The Kuskovo Estate often called the Moscow Versailles due to its perfectly preserved French park, is an example of an 18th century, luxurious Moscow summer residence. Its history dates back to 1715, when the village of Kuskovo was bestowed to Boris Sheremetev, an outstanding Russian general. The Sheremetevs were one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Russia and the estate was used by several generations of the family. The estate is made up of more than 20 unique architectural monuments – among them there are the main Palace, Grotto, Big Stoned Greenhouse, Italian Cottage and the ancient church. The pearl of Kuskovo is an extensive French park with ponds, lakes, pavilions and Russian and Italian marble sculptures. In 1919 the estate received the official status of a state museum and in 1939 was unified with the Museum of Ceramics, the only one in Russia. Today, the museum possesses one of the largest collections in the world of ceramics and glass from various countries. The collection includes examples of Italian majolica, Venetian, English and Russian glass, Meissen, Sevres and Oriental porcelain.