Palace of Princess Gagarina
In Crimea, on Cape Plaka, there is an amazing landmark of the peninsula - the Palace of Princess Gagarina. With its appearance, it resembles a castle from romantic fairy tales.
In the 19th century, Cape Plaka was the estate of the Taurian governor A.M. Borozdin, where A. S. Pushkin, V. A. Zhukovsky, and A. S. Griboyedov stayed at various times. Later, the estate passed to Prince Alexander Gagarin. Later, he was appointed governor of Kutaisi, where he met his future wife Tasso Orbeliani from an old Georgian family. They lived together for only 3 years, the prince was shot during a duel, and the young princess locked herself in her chambers. A year later, in order to somehow relax, she went to her husband's estate, where he wanted to build a new palace for her.
Arriving at the estate, Princess Gagarina fired the manager, who was convicted of theft, and began to restore the farm. She dreamed of building a castle in honor of her late husband, but she gave all the money to charity. The princess opened a hospital for everyone and took care of the sick there herself. She often had visitors, and on her 70th birthday, her nephew gave her money to build a castle.
In 1902, construction began under the direction of architect N. P. Krasnov. The castle was being built at a rapid pace, workers were brought from all over Russia, and building materials were mainly used from abroad. The palace was built based on ancient German architecture, and above the main entrance is the family coat of arms of the Gagarin princes, which reads in Latin: "In ancient times, there was power." In 1907, the construction of the castle was completed, and in the same year, Princess Anastasia Orbeliani-Gagarina died.
With the advent of Soviet power, the castle was nationalized and the Utes sanatorium was organized. This is how a magnificent castle, hiding in the shadow of an ancient park, appeared to the public. The castle itself has a magnificent grand staircase, and the interior is richly decorated with stucco, crystal chandeliers, mahogany furniture, and Venetian mirrors. There is a church next to the palace, near which Princess Gagarina rests. You can get to the castle only by buying a ticket to the sanatorium, and it will not be difficult to walk in the park.
