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Save Laquiere Estate logo
Fundraising project for saving the Laquiere estate presented in Taganrog, Russia


February 11, 2016: a fundraising presentation dedicated to saving the Alexander Lakier (Laquiere) estate in Zolotaya Kosa (in the neighborhood of Taganrog) was held at the Museum of Local Lore and History also known as "The Alferaki Palace".

presentation
Alexander Borisovich Lakier (1825-1870) was a Russian historian of heraldry. He was born in the city of Taganrog in 1825. His father, Boris Lakier, a convert from Judaism, was the doctor who certified the death of the late Russian Emperor Alexander I of Russia, who died in Taganrog in 1825.

Alexander Laquiere and Yelena Komneno-Varvakis
Lakier graduated from the Legal Dept. of the Moscow University and defended his thesis with "On Domains and Estates" released in Saint Petersburg in 1848. In 1856-1858, Lakier traveled across Europe, Palestine and the United States of America. He kept a travel diary, fragments of which were published in Sovremennik (1858) and The Russian Messenger (1858) and were later included in the book "The Travel Through North American States, Canada and Cuba", which was published in Saint Petersburg in 1859. In 1858, Alexander Lakier entered the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, where he was involved in statistics work and worked as editor in the commission on liberation of peasants. In 1860, he returned to Taganrog, where he worked as a lawyer.

Lakier memorabilia
Alexander Lakier published "The History of Russian Sovereigns' Titles" (1847), "On Service in Russia before Peter The Great Times" (Saint Petersburg, 1850), "Review of Relations between Russia and England in 16th and 17th Centuries" (1854) and other. His most famous work was "Russian Heraldry", released in Saint Petersburg in 1855. This oeuvre is still considered a valuable reference, where Lakier made an attempt to analyze and explain coats of arms of Russian dukes and nobility, building some kind of ABCs of Russian heraldry. The volume also featured the history of Russian stamps - unique until the early 20th century.

The current state of Laquiere Estate in Zolotaya Kosa
At the event held on February 11, 2016 at Alferaki Palace, Laquiere family memorabilia and various artefacts related to the estate that belonged to the man considered as one of the founders of Russian heraldry were donated in favor of Taganrog museum. These include several building tiles bearing insignia "Yelena Lakier" and "Laquiere's Estate in Zolotaya Kosa" - Zolotaya Kosa village is situated on Zolotaya (Golden) Spit in the Gulf of Taganrog. All the objects will become part of the exhibition providing more information on the life of Laquiere estate in the past.

The current state of Laquiere Estate in Zolotaya Kosa
Many representatives of Laquiere family had to leave this country as a result of Russian Civil War and today several descendants live in the USA, France, Argentina and Lebanon. Among them are the Argentinian consul to Russia Jorge Nicolas Zobenica and captain Peter Sarandinaki, grandson of Yelena Laquiere. A video message from Mr. Peter Saradninaki in Oakland, NJ, USA was broadcast in front of the audience.

A video message by Peter Sarandinaki from New Jersey, USA
The project promoters are raising funds for the estate building's conservation and raising its status to "federal monument of history and culture". The biggest problem is its rooftop, which is in need of emergency repairs. Mr. Roman Bocharnikov, director of the regional NGO "My Façade", Mr. Alexander Kozhin, chairman of the Rostov branch of the All-Russian Society for Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments (VOOPIIK), Mrs. Galina Krupnitskaya, director of Taganrog Museum of Local Lore and History (The Alferaki Palace), Mrs. Alla Tsymbal, research officer at Taganrog Museum, Dmitry Zenyuk, research officer at Azov Museum participated in the presentation, which was followed by discussion on the first measures to be taken.

audience