Gothic castle in rural Russia

A magnificent estate with a Gothic-style castle, a stable, a park, and a cascade of ponds was founded by Count Khrapovitsky in Muromtsevo village, in Russia’s Vladimir region, in the 1880s.

The building, unusual for a Russian estate, was designed by Pyotr Boitsov.

After the 1917 revolution, the count transferred ownership of the castle to the new authorities and left for Capri. In 1921-1977, Muromtsevo forestry college was located in the castle. Later the college moved into a new building, and the wonderful castle is getting shabby and dilapidated.

Local boys started a “business” there. They can take tours along the dilapidated castle for several hundreds rubles.

The castle had all the conveniences such as water pipelines, sewerage system, and telephone.

The legend has it that Khrapovitsky constructed the Gothic castle on his estate at Muromtsevo as a bet. When he was travelling across France in the 1880s, he was amazed by Medieval castles there, and an idea came to him. The idea was to construct an estate in the same style. But his French friends, who accompanied the count on his trip, said it was impossible. Khrapovitsky made a bet with them that he would build the castle.

Wooden floors and ceilings collapsed, but some Soviet-era floors and ceilings remained intact. The interior was destroyed completely.

Wall decoration elements can be seen in some places. Unfortunately, the parquet floors, decorative paintings by August Tomashka, the collection of paintings, and the famous mirror room were not preserved.

A marble staircase that leads nearly to the top remains.

The windows overlook a wild park which used to be known for its beauty. The park consisted of three parts: Italian (cascades of ponds and parterre), French (fountains, greenhouses, and playgrounds), and English (created in 1910).