WINTER PALACE AND BOGD KHAN MUSEUM
The visit starts with the Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan. This European-style building, built in 1905, has been transformed into a museum. There are objects from the time of the last Bogd Khan, a leopard skin ger, carriages, a collection of stuffed animals but also a series of paintings illustrating scenes of everyday life in Mongolia. The second floor shows the lifestyle of the Bogd Khan: reception room, rest room of his wife, exhibition of clothes and bedroom of the couple.
The visit continues with the temples, built between 1893 and 1903, and whose architecture is largely inspired by Chinese temples. We start with the temple of the guardians, with four imposing statues, in charge of protecting the place. The first pavilion on the left is the temple of embroidered silks. There are many tangka (paintings on silk) dating from the early 20th century. The symmetrical pavilion, called the tangka temple, complements this collection of religious paintings.
The central pavilion in the first courtyard is the temple of faith in knowledge, as indicated by the sign written in Chinese, Manchu and Mongolian above the central door. In this small temple the ceremonies of prayers for the long life of the Bogd Khan were held. The round windows and the magnificent wooden door decorated with a golden dragon are remarkable.
In the second courtyard, the delightfully faded colors of the earlier buildings are here replaced by scarlet reds and gleaming yellows. The pavilion on the right is a library. Its beams are decorated with small paintings representing landscapes or scenes of daily life. Opposite is the temple of the deities, which was used to receive distinguished guests. It has a beautiful row of finely carved and decorated red doors, and also presents a collection of tangka.
At the end of this second courtyard is the central temple, with one floor. Its three doors are decorated with exquisite colorful sculptures of elephant heads, tigers and dragons. The Lavrin Temple housed the religious icons of the 8th Bogd Khan and served as his place of prayer and meditation. In the entrance, a statue of Zanabazar is enthroned. The other rooms of this temple present a collection of statues made by the first Bogd Khan of the country, or by his disciples of the XVIIIth century.
The garden is home to a ger that serves as an art and souvenir store in the summer.
Beaucoup de statues et de peintures religieuses.
La yourte du Bogdo Khan était fermée.
Le musée est très complet. Des objets ayant appartenus au dernier Khan vetements, meubles, animaux empaillés...