Forty kilometers from Voronezh, in the village of Ramon, there is a masterpiece of world-class architecture. This is the castle of the Princess of Oldenburg. The building was built in the Old English Gothic style and looks a little unusual in the picturesque expanses of the Voronezh land.
Since the 70s, the castle has been under restoration, which has not yet been completed. Many rooms are recognized as emergency, but still this place attracts tourists. Many go to Voronezh specifically for this. The castle of the Princess of Oldenburg is unusual not only for its architecture. There are many legends and myths about it, it is believed that ghosts live there.
This place was presented by Emperor Alexander II to his niece Evgenia Romanova. She was the granddaughter of Nicholas I by her mother, and by her father - the great-granddaughter of Napoleon Bonaparte's wife. The estate was a wedding gift to Eugenia and her husband Alexander of Oldenburg. The spouses really liked the picturesque places, and they began to actively equip them.
The castle of the Princess of Oldenburg was built in just threeof the year designed by architect Christopher Neisler. But the owners took an active part in the design and even decoration of the premises. For example, the princess herself calculated the width of the staircase opening and burned the drawings on oak tiles for the ceiling. She was a very active woman, and therefore the estate was equipped on a grand scale.
The Castle of the Princess of Oldenburg is a few red brick buildings standing on a hill. The observation tower offers a picturesque view of the Voronezh River and surrounding fields. The entrance gates are decorated with beautiful turrets, one of which is decorated with a Swiss watch. Meter-wide walls, lancet windows and beautiful twisted balcony railings are striking.
The interior decoration of the room was also exquisite, but now little has been preserved. Beautiful twisted oak railings of the stairs, graceful tiled stoves, a ceiling lined with hexagonal wooden tiles … It is also unusual that the castle was heated by one stove located in the basement, and it also had a shower room. To do this, the princess ordered the construction of a water tower.
A beautiful park with fountains was laid out near the castle. The grotto in the backyard is especially beautiful. A fountain in the form of a fish, from the mouth of which water should flow, as well as a long staircase leading to the river, have survived to this day.
The Oldenburgskys launched an active activity in Ramon: they set up orchards, laid a railway, opened a candy factory, whose products were widely known in Russia and abroad. Eugenia was fond of hunting, so in the cellars of the castlekept wild animals. The menagerie was also across the river, it laid the foundation for the Voronezh Reserve.
After the revolution, the estate was plundered, it had a school, a hospital, and a library. During the war, the Germans did not bomb the castle of the Princess of Oldenburg, so it has survived to this day. Its restoration is going very slowly, perhaps due to lack of funding. But it is believed that the estate was cursed by a black sorcerer in love with the princess. They say that birds and cats cannot be in the castle, and unusual sounds are heard at night.
Despite this, in summer you can visit the castle of the Princess of Oldenburg. Opening hours in the warm season - daily from 10 am to 5 pm (except Mondays). The first floor and basement are now open to the public. The park in front of the castle is being actively restored, because it is planned to turn the estate into a tourist complex designed by Olivier Dame.
