Leningrad region is rich in architectural monuments of the past: castles, shrouded in a veil of mysteries and the intrigue, luxury mansions, imbued with the spirit "glorious times" once lulled prosperity, now forgotten, orphaned, dilapidated palaces.It is necessary to drive off from St. Petersburg in any kind of 50-100 km, and its magnificent monuments - witnesses of the main events of bygone eras tell "different story" in which personal success and tragedy prominent characters are closely intertwined with the ups and downs of a vast empire.
But not any Russian cultural heritage can tell as much as saw the ruins, lost in the wild plant park villa-provincial Ropsha.
most famous "palace misfortunes»
Many estates Leningrad region overgrown with legends.Take, for example, the family estate or Blyumetrostov Demidov - the first destroyed almost to the foundation, and the second - remained almost intact.Here, "can talk" every stone.Locals say that in hard weather conditions near the palaces heard clear voices, there was literally everywhere, and music pours ...
But Ropsha Palace - home of kings, lords and nobles surrounding myths and legends of quite another kind.
Laughter and fun people here are alien spirits.Rumor has it that hidden in the dungeons of the walled remains of thousands of convicts.Perhaps it is a wonderful combination of blissful and carefree one other fatality was the cause of a bad energy, no time to play a fateful role in the lives of the rulers.
Ropsha Palace: the legend of Fedor Romodanovsky
Ropshinskoye heights once took a fancy to himself Peter I: Enchanted scenic beauty, he ordered to build a small wooden house, little church and a park with ponds.However, after 4 years the king of the land granted to his associate Fedor Romodanovsky - led Preobrazhensky (the analog of the Secret Chancellery).
new owner Ropsha land was known as a cruel man (in those days the investigating authorities pulled "convenient truth" of the suspects, and only together with wires).Very soon the "defender of the interests of the king and state" has turned a modest size in the estate "estate for torture" - a sort of branch of the emergency special services.Retellings of those years state that jails with zareshёchennymi windows were located in close proximity to the main building that groans kandalnikov echoed in the surrounding forests, and the Romodanovsky, "like Satan," reveled in the suffering of victims.
Today, almost 300 years since the death of Generalissimo executioner, superstitious residents Ropsha still hear the cries of the half-buried cellars;he fancies that if manual, but a formidable bear - the legend says that it was she who guards the entrance to the torture halls - periodically goes out, examining the ruins, and again goes underground ...
role of the estate in the fate of Mikhail Golovkin
A significant modernization Ropsha Palace underwent in 1734.The owner was then already in-law Romodanovsky - Mikhail Golovkin.Career officials developed so rapidly that it seemed as if the door does not exist, in which the lord of the mint, and in combination - the adviser and favorite of the Empress Anna Ivanovna, was not well received.
As subsequent events showed, the fame of "cursed palace" was not in vain.In 1741, as a result of the success of the conspiracy, he ascended to the throne of Elizabeth, and life Golovkin came a black stripe.Updated Senate acknowledged monetchika guilty of embezzlement and sentenced him to death.However, at the last moment the owner of the ill-fated palace managed to escape the fate of being hanged - he was exiled to Siberia, and the entire property was confiscated by the state.
Architectural "flourishing": hand Rastrelli
next stage of the transformation of the architectural ensemble of the estate coincided with the years of the reign of Elizabeth.This is her decree Ropsha palace was ennobled in accordance with the fashion trends of the era.And he guided workflows nor anyone else, but he Francesco Rastrelli - Europe's leading architect and recognized master of his craft.A kind of "Italian track" in the external decoration of the palace can be called Corinthian columns, that even now, in the days of complete oblivion once majestic structure, continue to proudly carry the roof-cornered hat (classical portico).
However, even the genius of Rastrelli was not under force to dispel evil spell, vital in the halls of the palace of gold, - a few years later the Empress fell ill from an unknown illness, and before his death gave Ropsha Peter Fedorovich - heir to the throne.
«Palace murderer" and Peter III
Cultural heritage of Russia in the distant past often became places of last resort for VIPs.
That Ropshinskoye estate with passing of Elizabeth did not stop his own expense ruined souls - another victim of "bad palace" became Peter III, restless ghost who, according to popular rumor, sometimes appears in the ruins and asks passers weaker scarf tightly knottedon the neck ...
According to unofficial version, the murder of the young king - the handiwork of Alexei Orlov - faithful companion of Catherine II;He was allegedly strangled Peter Fedorovich, for which he was richly rewarded their patroness.Among other gifts bestowed the highest person count and Ropsha Palace.However, the Eagles had a reputation for great lover of country rest, so soon got rid of real estate.
Favourite Palace of the Romanov: Ropsha fate
whole XIX century manor lived a troubled life: My home, makes drastic amendments to the architecture of the buildings, a park has evolved and died ... nobles, somehow had to do with this wretched estate.(In 1801, only a week after the purchase of the palace, the king was killed by Paul I.) Do not change the terrible tradition of XX Century ...
Emperor Nicholas II - the last in the list of "God's henchmen" who possessed accursed palaces.Although death overtook him for the many hundreds of miles from Ropsha, the scale of the tragic events once again pointed to the existence of a frightening connection between the palace and its inhabitants: the entire Romanov family, so fond of rest in the estate, in 1918, was shot by the Bolsheviks.(Experts believe that the place of execution was the basement of the house of the merchant Ipatiev - eminent merchant from Yekaterinburg.)
Rebirth and oblivion: Moloch Revolution
In the years after the revolution of the estate of the Leningrad region were used in different ways: on the territory of one unfolded hospitals and hospitals and other Sovietauthorities gave to the needs of the collective farms;there were those who served warehouses, houses of culture, administrative buildings.
With Ropshinskoye Palace and the adjacent park history has played a cruel joke - the land went into the disposal of fish nursery-Union significance.And then - the Second World War, destruction, recovery profile reorientation of the needs of the war, the collapse of the Soviet Union, forgetfulness ...
days today: memorable ruins and UNESCO
Recovery Ropshinskoye Palace - a topic that has repeatedly come back after 1991.At the initiative of UNESCO's Manor, even given the status of "cultural heritage of global scale."However, the deplorable state of the monument is constantly frightened and officials, and private investors.
So waited: one winter collapsed columns of the portico - the one that remembered cheerful architect Rastrelli wizard.
Ropsha residents do not want to put up with the indifference of the authorities - they have already appealed to the collective request to the Administration of the President in order there, "top" impact on local governments.And, it seems, the reaction still followed.
quickly create the commission estimated the budget for urgent reconstruction of the facility of 15 million rubles.But the amount needed for the total restoration of the palace, in the billions - a high price to pay for the care attitude to the history of their state ...
