In the village of Rozhdestveno of the Gatchina district of the Leningrad region is the Museum-estate "Rozhdestveno". Its history begins with the decree of Empress Catherine II on the establishment of St. Petersburg province seven counties and commands to call the village Selo, Oranienbaum and Christmas cities. From that moment there began the construction of residential and administrative buildings for employees of County and city government. Center Rozhdestveno began with two wooden buildings: houses for mayor and assessor of the County court.

Emperor Paul I in 1797, by his decree, the city Rojdestvo abolished and in February of the same year granted the land in perpetuity by the court Councilor N. E. Ephraim. In our time, in the course of archival research documents were found, which suggested that modern Rozhdestveno estate and the home of the mayor, former first building, are one and the same building.

During its existence, the estate never considerably not rebuilt. The name of the architect is not installed. The estate was built in the Italian style. A distinctive feature of the building – the splendor of all facades. The internal layout is uncluttered and comfortable staterooms and accommodations are clearly separated, and the center is a large double-height reception hall.

As soon as the former mayor's house has been privately owned, next to the building was a Park, flowing into the forest. Family of Ephraim owned Rozhdestveno until the mid-19th century, and in 1853 it passed by inheritance to Savelyev. Estate, 4 years later, sold D. Manukhinas. After the death of Manukhinas her husband Nikolay Nikolaevich owned the estate until 1872. Then the house was sold to the merchant Charles Bush, who was his owner from 1872 to 1878. From it still retained the title of the slides opposite the manor house, which the old-timers call Bush. After the manor was occupied by the family of collegiate assessor V. F. Dmitriev.

In September 1890 Rozhdestveno buys the actual state Councilor Ivan Rukavishnikov, whose fortune was estimated at a million. Since then, the estate healed a new life. Was completely planned and planted the Park, where there are gazebos, sculptures, fountains, built a tennis court. From the road to the hill on which was the viewing platform, built a wooden staircase. Evidence of these changes on the photographs stored in the Museum. Changed and the house, which had a serious repair. The floor in the halls was covered with linoleum, which at the time was considered a great rarity, and expensive.

In 1896 the daughter Rukavishnikova, Elena, married Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov. After the death Rukavishnikova, Sr., the estate passed to his son Vasily, who in 1916 died suddenly, leaving his nephew, son of his sister to Vladimir Putin, a huge fortune and Rozhdestveno. In those years, Vladimir Nabokov was a minor, but because the right of inheritance to enter fully could not. However, in 1916 on the money he publishes a collection of poems.

In 1917, the Nabokov family left Russia. Rozhdestveno shared the fate of other estates. The building was turned into a student residence. During the great Patriotic war in the manor there was the German army. In the postwar years, the house was rebuilt under the school blocked the double-height room, and first broke into several areas. Then there was the laboratory of the local variety test plot.

In 1974, the manor has new owners. Settled here a Museum of local lore. The Museum is located in 3 rooms on the 1st floor of the mansion. The Museum staff tried to trace the history of all home owners. A special place is given to the history of families Rukavishnikova and Nabokov. In the 70-ies among the exhibits appeared family photo album Rukavishnikova, which was donated to the Museum by the son of the cook Nabokov – Vladimir Petrovich Sepnov.

A new countdown for the estate began in 1988, when the Museum of local lore officially received the name of a Historical literary and memorial Museum of V. V. Nabokov.

In 1995 the building was on fire. Burned North of the house, front hall. During the restoration work had traces of the original layout of the estate, allowing to recreate the original interior.