In this place back in 1794, immediately after the foundation of the city, they planned to build a military hospital, but it did not work out. Then, representatives of the Polish nobility owned the mansion. But widespread fame, as well as the modern name of the building - the Shah Palace, is associated with the residence of a real Iranian monarch.
Mansion owners
More than half a century after the founding of Odessa, one Polish magnate, Zenon Brzhozovsky, wanted to build his estate at the beginning of Nadezhdinskaya (Gogol Street used to be called that). He commissioned his compatriot, architect Felix Gonsiorovsky, who finished it in 1852, to work on the project.
The estate was at the disposal of the Brzhozovsky dynasty until 1910. They preferred to lease it. So, for some time, one of the guests was Fedor Rafalovich - chairman of the Bessarabo-Tauride Industrial Bank.
Joseph Shenbek, also a Pole by nationality, becomes the new owner of the mansion that Odessa residents have already loved, but he, like his predecessor, was not going to personally live on the estate. The palace apartments are for rent again. It was in 1910 that the very fugitive Iranian monarch, Mohammed Ali, settled in them.
Architectural style and exterior
Gonsiorovsky was a supporter of the union of various styles. The Shah's Palace is a tandem of Neo-Gothic and Neo-Renaissance. The latter style is characterized by a craving for symmetry, division of facades. Rich towers, lancet arches - this is a tribute to the neo-Gothic. The building itself is built from the traditional material for Odessa - shell rock. Facing is made with luxury - from Inkerman stone. White color gives the impression of airiness.
The very place on the edge of the steep was also chosen by chance. From the sea, the mansion looked impressive: the vaults of the towers were buried in the greenery of trees. The Vorontsov Palace, built three decades earlier, stood on the opposite side of the military descent. It seemed as if both buildings were silently competing with each other.
A massive arched gate led to the palace complex with a gate in the form of a drawbridge - a kind of imitation of a medieval castle. They stood across the street of Gogol. True, they were demolished back in the 1960s. The arch that now crowns the entrance to the palace is the creation of today, although it looks quite organically along with the entire palace ensemble, which is more than 100 years older than it.
The creation of the Polish architect was to the liking of the inhabitants of Odessa. There was no such building in the city either at that time or later. So, in the 1867 edition guidebook, the Brzhozovsky house (that was the name of the Shakh palace at that time, and it got its present name much later) was declared as one of the sights of South Palmyra.
Famous guest
The symbiosis of cultures and nationalities is precisely in the spirit of Odessa. Whoever just didn’t live here - Jews, Arnauts, and Armenians ... And when a coup d'etat took place in Iran, the ousted shah decided to settle in Odessa for a while.
As a worthy apartment, he liked this unusual mansion. And he safely settled in it with all his retinue. By the way, Mohammed Ali brought with him no less, but only 50 concubines, and they all lived together on this estate. Whatever you say, but even for the well-known Odessa, it was a curiosity. Sometimes city residents watched as the guilty concubines were pushed out the door right from the balcony of the first floor.
But, unlike the previous owners, the Polish gentry, who were arrogant and reserved people, the shah quickly fell in love. He led an active public life, often walked through the streets of the city, talked with residents. There is evidence that the generous and open Mohammed Ali was inherent in the occasion and without reason to give gifts to ordinary passers-by. The former Brzhozovsky estate was little by little called as the Shah Palace. And although Mohammed Ali lived there for only 10 years, and in 1920 left Odessa, having left for San Remo, the name was fixed forever to the mansion.
In Soviet times
With the advent of new power, the Shah Palace in Odessa became the House of Folk Art and was until the collapse of the USSR. During these years, all the rich interior decoration was plundered. And in general, little is left of the old interiors, except for the lobby and the main staircase. Inside, the floors were covered with parquet, in the halls there were fireplaces, the walls were finished with marble. But all this, too, has already gone into oblivion due to the deplorable state in which the mansion was until the early 1990s. It is not surprising that they had to make a restoration, which lasted from 2000 to 2004.
Shah Palace (Odessa): address
The building is located on Gogol Street, 2. Any Odessa citizen will easily show the way. Getting there is as simple as possible: from the Duke monument, go along the Mother-in-law bridge to the Arts Boulevard, which rests against the Shah Palace. Next to it there are several attractions: Corner of old Odessa, a monument to Orange, a House with Atlantes.
Shah Palace in Odessa: tour
This building is a must on the list of city attractions. It keeps in itself not only architectural, but also cultural value.
Indeed, not all will remember that in which year it was built, but the fact that a real shah lived here with his harem will be imprinted in the memory of city guests for sure. Almost every sightseeing walking or car tour of the city includes the Shah Palace in Odessa. The price depends on the duration of the walk (an average of 300-400 rubles). But you can easily get to it yourself: from the Duke monument, go there for no more than 5 minutes. True, now you can admire the building only from the outside, because at this time the office of the oil company is located here and they are not allowed inside.
So, being in Odessa and not visiting this iconic place is simply unforgivable. Moreover, it is located in the heart of the city.