The beauty of the Crimean nature and the variety of landscapes have been sung by more than one generation of poets. It was here that at all times everyone who could afford it preferred to build their summer residences. Thanks to such a high resort popularity, Crimea today boasts an abundance of historical architectural monuments. Among them is the palace of Princess Gagarina, built in Alushta in 1907.
A beautiful love story with a sad ending
In her youth, Princess Tako Orbeliani was distinguished by incredible beauty 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 her marriage, Tako took her husband's surname and changed her first 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 the Crimea - Kuchuk-Lambat, and build a new one there.luxurious palace. These dreams were not destined to come true. Prince Alexander was killed three years after the wedding. For 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, reminding her that a woman with such incredible beauty and we alth could easily find a new husband for herself. Probably Anastasia Davidovna did not like these convictions too much. Very soon, she left alone for Kuchuk-Lambat, where she subsequently built her own castle, which today we call the “Palace of Princess Gagarina.”
Building a palace
Princess Gagarina lived in the Crimea most of her life. The woman led a secluded life, 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, having celebrated her own seventieth birthday, the princess decided to realize the dream of her entire youth. Nikolai Krasnov, a well-known architect from Y alta, 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 had a chance to live in the castle of her dreams. The princess died almost immediately after the construction of the palace was completed, and the niece of Princess Gagarina inherited it, along with other property.
Architectural styles and building features
PalacePrincess 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 palace-castle has elements of Romanesque, Empire, Gothic. Above the main entrance you can see the coat of arms of the Gagarin family with an inscription in Latin: “In ancient times - strength!”. The narrow windows of the palace resemble loopholes; there is also an imitation of a fortress wall in the decoration of the facades. At the same time, the building does not look gloomy, bright colors and rich decoration make it look like a fairytale castle. The palace of Princess Gagarina is decorated with special chic: German tiles, Italian marble, Venetian mirrors. No less rich were the interiors, partially preserved to this day.
Modern history of the palace of Princess Gagarina
After the death of Anastasia Gagarina, the fairy-tale castle was inherited by her niece Elena Tarkhan-Mouravi. In 1917, the palace was nationalized along with the luxurious garden surrounding it and a number of other buildings transferred to the sanatorium. An interesting fact is that the heiress of Princess Gagarina was allowed to live out her life in a luxurious castle, having allocated two rooms for personal use. The he alth resort exists in our days - its name is "Cliff". The palace of Princess Gagarina today is 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 attraction?
The castle of Princess Gagarina is of great interest to tourists and all lovers of ancient architecture without exception. Its exact address: Crimea, Utes village, st. Princess Gagarina, 5. Access to the territory of the sanatorium is free and free. But getting inside the palace will not work, there are no organized tours here. However, the facade of the building deserves attention. You can admire the palace of Princess Gagarina from the outside for a very long time. How to get to this attraction by public transport? It is necessary to get to the village of Pushkino, located between Y alta and Alushta. Then you have to walk about 40 minutes on foot, moving towards the sanatorium "Karasan", before reaching it, you will get to the sanatorium "Utes". By public transport, you should go along the M18 (E105) highway, you need to turn off near the village of Pushkino to the Karasan sanatorium.
