There are unique sights in Vasilievka
These are the surviving islets of the Great Meadow - a sacred territory that remains unexplored after flooding by the waters of the Kakhovka Sea. And, of course, the palace complex of the Popov family is the rarest architectural ensemble of its kind. Today on its territory there is a residential building, a boarding school and a museum "Popov's Estate".
Dynasty
The founder of the Vasilyevo estate, Vasily Popov, is a nobleman. He was in the civil service in high positions. He died in 1845 with the rank of full state councilor. During his service, Vasily Stepanovich was awarded land in the Yekaterinoslav, Kherson, Tauride, Minsk provinces and in the Urals. Popov settled the lands of the Melitopol district with peasants from other provinces, freedmen, fugitives and soldiers. This is how the Vasilyevka settlement was formed. By order of Vasily Popov, a house was built in the Vasilyevsky estate from the sides of Turkish ships, which has survived to this day - now it houses the directorate of the museum.
The son Pavel was engaged in further arrangement of the estate. After his death in 1839, the widow built the three-altar church of Peter and Paul over the crypt. The fate of the temple and the family burial was tragic. Already in the twentieth century, during the Nazi occupation, one of the sarcophagi was opened, the zinc coffin was taken away, and the remains were thrown at the church.
The grandson of the founder of the estate, Vasily Pavlovich, served the fatherland with faith and truth, and after his dismissal from service, he began to implement plans to create a palace complex in the family nest "Vasilyevo" …
Promotional video:
Gypsy predictions
There is a legend that a certain gypsy predicted a quick death to Vasily Pavlovich as soon as the palace was built. These predictions mysteriously came true: shortly after the completion of the construction of the castle, in August 1894, Vasily Popov died. The last of the Popov family, who lived in Vasilyevo, the grandchildren of Vasily Popov, emigrated abroad in 1918.
In 1925, the Bolshevik teacher Makarenko wanted to found his own pedagogical colony (“Republic of ShKID”) in the castle building, but this did not happen.
Vasilievsky "Kremlin"
The landowner's palace was built similar to the Vorontsov palace in Alupka. Unfortunately, now there is only one tower with a spiral staircase inside. The landowner's palace was dismantled for building materials. To the right of the foundation left after the palace, is the so-called "English House" for servants. An observation tower is located between it and the western wing. Under the Popovs, it served as an observatory for observing the starry sky - it had a five-inch mirror telescope and a refractor.
Not far is the coach house. Today it houses a boarding school. Behind the coach house is a building with two towers at the edges, reminiscent of a fortress. These are the stables. They were built, presumably, by the project of the famous architect Nicholas Benois. When a manor is called a castle, they probably mean "Kremlin-like" stables. In Eastern Europe, only two structures are designed in this style: the stables in Vasilyevka and the Moscow Kremlin.
Ruthless time
As time goes on, decorative brick elements are slowly collapsing, wooden rafters and beams are collapsing, and rains pour in the interior through the leaky roofs.
The majestic yellow stone palace with five towers and extensive basements was built in an eclectic style, combining elements of Eastern and European architecture. The total area of the building was about two thousand square meters. In the palace, in addition to living quarters, there were ethnographic halls with mechanical figures dressed in national clothes, mirror and armory rooms, a unique library and an art gallery, including canvases by Titian and Rembrandt. Collections of rare wines were kept in the basements of the palace, Russian and Finnish baths, Turkish hammam were equipped. Secret passages with high vaults emerged from the dungeons of the palace behind the battlements of the fortress walls.
Immediately after the revolution, the Popovs managed to take out part of the property. In 1918 the Bolsheviks plundered the estate. All valuables, including a unique art gallery, were taken away. In the twenties, the estate park with centuries-old trees, alleys and park sculptures in the river valley behind the railway was destroyed. After the Holodomor, a house of culture was opened in the estate …
Mysterious dungeons of the castle
In 2015, new dungeons were discovered in Popov's castle. A local resident, who hid in these basements during the war, told the museum staff about the existence of the basements. After World War II, local residents kept conservation here.
- When I was six years old (at that time my mother worked in a school that was located in the Popov castle), together with my peers, I often visited the castle and "climbed" into the underground passage. It began in the area where stables were located under Popov, and now there is a gym. At that time (1948 - 1949) the course had not yet been completely blocked. Old people who lived under Popov told about an underground passage that led to the grave-mound, and it was near a small river (now at this place is the Kakhovskoye reservoir). This mound was located near the railway bridge. Others said that the underground passage led to Lysaya Gora, said local resident Karpenko.
According to the director of the historical and archaeological complex Valery Stoychev, excavations are underway in the basements located in the two-story annex of the castle's stables. If an underground tunnel is discovered during excavations, it will become a sensation not only for the Zaporizhzhya region, but for the whole country.
The work of archaeologists is already not complete without unique finds. The most interesting thing that was found was a bottle of perfume.
Mechanical toys
According to the recollections of old-timers who once served in the estate, Popov had a unique collection of 15 mechanical ethnographic dolls. The clockwork Mauritanian bowed towards the guest entering the room. Another doll was making coffee. The guests of the castle were delighted, and local peasants were baptized, telling each other about the master's living toys.
In the 20s of the last century, the collection was destroyed by the Bolsheviks - thrown from the observation tower. During excavations on the territory of the estate, the remains of doll mechanisms were found. There is a hope that the Popovs managed to take part of the collection abroad and preserve it.
A ghost roams the castle
According to this legend, at the beginning of the last century, a relative along the line of his grandmother, the Georgian princess Elena Iraklievna Ratishvili, came to the owner. Popov, showing the guest his property, took her to the observatory, located in the tower. Returning from there, the princess stumbled on the steep steps of the tower and rolled down, where she died from her injuries. Since then, museum staff have seen the ghost on several occasions. Here is the story of one of the museum employees:
- Once I was sitting and typing. Music played, the halls were empty, there were no visitors. The auxiliary workers were inside the basement. The music suddenly turned off by itself, and I hear a man walking through the halls and sighing. I felt uncomfortable - I got up and left. The rest of the employees were not surprised - many have already encountered this. History repeated itself a week later, but this time I heard not just footsteps, but the rustle of a dress. Before that, the watchman fell asleep at the table, woke up - she was looking, there was a woman standing nearby, dressed in Georgian clothes. The unknown looked at the watchman, and then dispersed like a smoke. And so it happened several times. When psychics said that a woman lives here, we were not surprised …