For knowledgeable people the word «Gaspra» sounds as sweet and pleasant as the names of the cities of Yalta, Sochi, Nice or Las Palmos. In addition, the village Gaspra is remote from Yalta distance of only 12 kilometers. On the lands of the local village council in ancient times settled the Taurians and Romans, as evidenced by numerous necropolises and fortress Haraks on Cape Ai-Todor. On the territory of the current Gaspra before the revolution willingly rested Leo Tolstoy, Chekhov and Chaliapin. One of the most famous objects of the village is recognized as the palace of Prince Golitsyn — Ober-Procurator, Minister of Education and one of the most respected politicians by Emperor Alexander the First.
A little more modest than Golitsyn’s estate, looks Haraks Palace. This is the estate of Grand Duke Mikhail, the youngest offspring of Nicholas the First. The estate was named in honor of the fortress Haraks, left in what is now Gaspra by the Romans. Excavations of the ancient fortification on Cape Ai-Todor were conducted by Grand Duke Mikhail’s son George.
Everything that was extracted from the Hasprin land was carefully preserved, and in 1907 the owners created a museum on the territory of the estate, where everyone could see the results of their archaeological research.
Having such a value, the importance of which was understood by the entire Romanov family, Prince Michael did not doubt for a second how to name his estate, palace and the adjacent park. Only Haraks! The total size of the estate was equal to 100 hectares and stretched from the Sevastopol highway to the seashore.
Despite the fact that on the territory of the estate was found an antique swimming pool and clay water pipe, its own source of water on the territory of the estate «Haraks» was not. Therefore, the construction of the palace began only after Georgiy Mikhailovich bought a water source from the Tatars.
The complex design of the building and the adjacent park was commissioned to architect Krasnov. He is a real star of Russian architecture. He is known as the author of the project Livadian Palace. He was an academician and served as the chief architect of Yalta. For his next masterpiece, the venerable architect chose the late Art Nouveau style.
And although the author himself describes the palace as a building in Scottish taste, but many visitors saw in its features a look similar to the architecture of ancient Rome. For example, with the Pantheon and the remains of the Temple of Saturn. Still, the numerous artifacts found on this land subconsciously influenced Mr. Krasnov’s creative thought.
So, the Haraks Palace is a huge two-story building built out of limestone blocks. It is crowned by a pointed broken roof covered with tiles like scales. Perhaps Krasnov meant Scotland, but it turned out that the roof looks like mountain ranges. The decoration of this «palace of the Highlanders» was a spacious terrace on the second floor. Under it there is a gallery with columns, which resembles the Roman Pantheon. Another feature of the mansion are huge windows. They are the reason why the villa «Haraks» is called a palace. A wide staircase starts right from the house and cascades down to the Black Sea.
The palace house, the park surrounding it, the ruins of the fortress of Kharaks and the remains of the Roman palace are unique attractions of Gaspra. In addition to aesthetics and historical value, Haraks Palace «works» as a sanatorium, museum and hotel with the same name. Choosing Gaspra for holiday in Crimea, you can enjoy the same views that were admired by members of the Russian emperor’s family, and swim on the same beach used by Roman legionaries.