The beauty of the Crimean nature and the variety of landscapes are praised by more than one generation of poets. It was here that at all times, everyone who could afford it was preferred to build their summer residences. Due to such a high resort popularity, today Crimea boasts an abundance of historical monuments. Among them is the palace of Princess Gagarina, built in Alushta in 1907.
Beautiful love story with a sad ending
In her youth, Princess Taco Orbeliani was incredibly beautiful, combined with modesty. The representative of a noble Georgian family married Prince Alexander Gagarin, who served as adjutant to the governor of Kutaisi. There was a significant age difference between the spouses (more than 20 years), but none of the relatives of the family could doubt the sincerity of their feelings. After marriage, Taco took her husband's last name, and changed her name. She is best known as Princess Anastasia Gagarina. Prince Gagarin promised his young beautiful wife that very soon they would move to his estate in Crimea - Kuchuk-Lambat, and build a new magnificent palace there. These dreams were not destined to come true. Prince Alexander was killed three years after the wedding. In the first months, his young widow was so broken by this unexpected grief that she practically did not leave her room. Then the close princesses began to console her, recalling that a woman with such incredible beauty and wealth could easily find a new husband. Most likely, Anastasia Davidovna did not like these beliefs too much. Very soon, she left alone in Kuchuk Lambat, where she subsequently built her castle, which today we call "the palace of Princess Gagarina."
Palace construction
In Crimea, Princess Gagarin lived most of her life. The woman led a secluded lifestyle, did not go out, but at the same time she was engaged in charity work and helped those in need. Anastasia Davidovna never married again and lived all her life all alone. In 1902, noting her seventieth birthday, the princess decided to realize the dream of all her youth. Nikolai Krasnov, a famous architect from Yalta, was invited to build the castle-palace. A picturesque place near Cape Plaka was chosen and a unique project was developed. In 1907, the palace of Princess Gagarina was completed. But Anastasia Davidovna never happened to live in the castle of her dreams. The princess died almost immediately after the construction of the palace was completed, and he, along with other property, was inherited by the niece of Princess Gagarina.
Architectural styles and construction features
Palace of Princess Gagarina (Alushta) is a unique attraction for the Crimea. Even professional architects cannot always unambiguously determine the style of this building. The building consists of several parts, its maximum height is three floors. The castle palace has elements of the Romanesque style, Empire style, Gothic. Above the main entrance you can see the coat of arms of the Gagarin family with an inscription in Latin: "In antiquity - power!". The narrow windows of the palace resemble loopholes; there is also an imitation of the fortress wall in the decor of the facades. At the same time, the building does not look gloomy, bright colors and rich finishes make it look like a fairytale castle. The palace of Princess Gagarina is decorated with special chic: German roof tiles, Italian marble, Venetian mirrors. No less rich were the interior interiors, partially preserved to this day.
The modern history of the palace of Princess Gagarina
After the death of Anastasia Gagarina, the fairytale castle was inherited by her niece Elena Tarhan-Mouravi. In 1917, the palace was nationalized along with the chic garden surrounding it and a number of other buildings were transferred to the ownership of the sanatorium. An interesting fact is that the heiress of Princess Gagarina was allowed to live her life in a luxurious castle, having allocated two rooms for personal use. A health resort exists today - its name is "Cliff". The palace of Princess Gagarina is now occupied by the administration of the sanatorium. Inside, historical interiors are partially preserved, there is a small collection of personal belongings of a noble family.
How to get to the sights?
The castle of Princess Gagarina is of great interest to tourists and all, without exception, lovers of ancient architecture. His exact address: Crimea, Utes village, st. Princess Gagarina, 5. Access to the sanatorium is free and free. But to get inside the palace does not work, organized excursions are not carried out here. However, the facade of the building deserves attention. You can admire the palace of Princess Gagarina outside for a very long time. How to get to this attraction by public transport? You need to get to the village of Pushkino, located between Yalta and Alushta. Then you have to walk about 40 minutes, moving towards the sanatorium "Karasan", without reaching it, you will get to the sanatorium "Utes". By public transport you should go along the highway M18 (E105), you need to turn off in the area of the village of Pushkino to the sanatorium "Karasan".