Sharivka Palace is one of the main architectural treasures nearby Kharkiv, in Ukraine, located in the middle of a forest 60 km from this city. Even many Ukrainians don’t know about this palace and I have to thank Irina Anatoly for translating its story from the Russian language, which made me possible to write this post.
The first foundation of Sharivka Palace was laid in 1700 by a landowner named Ol’hovski. This unusual white castle was rebuilt by three different owners in distinct architectural styles. And its last owner was a German baron named Leopold Koenig. Although the palace hasn’t been restored, it remains impressive by its elegance and majestic decoration.
One interesting aspect of Sharivka is in the old park combining different kinds of trees, going from green in spring to a multicolored during summer and fall. And thanks for the fantastic work made by the gardeners, the park has a perfect combination with the wild forest around.
In its interior, Sharivka Palace still conserves the splendor with high ceilings decorated with paintings and wallpapers that used to be a reference of taste and style during the 1880s.
Baron Leopold Koenig’s life at Sharivka Palace
In addition to its remaining decoration, Sharivka Palace has a unique story related to the life of the baron Leopold Koenig. He was a rich man, but with no luck in love. For a long time, he was courting a young lady who agreed to become his wife.
Their wedding was celebrated with circus performers and ballet dancers from Saint Petersburg. After married, his wife started to help baron Leopold’s work and took care of Sharovskiy Children School.
Diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis, baron Leopold’s wife has a milestone in her life. He had ordered to build a healing microclimate with an arboreal park and started to attend all her whims.
Stories say that during a summer the baron had ordered tons of sugar to build a sugar slide for his wife ride on sleds. Despite the baron knew about a betrayal by his wife, he realized on her a feeling of the brevity of life taking her to live every day as it was her last day alive. He forgave her and did everything he could to brighten up her last days.
By the Soviet Revolution in 1917, the couple was forced to move to Germany. Away from Sharivka and from the favorable climatic conditions provided by the baron, the young wife died after they moved. During the Soviet period, the castle was appropriated by the State, the authorities had transformed Sharivka to a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients, ignoring the significance of its architecture.
It is known that Regional Health Inspectorate had visited Sharivka and hadn’t found tuberculosis bacillus in the castle, due to the arboreal park built by baron Leopold. Sharivka is also known by a mysticism felt positively by its visitors on their romantic life and peace of mind.
Originally posted 2018-09-16 21:17:39.
