Princess Oldenburg’s Castle

The Castle of Princess Oldenburg is an island of Western European castle architecture in the heart of the Russian Black Earth region. The palace is rightfully called the visiting card of the small town of Ramoni on the Voronezh River. Built in the Old English style, which can be referred to as neo-Gothic, this magnificent castle resembles a large-scale fairy-tale scenery. Its architectural lines combine unusual simplicity with refined elegance. All this, together with the parks surrounding Oldenburg Palace, makes it a unique landscape-architectural monument that has survived to this day and is worthy of travelers’ attention.

.

Video: Princess Oldenburg’s Castle

Contents

Historical sketch

In 1879, Emperor Alexander II presented his dear niece E. M. Oldenburgskaya with an estate near the village of Ramon. It is worth saying that Eugenia Maximilianovna was a woman of extraordinary intelligence and loved everything that is connected with technology, so, arriving in Ramon, she began to modernize the existing sugar factory in the village. The installation of steam engines allowed to significantly increase productivity. Subsequently, the first candy factory in Russia was founded here, whose products eventually gained international recognition. In addition, the princess began to improve rural life by building a water tower, a canteen, a medical clinic and even a railroad. As new jobs became available, residents began to arrive, and soon the village turned from a backwater into a very prosperous one.

.

In 1883 began the construction of the manor house for the couple, which decided to stylize it as a medieval castle. The author of the architectural project is considered to be Christopher Neisler. The construction was preceded by works on clearing the territory. The production of its own “heel” brick was established, the name of which has a direct relation to a part of the human body. The point is that to make the bricks stronger, the clay was tamped into wooden molds with heels. Maybe that’s why the buildings have survived so well to this day. The construction was completed in three years, another year was needed to complete the interior decoration of the premises.

.

After the marriage of the Oldenburgs’ son, in 1901, a mansion called Cozy was built for the young couple not far from the castle. It was connected to the palace by a decorative “bridge of love”. Nowadays it is used by newlyweds to test the strength of the groom to see if he can carry the bride over it in his arms.

.

The 1917 Revolution forced the princess to leave Russia and settle first in France and then move to Canada. The chateau was left derelict and the estate was ruined by a new temporary manager. In the post-revolutionary period, the chateau’s premises were alternately occupied by a factory office, a library for children, a hospital and a children’s music school. For some time it was even used as an army barracks. In 1941-1945 the palace housed a branch of the Voronezh Institute of Chemical Technology. There is a legend that Nazi pilots, knowing about the German roots of the Oldenburg family, did not drop a single bomb on the castle.

.

In the post-war period, the palace housed the Ramon Local History Museum. Gradually, due to the lack of repair work, the buildings reached a state of emergency. Since the late 70’s the palace complex was closed. And only a few years ago began to actively work on the restoration of the original appearance of the palace of Princess Oldenburgskaya.

.

Architecture of the palace complex

The Castle of the Princess of Oldenburg is characterized by smooth lines and sophistication, which is emphasized by the works of blacksmithing in the patterns of gates, balcony railings and verandahs. The beauty and uniqueness of the castle make it a popular object for tourists and a favorite place for wedding photo shoots.

.

The entrance gate of the castle, built at the same time as the main building, is a structure of two octagonal towers. They are connected by a passageway with rounded corners, resembling an inverted shield, on which coats of arms are usually depicted. In the passage there are wrought-iron gates decorated with scrolls and leaves. On the high tower, which is crowned with teeth on a par with the other, there is a clock. Originally it was the chimes of the famous Swiss company “Winter”, which measured the time every fifteen minutes. The design of the clock tower made it possible to amplify the bell ringing, which could be heard for several kilometers. Unfortunately, these chimes have not survived to this day, and now instead of them the time is counted by the usual station clock. Next to the gate is located suite building, which was intended for the entourage accompanying high-ranking guests.

.

A small courtyard separates the gate from the main building, in front of which there used to be a fountain. The pinnacles adorning the building, the slopes of the window openings and the teeth of the towers are all highlighted in white. This gives a feeling of surprising lightness to the structure. The effect is enhanced by the special decoration of the metal roof, made in the form of scales.

.

The building has thick one-meter thick outer walls with voids inside. Along them, heating the rooms of the Oldenburgsky castle, smoke rose from the furnace installed on the basement floor. It could burn up to five three-meter logs at a time. A separate furnace heated water for showers and baths. In addition, the building was heated by fireplaces located on the first floor, so even in frosty weather it was warm and cozy.

.

In addition to the fireplace room, the castle had the couple’s offices, bedrooms, dining room and living room. The Oldenburgs’ library contained many books. Its ceiling was decorated with wooden plates with drawings, some of which were burned personally by Eugenia Maximilianovna. The interior decoration of the palace was luxurious: the staircase designed by the princess was made of walnut oak, ceiling beams, doors and window frames made of the same, fireplaces decorated with Italian tiles, walls trimmed with Chinese silk. On the second floor there was a hall for dancing. It is worth noting that even deprived of interior decoration and furniture, the castle of Princess Oldenburgskaya looks cozy and comfortable to live in.

.

From the living room you can go out to the veranda behind the palace, the glass roof of which was woven wire to make it stronger. From the veranda the steps of a stone staircase led to a grotto, in front of which a fountain had been placed. Above the grotto was an orchestra platform. The staircase then led to the river itself. Considering the family ties of the princess and her husband, it is quite possible that many august persons walked here. Visiting the Oldenburgs’ castle, tourists can repeat their route.

.

Ramon Park

In 2013, the village of Ramon celebrated its 400th anniversary. For this date, a park was opened in front of the Oldenburgskys’ palace, designed by Olivier Dame, a landscape architect from France. According to his plan, the territory was divided into two parts. Two large lawns were laid out right in front of the gate, which were separated by a wide alley leading to the castle. It is flanked by a sheared hedge, and in the center of each of the lawns is planted a rose garden in the shape of a rhombus. The open space, devoid of trees, provides the best view of the Princess of Oldenburg’s castle from the front.

.

The rest of the park was divided by axial paths into areas with lime trees, Hungarian lilacs, cotoneaster, ornamental apple trees planted on them. Between them flower beds were laid out. To create a unified architectural composition with the castle, the park was surrounded by a red brick fence. Its upper part is decorated with decorative forging, which was performed by Sergei Ushakov – a local blacksmith.

.

Famous find

“Bomarzund” – a legendary monument that has been in the ground for more than three decades – was found by members of the search organization “Don” on the territory of Ramon in 2011. This granite monolith was part of the wall of the Russian fortress of Bomarsund, destroyed in 1854 by British and French squadrons during the Crimean War. There is an opinion that it was in Bomarsund that Alexander II signed a gift deed for the estate, and with it the emperor sent his niece this stone, which was later installed in front of Oldenburg Castle. At the beginning of the second half of the XX century, the base of the monument was undermined by treasure hunters, and the monument fell into a subcave. Thanks to the research activities of Ramon schoolchildren the location of the stone was determined, and in 2011 this one-meter “pillar” of red granite weighing one ton was raised to the surface and installed on the territory of the palace of Princess Oldenburgskaya. Unfortunately, the monument did not have a gift plate from Alexander II, about which the old-timers told. Perhaps it was stolen by those treasure hunters. So the question whether the estate was purchased by the couple or it is still a gift from the Emperor remains unanswered.

.

Souvenirs

On the territory of the castle there is a specialty store with souvenirs, where you can buy something to remember your trip to the Oldenburg Palace. Emphasis is placed on the unique works of local craftsmen. Here you can find products made of fired clay, various types of wall utensils, copies of tile decorations of palace stoves, author’s works of colored glass and deer antlers. The assortment of souvenirs will satisfy any taste. There are traditional for such stores caskets, magnets, badges and other things. In memory of the first Russian confectionery factory that existed here, you can buy handmade candies. They are packed in branded boxes, on which the Oldenburg Palace is depicted.

.

Visitors

Princess Oldenburg’s Castle is open from 10:00 to 18:00, weekends are Monday and Tuesday. Entrance to the castle is free, but to visit the expositions it is necessary to purchase an entrance ticket worth 100 rubles for adults, schoolchildren under 16 – free of charge, pensioners and students – 50 rubles. Excursion service is available.

.

Where to stay

On the bank of the Voronezh River, two kilometers from the Oldenburgskys’ Castle, there is a country hotel “Way to Yourself”. It offers rooms with TV and air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, a swimming pool, sauna and billiards. Children can play on a specially equipped playground. Meals are unpretentious, but quite decent. You can cook shish kebab yourself using a barbecue. On the coast there is a well-equipped beach. The cost of rooms ranges from 2.5 to 5 thousand rubles per day. The hotel is located at the address: village Ramon, Chapaeva St., 66A.

.

Where to eat

A hundred meters away from the Oldenburgsky Castle there is a cafe “At the Countess”. In its cozy hall with paintings on the walls you can taste dishes of Russian and European cuisine. The menu is varied, the food is tasty, and the prices are quite affordable: so, lunch will cost 350 rubles. The institution works from 11:00 to 23:00. On the territory of the village near the castle complex can be found a couple more cafes (“Marka”, “U Mikhalycha”) and canteen catering, so that sandwiches and tea in a thermos can not stock up.

.

How to get there

The palace complex is located at the address: Russia, Voronezh region, Ramon village, Mosina street, 21.

.

There are two ways to get to the Palace of Princess Oldenburgskaya.

.
  • From the central bus station of Voronezh by bus, following the route № 111, to get to the final stop – the village of Ramon. The cost of a ticket is 77 rubles. You can use the route cab №111-a, but it will have to wait for a long time.
    • .
  • By private vehicle, moving along the highway “Don” (M-4) in the southern direction, at a traffic junction about twenty-five kilometers from Voronezh you need to turn left (the sign “Ramon” will help not to get lost) and drive about eight kilometers to Oldenburg Castle.
.