Sheremetyev's Castle in Yurino, Russia: description, history and interesting facts

The small village of Yurino, located on the Volga shore in the Republic of Mari El, is famous for its main attraction. This is Sheremetyev's castle. Every year many tourists come to Yurino to see this luxurious structure.

The magnificent castle is on the very shore of the great river. Toothed turrets and towers, terraces and balconies, exquisite framing of window openings made of red and black bricks in combination with white columns created a unique decorative figure of the facade, and the beautifully executed carving creates volume and relief, recalls the ancient stucco molding.

A bit of history

During the reign of Peter I Yurino had another name. Then it was called the Arkhangelsk village of the Nizhny Novgorod province. Belonged to the village of General Golovin. Sheremetyev's castle (in Yurino) is known since 1812. It was in this year that a small village was bought by the rich Nizhny Novgorod landowner VS Sheremetev. He was the grand-nephew of Field Marshal Peter I.

The new owner began to build an estate on this land. The son of the landowner Sergey Vasilievich continued his work. But the main builders of the castle were VP Sheremetev, his wife Olga Dmitrievna and their son Petr Vasilievich. Construction work began in 1874 and was completely completed in 1915. A year later Peter Vasilievich died.

Part of the castle was erected in 1880 under the project and under the direction of R. Müller - an architect from Germany. It was made in the style of Gothic Revival (late). A. Parland, A. Korsh, A. Shtern took part in the development of the general project of the building. At the end of the XIX century, the well-known architect SK Rodionov joined the work. Since 1905 P. Malinovsky took part in the works.

The owners of the castle

The legitimate owners of the castle were VP and OD Sheremetev. Olga Dmitrievna was her own sister to General MD Skobelev. He was a frequent guest in the estate of his relatives. The owners collected in their castle a huge collection of weapons, part of which belonged to Skobelev.

After the death of the Sheremetevs son (1916), who was the owner of the castle, heirs of the ancient family left Yurino. In 1924 the Yurinsky district and the lands adjacent to the castle were transferred to the Mari Autonomous Republic, which was formed by that time.

Castle in Soviet times

After the revolution, the Sheremetyevo Palace in Yurino was repeatedly reconstructed to meet the needs of the new authorities. Expensive finishing materials were replaced by cheap ones. Some rooms have been converted into hotel rooms. The farm was badly damaged at this time. Damaged the magnificent construction and Cheboksary water reservoir - when rising groundwater in the floor and walls began to appear cracks. Since 1993, the castle began restoration, which continues to this day

Construction of the castle: interesting facts

In the construction works were involved local craftsmen: Tezikovs, Morozovs, Balakins, Belyakovs and others. By order of Peter, son of Vasily Petrovich, the company Siemens - Galske (Germany) in 1880 began to electrify the structure. The same company was entrusted in 1905 to deal with the arrangement of communications in the estate. Wasted sewage, water supply and telephone.

Architecture

The castle of Count Sheremetyev (Yurino) was built in the heyday of eclecticism, which implied the mixing of elements of different styles. For this reason, style styles such as Gothic (Eastern and Western European), Old Russian and Roman architecture are well seen on the forms and decorative decoration of the building .

The palace seems to grow out of a huge stone block: first the guests see the main tower, then - small turrets. And only then the majestic structure of red-black brick, decorated with a lace of a multi-pitched roof, Gothic battlements and complex turrets, appears in all its splendor.

Sheremetyevo Castle in Yurino is called a Volga pearl. Such a structure is nowhere else in Russia. Greatness and monumentality of the building are noted by all those who come to the village of Yurino. Sheremetyev's castle is surrounded by two magnificent parks. In the south there is one of them - open, with several fountains. It ends with a pine forest. On the north side there is a landscape park.

Sheremetyev's castle (in Yurino this is perhaps the most important tourist attraction) was formerly surrounded by a stone fence with gates made of white stone and some official buildings. The southern entrance is connected with a winter garden, which is covered with a glass (and initially crystal) dome, mounted on a large ring. It is held by seven columns.

During the construction of the castle, local building materials were partially used, and rare and expensive (granite, marble, rare tree species) were transported along the Volga from Western Europe. The castle has various in size and shape windows - arched and rectangular, paired and single. There are also structures with bindings made of wood and stone.

Sheremetyev's Castle in Yurino: interiors

The huge building has more than a hundred rooms and halls. The most beautiful of them are real masterpieces. The interior of the palace has survived to this day in part. Mosaic stained-glass windows are combined with Arabic ornamentation, which adorns the walls and ceiling of the East Cabinet, and the windows protect the openwork ceramic grilles. The plafonds are decorated with exquisite patterns.

The main pride of the owners of the castle were fireplaces. Each of them has its own peculiarities. The fireplace in the Great Living Room has a unique lining - for it was used a stove, discovered during excavations in Pompeii.

Against the backdrop of red and black brick, which are lined with the walls of the castle, especially impressive are the platbands, cornices, balcony balusters. Intermediate floors are made of softwood and stone. In earlier times, a spiral staircase leading to the winter garden was decorated with ancient Greek amphorae, in which rare plants grew.

In the center of the garden was a huge royal palm tree. In Skobelevsky hall there was a rich collection of weapons. The eastern office, decorated in Persian-Asian style, was decorated with malachite columns. In the Oak Room, the ceiling and all door jambs are made of solid oak.

Currently, the castle is undergoing restoration, so many halls are closed for visiting.

Legends and ghosts of the castle

As well as it is necessary to the ancient lock, manor Sheremetev is covered with numerous legends. One of them says that the specter of a girl wanders through the halls of the palace. Count VS Sheremetev won the reputation of a libertine and tyrant, who very ruthlessly controlled the lives of his serfs.

There are cases when a fagot-laden woman from a wedding was taken to his estate. The girl Palasha opposed the master and denied him intimacy. She struck the libertine on the head with a candlestick. For disobedience Palash was walled alive in the basement of the castle. Guides say that during the reconstruction of the basement there were actually found the remains of a man, but whether they belonged to Palas - is unknown.

It is said that the specter of Count Sheremetev often descends from the Oak Room. Local residents claim that the owners of the castle hid in it untold treasures, but they have not been found yet. Is not it guarded by a worried spirit?

Where to stay?

This question interests all who come to Yurino. "Sheremetyev's Castle" is a hotel located in the palace itself. It offers accommodation to anyone who wants to see this unique monument of history and architecture. Guests can stay in rooms of different comfort (there are 2 and 4-bed, as well as suites). At guests' disposal is a magnificent winter garden, summer terrace, located on the third floor. In the evening, you can visit the tea salon. Professional guides of the hotel will be happy to show you Sheremetyev's castle (in Yurino). Prices for tickets range from 300 (tour of the castle) to 500 rubles (castle-manor).