Museum - Golitsin Palace

The ancient palace with beautiful jagged towers, entwined with ivy, built in the first half of the XIX century, belonged to one of the representatives of the famous and noble family of Golitsyn - Prince Alexander Nikolaevich Golitsyn. All matters on the arrangement of the territory and the construction of the palace were initially taken over by a relative and friend of the powerful dignitary - Princess Anna Sergeevna Golitsina, the owner of the estate next to Gaspra in Koreiz "New World". For herself and her neighbor in Gaspra, she chose the style of fashionable then Gothic architecture and in this style, with the help of the architect F.F. Elson, built her manor buildings and a palace for A.N. Golitsyn. Engineering work was led by V. Gunt. Much attention was paid to the creation of the park. We have been looking for an experienced specialist for a long time. At first, she used the services of a Vorontsov gardener. Then came his own master - Ludwig Kremer. The needs of the owner were large, and there was not enough money. As a result, they managed modest flower beds near the walls of the palace, one terrace in front of the southern facade, the main entrance alley from the northern walls. The rest of the territory was occupied by an English garden, in which exotic aliens appeared among the local oaks, mountain maples and beeches: plane trees, cypresses, chestnuts, cedars. In the labyrinth of paths, among the ancient oaks dug a small lake with a Gothic ruin on the shore, through which the waterfall broke. The surface of the water reflected the top of Ai-Petri. Walking through the park, be sure to pay attention to the magnificent views of the Ai-Petrinskaya mountain range. Already in the mid-1830s. Gaspra became an important attraction of the southern coast of the Crimea and was included in the mandatory inspection of travelers. During a trip to the Crimea, the castle in the absence of the owner visited on September 19, 1837, Emperor Nicholas I, accompanied by a large retinue. Not . included V.A. Zhukovsky. On the second floor of the palace of the middle facade, in one of the best rooms on the marble fireplace, a portrait of Prince A.N. Golitsyn was subsequently put up, and above it on the glass an inscription with a pencil made by the hand of Emperor Nicholas: "I am glad to see the portrait, but I never want to see the original here, for whom you love spiritually, you will not part forever ..." Isn't it? Nicholas, 1837. September. Added below: "I agree." Alexandra. Alexandra, Maria, Elena. All this together with the portrait was covered with glass and surrounded by a golden frame. In 1843, Alexander Nikolaevich resigned and a year later died in Gaspra from apoplexy, without suffering. The monks led their benefactor on the last journey on the third day after his death, as Golitsyn bequeathed. In the cemetery of the St. George Monastery there is a grave where Prince A.N. Golitsyn found his last shelter. His only real estate, "consisting in gardens and buildings", A.N. Golitsyn bequeathed to his elderly sister (mother) E.M. Kologrivova "with the right to sell or transfer by inheritance to my nephew my native camera-juncker, Nikolai Golitsyn". Apparently, the heirs never managed to use the bequeathed estate. Soon, after her brother, E.M. Kologrivova left for another world. In 1848, Prince N.S. Golitsyn died suddenly. For Gaspra came hard times - the events of the Crimean War did not have the best effect on the state of affairs. Under what circumstances and for what time it became the short-term property of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich Sr., is not completely clear. It is only known that already in 1865 the estate passed into the hands of Vladimir Vasilyevich Levashov, married to the née Countess Panina. The Countess has done much for Gaspra. In 1895. The palace was overhauled, the ceilings of the towers were shifted, the outer walls were exposed to the mosaic of Gasprin limestone, the roof was decorated with red Marseille tiles. New buildings appeared: the manager's house, the gardener's dwelling, a greenhouse with greenhouses, a gatehouse at the gate and the so-called "fligel at the fountain", designed for guests. Surprisingly accurate, and at the same time figuratively describes the park next to the palace poetic sketch Nabokov dedicated to the lunar night in the park on September 18, 1918: The fields sprinkled the cold light of the moon. Blackening shadow and spots of whiteness froze in the sand. In the heavenly lights the top of the carved leaves cypress. A mute and slender garden looks like a statue. A pearl arc over the roses hangs a fountain, murmuring where the gardens all roads connect. Its calm splash reminds me of the size of a sonnet austere; and the rhythm of a clear executed moonlight shine. He is everywhere - on the grass, on roses, above the fountain - unflinching, and there, in the alley, in the distance, the shadow of black foliage is crushed on the sand, and the dress of the girl standing under the chestnut, whitens like a handkerchief on a chessboard. Its flourishing state of the estate is largely due to the tireless work of experienced and efficient manager Karl Christianovich Klasen, who worked for Panina for almost 20 years. Under him, major repairs and construction of new structures were carried out, the economic mechanism of the estate was adjusted, the park and garden were decorated; the garden and vineyards began to fully meet the needs of numerous permanent and temporary inhabitants. Especially famous for its taste sweet and fragrant variety of table grapes Alexandria muscat. In the well-groomed flower gardens and alleys of the park, roses, tulips and violets bloomed all year round. From September 8, 1901 to July 26, 1902, the great Russian writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy came to the estate after a serious illness. In the Crimea, he met with A.P. Chekhov, A.M. Gorky, V.G. Korolenko, A.I. Kuprin, singer F.I. Chaliapin. The mansion with pointed windows and two octagonal towers on the sides has survived to this day - now one of the buildings of the sanatorium "Yasnaya Polyana" is located in the palace, so named because of Tolstoy's stay here. It was opened in the first years of Soviet power and was intended for scientists. The grand opening of the health resort, which began to bear the outlandish name of the Central sanatorium of the Central Commission for the Improvement of the Life of Scientists "Gaspra" for 60 places, took place on June 17, 1922, and the name "Yasnaya Polyana" was assigned to it in 1947.