 07:04 EDT, 8 May 2017 | Updated: 07:38 EDT, 8 May 2017

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Former BHS owner Philip Green's huge yacht has been dwarfed after it was pictured alongside a Russian oligarch's incredible Sailing Yacht A and Motor Yacht A. 

The three superyachts were pictured in Monaco today with a combined worth of more than £700million, but the bulk of that belongs to billionaire Andrey Melnichenko. 

Sailing Yacht A, worth £360million, and the £240million masterpiece Motor Yacht A, are both owned by the 45-year-old Russian, while Green's £115million Lionheart made up the trio. 

Measuring in at 90 metres, the 65-year-old entrepreneur's yacht failed to live up to the brand new Sailing Yacht A with its 300-metre masts taller than Big Ben and 142.8-metre long hull. 

Billionaire Andrey Melnichenko's Sailing Yacht A (back, centre), which has masts taller than London's Big Ben, is seen moored next to his older £240million boat, Motor Yacht A (right, front) and alongside Sir Philip Green's yacht Lionheart (left)

Philip Green's yacht (left) is pales in comparison to Motor Yacht A (centre) and Sailing Yacht A (right) in Monaco today

Lionheart, which cost Philip Green £115million and measures in at 90-metres long, was dwarfed by the Russian superyachts 

Sailing Yacht A, which was has three 300ft masts that are taller than Big Ben's tower, met Motor Yacht A in Monaco today 

The two yachts, that cost a combined £600million, met today in Monte Carlo, in Monaco

The 468ft-long vessel Sailing Yacht A (left) is owned by Andrey Melnichenko, as is Motor Yacht A (right) 

Costing a combined total of £600million, a Russian oligarch's two superyachts took to the waves for the first time together last week.

They were spotted today in the 430-acre principality of Monaco, the glitzy and glamorous seaside principality on the French Riviera.   

Sailing Yacht A was today handed over to the owner by the project team led by Dirk Kloosterman having completed her final sea trials in the Navantia shipyard in Cartagena, and in Gibraltar at the beginning of May.  

The staggering Sailing Yacht A is a 468ft-long vessel which has three 300ft masts that are taller than Big Ben's tower.

In comparison, Lionheart was launched in 2016 measuring 295ft, which is smaller than Melnichenko's 2008 vessel the Motor Yacht A.

How Lionheart stacks up against the Russian monsters

 With the three superyachts pictured sailing alongside each other for the first time, we take a look at how they stack up: 

Sailing Yacht A

Owner: Andrey Melnichenko 

Launched: 2017

Builder: Nobiskrug (Rendsburg, Germany)

Designer: Philippe Starck

Cost: £360million

Length: 142.8 metres (468.5ft)

Cruising speed: 16 knots (18 mph)

Flag: Bermuda

Motor Yacht A

Launched: 2008

Builder: Blohm + Voss (Hamburg, Germany)

Cost: £240million

Length: 119 metres (390ft)

Cruising speed: 19.5 knots (22 mph)

Owner: Philip Green 

Launched: 2016

Builder: Benetti Yachts (Viareggio, Italy) 

Designer: Stefano Natucci

Cost: £115million

Length: 90 metres (295ft)

Cruising speed: 15 knots (17 mph)

Flag: Malta 

Andrey Melnichenko, who has an estimated net worth of $13.4 billion (£10.8 billion), is said to favour using the letter 'A' so that his vessels are listed first in shipping registers

The impressive superyachts were both designed by Frenchman Philippe Starck for the Russian billionaire 

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Sailing Yacht A boasts eight floors - with a helicopter pad on one of the decks - and an underwater observation room.

It is powered by a 'hybrid diesel-electric package with controllable pitch propellers,' and is designed to accommodate 20 guests and a crew of 54.  

Project Director Dirk Kloosterman said: 'This has been the most challenging assignment of my career. I am confident Sailing Yacht A will be the world's greatest yacht in terms of design and technology for the years ahead.' 

The 45-year-old Russian industrialist is worth around £11billion, with assets in fertiliser and coal.

He is the main shareholder of EuroChem, one of the leading fertiliser producers in the world. 

Sailing Yacht A eclipses his other superyacht, 'Motor Yacht A', worth £240million. 

It boasts an opulent lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows, wood and leather furniture, and a spacious owner's cabin that is larger than most apartments in London or New York and is said to have bomb-proof glass and a rotating bed.

Sailing Yacht A boasts eight floors - with a helicopter pad on one of the decks - and an underwater observation room

The ultra-luxurious Motor Yacht A features an unconventional design and bears a resemblance to a military-style submarine

The cruise speed of the ship is 18mph, with a top speed of 24mph. The hull is made of steel, with a teak-finish deck

Three spa pools with current-generating technology are spread throughout the yacht, and one has a glass floor that passengers can look into from the lower deck.  

There are seven luxurious cabins for up to 14 guests and accommodation for 42 crew members.

Powered by two diesel engines, the yacht has a top speed of 23 knots (26.4 mph) and a cruising speed of 19.5 knots (22.4 mph), with a range of 6,500 nautical miles. 

Over the years it has been spotted in places such as Honolulu, Malibu, Monaco, Puerto Rico, Turkey and Thailand.

Both vessels were designed by Frenchman Philippe Starck, a renowned contemporary designer. 

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The Belarus-born Melnichenko lives a glamorous, jet-setting lifestyle with his wife, Aleksandra, a former model and pop star from Serbia. 

In addition to two massive yachts, he owners a customised Boeing 737 private jet, a villa in the French Riviera, a penthouse in New York and a sprawling estate near Ascot, England.  

He is said to favour using the letter 'A' so his vessels are listed first in shipping registers.   

The huge yacht, which has 300ft masts, as tall as Big Ben, was seen sailing off into the sunset from Gibraltar on May 2, where workers were seen carrying out tests and inspections on it  

The impressive superyacht was designed by Frenchman Philippe Starck and built by German Naval Yards, Nobiskrug

The luxurious vessel has 300ft masts, eight floors, a helicopter pad and an underwater observation room and is designed to accommodate up to 20 guests and more than 50 crew

The yacht, named Sailing Yacht A, has been branded 'the world's greatest yacht' by project chiefs

The boat's owner has an estimated net worth of $13.4 billion (£10.8 billion) and he spent £360million on the luxury vessel

The impressive vessel was photographed on May 2 in Gibraltar, where workers have been carrying out tests and inspections

The massive yacht, which has eight floors, was on Tuesday undergoing testing in Gibraltar before being handed to its owner

The colossal yacht has three 300ft masts, eight floors, a helicopter pad and an underwater observation room

The massive vessel, which has space for 20 guests and more than 50 crew, was being tested and undergoing inspections in Gibraltar on May 2 

WHO ARE ANDREY MELNICHENKO AND HIS GLAMOROUS WIFE ALEKSANDRA?

Andrey and Aleksandra Melnichenko, a former model and pop star from Serbia - the couple met in France in 2003

Born in Gomel, Belarus, during Soviet rule, Andrey Melnichenko is one of the richest citizens of Russia and the world, with a reported net worth of around £11billion.

He is the main shareholder of EuroChem, one of the leading fertiliser producers in the world.

The billionaire industrialist met his wife Aleksandra, a former model and pop star from Serbia, in the South of France in 2003 and within two years were married in the same spot in an extravagant wedding which included performances by pop stars Whitney Houston and Christina Aguilera, along with Spanish singing legend Julio Iglesias.

Moscow-based Melnichenko paid singer Jennifer Lopez $2million to perform at his wife's lavish 30th birthday bash at their English mansion in Ascot, and the pair regularly throws sailing parties attended by the rich and famous.

In 2008, rocker Lenny Kravitz performed at their third wedding anniversary bash on Motor Yacht A. Three years later rapper Snoop Dogg entertained partygoers in a specially-built mirrored disco room.

Mrs Melnichenko once told Harper's Bazaar: 'The boat is perfect for parties, and we are always looking forward to the next one.'

In addition to two of the world's largest superyachts and a sprawling estate in Berkshire, west of London, the couple owns a villa in the French Riviera, a duplex penthouse in New York, a flat in London and a customised Boeing 737 private jet. 

Philip Green’s Lionheart first took his much-loved Lionheart out onto the water last summer, which is when he took delivery of the vessel.

Boasting a helipad, six capacious cabins, a beauty salon, spa, Jacuzzi and three lifts, it is the largest boat ever to emerge from the shipyard of acclaimed Italian firm Benetti.

Yet far from glorying in its engineering accomplishment, Benetti appears to have developed a remarkable degree of coyness towards it. 

The firm declines to use Lionheart’s name on its website, referring to it cryptically as ‘FB262’, the code by which it was known when under construction. 

Share or comment on this article: Philip Green's huge yacht overshadowed by Russian yachts

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Superyachts and bragging rights: why the super-rich love their ‘floating homes’

An academic spent six years studying the lavish boats of multimillionaires. Her conclusion: showing off the owners’ wealth and status matters more than travel

A s conspicuous displays of wealth go, the mooring of Motor Yacht A – owned by Russian tycoon Andrey Melnichenko – last month on one of the most striking spots on the Thames, next to D-day warship HMS Belfast by Tower Bridge, was hard to top. One of the world’s largest superyachts, the Philippe Starck-designed, 119-metre (390ft) white vessel – which features three swimming pools, a helipad and bombproof glass – embodies an exclusive lifestyle that is highly visible but inaccessible to all but the global financial elite and their entourage.

But Melnichenko, who made his £9.2bn fortune in coal and fertilisers, has put the distinctive boat up for sale after upgrading to the £347m, 143-metre Sailing Yacht A, believed to be similarly named to ensure it is listed first in shipping registers. His new vessel, which features three carbon masts more than 90 metres tall with a sail area greater than a standard football pitch, is the tenth-largest superyacht in the world. It propels him into the premier league of private yacht owners alongside fellow oligarch Roman Abramovich, whose 162.5-metre Eclipse is currently the second-largest.

The Chelsea football club owner’s spectacular £724m vessel, which made headlines last summer when it briefly moored on the river Clyde in Scotland, far from its usual cruising grounds, is believed to feature two swimming pools (one of which has an adjustable depth that allows it to be converted into a dancefloor), an exterior fireplace, a leisure submarine, armour plating, bulletproof windows, a missile defence system and an anti-paparazzi shield designed to dazzle digital cameras.

But one British academic has managed to penetrate this elusive milieu. Emma Spence has spent the last six years researching the industry, has crewed on superyachts around the world and shadowed a yacht broker in the tax haven of Monaco, observing how the boats are deployed to establish a pecking order among the super-rich. The researcher is completing a PhD on the superyacht scene and says the vessels are unique among prestige assets: unlike private jets they are not a useful mode of transport; unlike art and property, they always depreciate in value. Instead, as one owner told her, what makes a yacht desirable is that it “allows the super-rich to perform their wealth status”.

Superyachts are defined as boats with hulls that measure longer than 24 metres at the waterline and that require a professional crew to operate. With basic annual maintenance and operation costs expected to be 10% of the original purchase price, ownership is the preserve of multi-millionaires and billionaires.

In a forthcoming book on the lifestyles of the super-rich, Spence explains how merely possessing these elite craft is not enough to enhance the profile of the super-rich; how and where the yacht is used is equally important. This is why most owners and charterers of the luxury vessels prefer to go to prominent ports with bars and restaurants where they can guarantee an audience of super-rich peers. Her research focused on the Côte d’Azur, the centre of the superyacht scene, where hundreds of luxury vessels line the docks in Saint-Tropez, Nice, Antibes, Cannes and Monaco, the most prestigious port in the Mediterranean.

Among the owners she witnessed projecting their status were billionaire retailer Sir Philip Green, who took delivery of his third superyacht – the £100m, 90-metre Lionheart, his second boat to bear that name – earlier this year. While she was crewing on a yacht belonging to somebody else in Saint-Tropez in 2013, Green came on board without invitation. “He walked up on the aft deck in board shorts and a T-shirt – standard super-rich attire, as casual as you can be,” she says. “The grownup children [of the owner] and friends all immediately stood to attention until he told them it was OK to sit down. I’ve never seen anyone else command that respect on someone else’s yacht.”

The perma-tanned Topshop tycoon recently finished a two-month Mediterranean cruise with his wife, Tina, leaving their daughter, Chloe, on board in Monaco, where yacht owners and industry insiders gathered last month at the world’s most prestigious yacht show to size up one another’s nautical assets. “The family’s got a permanent berth there and I’ve docked alongside him for many years,” says Spence. “One time, years ago in Monaco, a ‘rival’ crew climbed on board in the night and changed the boat’s name with tape to Lion Fart.”

Some yacht owners are attracted to tourist resorts in the French Riviera because an integral part of their lifestyle is projecting their privilege beyond their elite peer group, Spence adds. “You have this tension between the privacy that yachts and the sea afford against this desire to see and be seen,” she says. “Tourists remind the super-rich of their wealth and their social status. In Saint-Tropez, you have hundreds of people on the docks as the yachts come in. The guests sit there on the aft deck. Most of these people you wouldn’t know if you passed them in the street. They’re not celebrities. But when they finally descend [ashore] there’s still this awe.”

Spence saw how a group of young men who were children of superyacht owners often encourage this fascination with their way of life. “Each night, they’d go to big clubs, such as the VIP Rooms in Saint-Tropez or Gotha in Cannes, spend £5,000, £10,000 on a table and buy huge bottles of Dom Pérignon with sparklers,” she says. “There’s a group of young women that spends the day going from one port to the other, getting entry to these clubs and schmoozing these wealthy young men. The women come on board the boats, go up to the top deck and ask for champagne. They’re all drunk and you’re trying to explain at 3am that they can’t wear stilettos on board.”

While in the clubs of the Côte d’Azur, uber-wealthy heirs might lavish money on these hangers-on, but back on their parents’ yachts, their attitude changes. “On board, it’s the parent’s stack of wine – it’s not something to be given away,” says Spence. “The older son of one owner came down to check I was serving the cheapest champagne. You downgrade from vintage Dom to Veuve Clicquot – from 100 euros a bottle to 30 euros.”

The super-rich also use their yachts to control the level of access they grant to those outside their wealthy circle, says Spence. For example, some exploited maritime law to get rid of the young women they brought back from the clubs. In the morning, they would go to bed and order the yacht to leave port, knowing the crew would have to remove any stragglers before they set sail. “If you’re in port then you can have as many people on board as you want but at sea you can only have 12 passengers, unless you have large-yacht certification,” says Spence. “The owner’s sons would just slink off to their cabins leaving a few random women dotted around the yacht. It’s awkward when these people think they’re going to stay and spend the week partying on a yacht and then they’re unceremoniously kicked off.”

The symbiotic relationship between superyacht owners and crew is not as one-sided as it might appear. During the Monaco Grand Prix, securing the most prestigious berth on the T-jetty – the first row of yachts on the race start line – is reliant on the captain’s contacts, not the owner’s, says Spence. “It’s knowing who to pay extra to for the privilege. It’s a reflection of the owner’s status, but it’s done via the connections of the crew. If your captain speaks fluent French and has worked in the industry for years, then they’ll have much a better chance of getting into a prominent position in the port.”

“The whole industry is completely gendered,” says Spence. “The interior crew are women and the deck crew are male. I’ve come across two female captains in six years of researching the industry, and I know of two chief stewards who are female. The women retire because owners don’t want them in the interior of a boat after a certain age – late 30s and you’re off.”

The majority of owners buy superyachts secondhand via brokers and refit them to their tastes. Camper & Nicholsons put the global number of yachts of at least 30 metres at 4,476, with 268 sold via brokers last year at a total cost of $2.68bn (£2.18bn), or an average of $10m. They estimate that 222 yachts of over 30 metres have been bought worldwide so far this year. The next step up is to buy or commission a “series yacht” from a shipyard, which will have the same cabin configuration, exterior style and machinery across the line, but the owner will dictate the furniture and furnishings. The top tier are custom-designed by naval architects and can take shipyards several years to complete.

Peter Thompson, a broker at Monaco-based Thompson, Westwood and White Yachts, says eastern European oligarchs and Gulf royals dominate the 100-metre-plus superyacht market, also known as gigayachts.

The primary factor behind the increasing size of superyachts is the growing wealth of the super-rich. The number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals, with net assets of at least $30m, rose by 61% between 2005 and 2015 to 187,468 worldwide, according to the latest wealth report by estate agent Knight Frank . Of these, Credit Suisse calculates that the number worth at least $100m rose from 30,000 in 2010 to 44,900 in 2015 , while those with assets above $500m increased from 2,800 to 4,500 in the same period.

Broker Simon Goldsworthy, of luxury yachting specialists Camper & Nicholsons, says: “The client who 15 years ago would have been satisfied with a 40-metre [yacht], which would then have been one of the largest yachts in the bay, is now surrounded by dozens of yachts of 60-70 metres, and this plants the seed that he really ought to upgrade.”

Innovative design has also played a part – there are things you can fit onto a 60-metre yacht that you simply can’t fit on to a 40-metre one, such as infinity pools, helipads, cinemas, dive rooms, and so on. Evan K Marshall, a London-based superyacht designer, says many of his clients’ yachts are more expensive, and far more personalised, than their homes. “Within the circles of friends who own vessels, there is a healthy competition,” he says. “If someone says: ‘Oh, I’ve just ordered an 80-metre,’ his friend’s going to be on the phone to his broker: “Listen, I’m thinking of building an 85-metre!” We love that.”

Among Marshall’s most prolific clients is the Brooklyn automotive tycoon John Staluppi, who names his boats after James Bond films. Last year, he ordered his 19th superyacht, the 66-metre Spectre, due to be delivered by the Italian Benneti shipyards in 2017. Thompson, who was involved in many of the projects, says Staluppi gets a new superyacht every 18 months to three years, compared with a client average of every five to seven years. “The first one I did was The World is Not Enough, then he sold that and bought Quantum of Solace, then he sold that and bought Casino Royale, then Diamonds are Forever. Right now we’ve got Skyfall and there’s Spectre on the way. He loves the creation side of it. But he doesn’t travel a lot. He uses them as floating homes.”

In the French Riviera, many owners flip between staying on board their yacht or in their luxury villas or mansions, says Spence. “They would have a fully staffed house and the boat doing exactly the same thing, 20 minutes’ drive away. You’d both be on call, so you wouldn’t know when the owner would turn up at the house or the boat. So you would have a system that the staff at the house would call ahead to the boat, and the owners would appear 10 minutes later and you’d just happen to have fresh towels and scented water waiting for them.”

In recent years, a growing number of superyacht owners and charterers, particularly those under 40, have cruised further afield than the “milk run” of Mediterranean resorts to remote routes, including the Arctic Northwest Passage, fuelling demand for designer icebreakers, such as the SeaExplorer range. William Mathieson, editorial director of the Superyacht Group, says this trend for “expedition yachts” is due to an emergent younger super-wealthy class – from heirs to dotcom billionaires – “who want to chase an elusive experience”. Although some owners might pursue remote and exotic adventures, he suspects that for others it will become the yachting equivalent of the Chelsea tractor.

While Spence says this trend partly reflects that yachting still involves romanticised notions of escape, it is also rooted in owners’ preoccupation with bragging rights.

She crewed on one yacht that was sailing around the world; the owners would just fly in when it reached a certain port of call. “They would leave it in the Med then fly down to Mauritius, then would fly back again when it’s in India,” she says. “You’re really using it as a floating hotel. They would eat meals on board and pop off to do a bit of shopping.

“Having their yacht in far-removed locations is a social statement in itself, even if they do not make it on board themselves. Even mooring your yacht on the Thames is conspicuous in that it is far removed from the south of France where all the other yachts are.”

The world’s top five superyachts

1. Azzam Built: 2013. Owner: believed to be Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan , the emir of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates. Cost: estimated to be $400m. Length: 180 metres. Special features: Her interior is believed to be in a relaxed French Empire style.

2. Eclipse Built: 2010. Owner: Roman Abramovich. Cost: £724m. Length: 162.5 metres. Crew: 70. Special features: Three-person leisure submarine, two swimming pools, one of which has an adjustable depth feature that allows it to be converted into a dance floor, a missile defence system, and an anti-paparazzi shield that fires light beams to target and disrupt digital cameras.

3. Dubai Built: 2006. Owner: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the emir of Dubai and the prime minister of the UAE. Cost: estimated to be $400m. Length: 162 metres. Crew: 88. Special features: The royal yacht features a circular staircase with glass steps that change colour, a mosaic swimming pool and a landing platform for a Blackhawk helicopter.

4. Dilbar Built: 2016. Owner: Alisher Usmanov, Russian billionaire and one of Arsenal football clubs’s main shareholders. Cost: $452m (estimate). Length: 156m. Special features: 41,000sq ft of living space and two helipads.

5. Al Said Built: 2008. Owner: Sultan Qaboos bin Sa‘id Al Saïd of Oman. Cost: Unknown. Length: 155m. Crew: 154. Special features: Concert hall that can accommodate a 50-strong orchestra, a helipad and a cinema.

Running costs

The annual operation costs: 10% of the original purchase price. For a 71-metre yacht, fuel usage is 500 litres an hour (an average of $400,000 per year), according to Towergate Insurance.

Docking costs: $350,000; insurance: $240,000; maintenance and repairs: $1m per year; crew wages: $1.4m.

Crew salaries

Captain: €9,000-€12,000 per month on a yacht of 40 metres, rising to more than €15,000 on vessels longer than 70 metres, now commonly known as mega-yachts. Junior deckhand or a junior steward: €2,000-€2,500 per month.

• Life and style
• Luxury goods sector
• Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

More on this story

World's largest superyacht: a floating private members' club for billionaires

Sir Philip Green's yacht and other assets could be seized, says regulator

Sun, sea and silver service: what’s it like crewing on a superyacht?

Inside the billionaires' superyachts: helipads, tennis courts and a missile defence system

Who wants to serve a billionaire?

Battle of the superyachts: architects go overboard

Superyachts at the Monaco Yacht Show - in pictures

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Moscow parks – leisure, nature and historical

Moscow is the most green megapolis in the world. There are over a hundred parks and green spaces like gardens, squares and boulevards. You will definitely bump into a few of them wherever you go. Whether you are interested in memorial, historic parks, parks of wildlife or you just want to have a calm break from the speedy city life – city parks have something special for everyone.

Moscow leisure parks

The leisure Moscow parks are undoubtedly the most popular and famous with the locals and travelers. Today such parks provide a great number of exciting entertainments for Muscovites and city guests, adults and children.

The Gorky Park

Gorky Park opened in 1928 and was the first holiday park in the Soviet Union with playgrounds, a sports stadium, exhibition halls and attractions for kids. Today it has a fresh, vibrant appearance. The park features bike rental stations, a comfortable business area with Wi-Fi, an outdoor movie theatre and a greenhouse where you can buy fresh greens such as basil and lettuce. To contemplate the sky and the stars, go to the observatory and look through the telescope while listening to fascinating stories from astronomers. Enjoy many sports in the park: volleyball, handball, football or a peaceful jog around the beautiful surroundings.

Zaryadye Park

Opened in September 2017, Zaryadye is the youngest on our list. Located just a few minutes away from Red Square, it includes various activities like the floating bridge with its thin V-form extension, an ice cave, also concert hall and an amphitheater. The entire territory of the park was divided into four zones of Russia: forest, steppe, tundra, and the floodplains.

Neskuchny Sad

By walking along the Moskva River’s bank from the Gorky Park towards Vorobievy Gory (Sparrow Hills) you’ll reach Neskuchny Sad («Not Boring» garden), a wonderful place in the Moscow center, one of Moscow’s oldest parks, charming slice of wildlife. The park mostly consists of pristine forest, dotted with old summer pavilions, ponds and quaint little stone bridges. There are a lot of opportunities for different activities lots of children playground, a ping-pong and chess clubs, football fields and tennis courts, horse riding, tree climbing and having rest in one of the nice cafes.

Museon Park

Hermitage Garden

Hermitage Garden has always been known as an amusement, entertainment center with theatres, shows, cafes, summer pavilions, pergolas since 1830. Shalyapin, Sobinov, Nezhdanova – great Russian opera singers starred on the garden stage. Famous Russian composer Rakhmaninov conducted the orchestra. Sara Bernar, Maria Yermolova, outstanding actresses, played in the open air performances. Tolstoy and Lenin had a stroll in the garden. So lots of celebrities from different epoques liked it a lot and spent their time in Hermitage Garden. You can find here three theatres in the garden: Hermitage, Sphere and New Opera. During winter an ice rink works here and in summer a musical stage is assembled to host jazz and brass band festivals.

In Sokolniki Park visitors can play billiard, chess or draughts, table tennis, as well as go cycling, roller blading and swimming in the summer and ice skating or skiing in winter. Each season is highlighted by special memorable and bright events, for example, Summer Jazz Festival or Baby Fest (for future mums), open air beach disco parties, Ice Cream Day, International Clown Festival and many other shows and exhibitions. The park has an observatory, kids center and a co-working zone with free Wi-Fi which is really nice for spending high quality work time there.

Moscow nature parks

The nature parks are national reserves with the amazing forestry and incredible variety of animals and plants there. The breath of wildlife and the chance to be closer to the virgin nature excites both children and grownups. Hundreds of different species of animals can be found in Moscow nature parks. The richest woodlands with old and even ancient trees, like a 200 years pine-tree in the Elk Island National Nature Park, are the point of passionate interest for visitors.

Aptekarsky Ogorod

Aptekarsky Ogorod (Apothecary Garden)

Aptekarsky Ogorod (Apothecary Garden) is one of the oldest gardens in Moscow. It was founded in the XVIII century by Peter the First (great Russian emperor). A larch that he planted himself still grows in the garden, so it’s more than 250 years old. At the time of its foundation, it was a garden with herbs and medicinal plants and was used as an educational center for doctors. Today there are the orangery with its tropical palms, the carp pond, and the immense trees that dot the landscape and turn wonderful golden shades in the autumn. Several restaurants and cafes work here making it a very nice spot for relaxation no matter what season it is. You can book a special tour or join the guided excursion group.

Losiny Ostrov

Losiny Ostrov (Elk Island Park)

Losiny Ostrov (Elk Island Park) is located at the north of Moscow. It covers 22 km from the west to the east and 10 km from the north to the south and it’s one of the most beautiful national parks in Moscow. Two rivers, Yausa and Pechorka begin here. You can find lots of fields, ponds, meadows, streams in the park as well as elks. Here you can enjoy guided tours, available in English. You can choose a guided tour about flora and fauna of the area, you’ll learn why elks are there, which animals are their neighbors. Or enjoy another excursion, which is totally devoted to historical past of ancient tribes once lived there, you’ll know about old Russian mythology, rituals and traditions.

Serebyany Bor

Serebyany Bor (Silver Forest)

Serebyany Bor (Silver Forest) is a famous pine forest in the west of Moscow. The park has 230 forms of plant life, and is also home to watersports complex, providing a lot of activities for visitors. The layout of Serebryany Bor is unusual, as it is located on an artificial island between a meander in the Moscow River and a channel. There is an artificial lake, the Deep Gulf and picturesque Bezdonnoe (Bottomless) Lake in the depths of the forest. Serebryany Bor’s beaches are the cleanest in the city and very popular among Muscovites. On weekends it is difficult to find a free spot here, especially because a whole range of services are offered to visitors, from simple deckchairs to catamaran and yacht rides. Driving is prohibited on the territory of the island so be ready to use trolleybus to reach the entrance.

Botanichesky Sad

Greenhouse of Botanical Garden

Main Botanical Garden of The Russian Academy of Sciences is the largest and most famous is Moscow. The garden is a real museum of nature with a very rich (more than 18000 types) collection of plants. The park was founded in 1945 at the place of the 17th century Apothecaries’ Gardens. The garden’s collection is turned into botanical expositions, made with use of modern receptions of landscape architecture. Here you can see a tree nursery, a shadow garden, hothouse complex, collection of flowers, a rosary, exposition of coastal plants, garden of continuous blossoming, Japanese garden and expositions of cultural plants and natural flora plants. The biggest part of Garden is the Tree nursery occupying the space of 75 hectares. About 2 thousand wood plants grow here. Another big exposition of the Garden is nature Flora, divided into six botanic-geographical collections: European part of Russia, Caucuses, Central Asia, Siberia and Far East. Pride of the Main Botanical Garden is the collection of tropical, coastal and water plants, which is considered as the best in Europe. The Japanese garden, a great model of Japanese landscape gardening art has a 13-level stone pagoda of the 18th century, stone Japanese lamps, ponds, falls and streams, tea lodges and more than 100 species of the most character Japan plants. It is especially decorative in spring, during Oriental cherry blossoming and in fall, when foliage blazes in crimson colors.

Moscow historic parks

Historic nature parks and estates once were the mansions of the Moscow aristocracy. At that far times the estates were outside the Moscow city limits, but after the city expansion and urbanization, they became easily accessible.

Kolomenskoye

Kolomenskoye Museum and Park

The chief attraction of the park is undoubtedly the stone Church of the Ascension of the Lord. It was constructed in 1532 by order of Tsar Vasily III to commemorate the birth of his son and heir, Ivan the Terrible. But there is a lot more to see in the park: the pretty Church of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan – with its bright azure domes and plenty of gold. Further into the park there is a charming Church of the Beheading of St John the Baptist, built by Ivan the Terrible to mark his coronation.

Kuskovo Park

Kuskovo Park is one of the oldest country estates in Moscow. It was given to General Sheremetev by Peter the Great in 1715, but was left to fall into neglect before being plundered by Napoleon’s troops in 1812. Nowadays the estate has been restored to its former glory and is a good example of Russian 18th Century imperial architecture. The palace is a fine and rare example of wooden neoclassicism. It was completed in 1775, and the rich interiors remain unchanged since 1779. It includes a room hung with exclusive exquisite Flemish tapestries, an abundance of silk wallpaper and an impressive collection of 18th century European and Russian paintings. The palace looks onto the lake, which is surrounded by smaller pavilions: pretty Italian, Dutch and Swiss Cottages, Blank’s Hermitage and the old Orangery, where the State Ceramics Museum is located now, an extensive and absorbing collection of porcelain from the 18th century to the present day. On the other side of the lake is a large wood popular with local cyclists and joggers.

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