You can wander about the endless galleries of local history museums and scan rare and valuable exhibits, but still fail to understand the history and culture of the Russian people. After all, most of the exhibits are completely alien to modern visitors, and even the fascinating stories of experienced guides can not be compared with a visit to a real house of the past, whether it is the palace of a great sovereign or the hut of an ordinary peasant. Besides, a lot of old estates in Russia have survived to this day. Almost all of them have been restored and opened to curious travelers, immersing them in the era of merchants and nobles. The estate of the famous Russian merchant Timofey Chistov was built in the classical style and occupied an entire block of the town of Myshkin in the 19th century. Today, it is a historical and cultural complex. It comprises several museums, including a two-story house with a mezzanine and a stucco cornice along the entire perimeter. The future Russian Emperor Alexander III paid a visit to the merchant Chistov right in this building. Today, this house invites everyone to visit the Opochininsky Library, founded in 1876, and see the preserved valuable collection of books by Mikhail Kutuzov. Besides, the luxurious estate displays an excellent collection of tiled stoves and samovars, as well as several antique papier-mache dolls. The other premises of the estate house the collections of the "Russian Valenki" Museum, the "Flax Museum", the permanent exhibition "Myshkin in Old Photographs", and the family chapel of Flora and Lavra, which hosts classical music concerts and book exhibitions. Another particularly noteworthy attraction of the estate is the old mill. It had been the largest operating mill in the town in the 19th century until it stopped working in the 1970s and became a museum. Today, its visitors can learn about the miller's work and see all the stages of flour production.