A mysterious gothic castle in the Murom forests - a fairy tale that we almost lost

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

And today in the Murom forests you can see a majestic medieval castle absolutely impossible for this area, plunging into amazement and delight of everyone who came to this amazing place. Or rather, not the castle itself, but its ruins. And the question arises - where does such a miracle come from here, in the Vladimir region?

Since the end of the 19th century, a unique noble estate was located in the Vladimir region, the owner of which was an amazing person - a retired hussar colonel, a talented timber merchant Vladimir Semenovich Khrapovitsky.

It is said that Khrapovitsky, during one of his trips to France in the 1880s, was fascinated by the medieval castles in the Loire Valley. The French, proudly showing the guest their possessions, told him that there was no such beauty in Russia and could not be.

No - then it will be! And Khrapovitsky made a bet that he would build a castle, not inferior to the Loire ones.

Loire castle in the Murom forests

As a place for this, he chose the inherited family estate in Muromtsevo, the state of which by that time was very deplorable. In 1894, a young but talented and high-class architect of that time, Pyotr Boytsov, undertook to implement ambitious plans and build a castle of the hussar's dream, was Gothic and Renaissance.

At the same time, a whole bunch of famous gardeners and foresters began to work on landscape work, to which Khrapovetsky was no less serious.

Since Khrapovitsky, who by that time had become a large timber merchant, adhered to the principle - "everything is only the best!" (he even sewed suits for himself at the sovereign's tailor), the work went very successfully and - in just five years! - a whole village was erected, the main decoration of which was, of course, an insanely luxurious castle.

All interior decoration for him was ordered from the best metropolitan craftsmen. The castle had about 80 rooms, and each of them has its own name. What ingenuity had to be shown for this! The house was surrounded by a magnificent park with cobbled paths and a cascade of ponds. Exotic plants and outlandish birds were brought here from all over the world.

The Loire castle in the Murom forests, Murom Peterhof, Russian Versailles - such epithets were awarded to Khrapovitsky's creation by his contemporaries. The estate had its own theater and a beautiful church, even the stables and farmyard resembled small castles.

Khrapovitsky was no stranger to progress, and many technical achievements were used in the implementation of the project - central heating, plumbing, sewerage, electricity, telephone and even the telegraph. It even had its own railway and station. Not a manor, but an economic miracle!

… After completing the construction of the estate, Vladimir Semyonovich invited a Frenchman from the banks of the Loire to visit him in Muromtsevo. The Frenchman who arrived in the Vladimir province during the inspection of the estate was extremely surprised:

-O-oh-oh … You built a house no worse than mine … In response, our hussar casually threw: - What are you, monsieur, this is a stable, and my house is in the forest.

The Khrapovitskys took care and tried in every possible way to help the peasants from their villages. Elementary and music schools were built, in which children studied for free. If necessary, the peasants were provided with material assistance for treatment and further study. In addition, they received dairy products free of charge and there was no need to keep the livestock themselves. And Khrapovitsky's wife gladdened the peasant children with gifts on holidays.

The short life of the Muromtsevo estate

By 1917, the estate reached its heyday, but, unfortunately, the Khrapovitskys were not able to enjoy life in it to their fullest. The revolution changed all their plans, Khrapovitsky and his wife had to emigrate to France. Hoping to save the estate, Vladimir Semenovich handed over a complete inventory of all its material values and property to the new authorities. But, unfortunately, his hopes were not justified, the estate was plundered …

The estate was nationalized, a forestry technical school was founded on its basis. A whole wagon of valuables was taken out of the palace, a lot was stolen. In the middle of the last century, in almost every Muromtsev family, various objects from the estate could be found. But while there was a technical school, the castle was somehow preserved, at least there were windows, doors, a roof.

Perishing castle

The blackest streak came when the technical school moved to another building in the late 70s of the last century. Empty and useless, the castle began to collapse before our eyes. In a matter of years, the magnificent estate was plundered clean and mutilated. Tiles and bricks with the count's monograms were used to decorate the houses of local residents, and the arboretum surrounding the estate was cut down and built up for summer cottages.

The castle is still standing, but it is a depressing sight. The roof has collapsed, inside - devastation, dirt, debris, nothing remains of its luxurious interior decoration, but the walls are still holding on. Back in 1995, the president signed a decree stating that this monument of federal significance is protected by the state, but there is no point in this piece of paper.

From an essay by Khrapovitsky about his estate, written by him before leaving:

They did not save … Take away, took away, and even threw it away … … There are no words …

The fate of the Khrapovitsky couple was also tragic - they spent the last years of their lives in a nursing home in France, practically without a livelihood …

It should be said that this is not the only Gothic castle that can be seen today in the Russian outback. No less interest the story of a castle that has become a symbol of unrequited love.