This "Haunted House" had gathered around him a lot of legends. Before us - one of the most enigmatic of the Crimean capes called Plaka. Below - the alluring surface of water. And all around - landscapes, worthy of the painter. We stand at almost polished rocks. In the old days at Cape Plaka, a height of about two hundred feet high, was a quadrangular tower. This locality was named Kuchuk Lambat, and next was Biyuk-Lambat, which translated means "the small and large lamp or torch. Probably, there were beacons.

On boulders - autographs modern tourists. Having examined the inscription left by "painting", you will know that the Cape rested Zoe, Petit, Vasey of Donbass, Krivoy Rog, Moscow and other famous cities. These are the messages of contemporaries and descendants. On the cape is easily visible fairytale castle. The very beautiful castle of Princess Gagarin. Its construction was completed exactly 100 years ago. Possession of Princess compared with the palace of Emperor Alexander III in Yalta. In Gagarinsky castle combines elongated tongs towers combined with toothed walls. Bright tiles on the roof, openwork parapets of balconies. All this gives the palace a unique charm. Preserved tambour doors, mosaic on the floor, dioritic step.

The descendant of the Great Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich, the Christianizer of Russia, Prince Ivan Vsevolodovich, received from his brother, the Great Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, the appanage of Starodub, and this originated the Princes of Starodub. The great-great-grandson of this Prince Ivan, Prince Ivan Fedorovich, called Lapa-Golibesovskoy, had a son, Prince Mikhail, and he had three sons: Princes Vasilii, Yuri, and Ivan Gagara whose descendants, the Princes Gagarin, served the Russian Throne as Boyars and in other distinguished positions. The history of the Russian Empire shows that many of the Princes Gagarin, both in ancient times as well as in more recent times, were granted fiefdoms for their service to the fatherland, and were rewarded with several Orders and other tokens of the Monarch's favor.

internal layout of the palace does not disappoint. The grand staircase - from snow-white marble, decorated with beautiful stucco walls and ceiling. And in the niches were icons, but not the picture, as some researchers. Eyewitnesses claim that the niches have repeatedly manifested faces of the saints.

Gagarin's Palace attracts not only for its beauty. Tourists come here to listen to stories about his hostess - Beauty and umniche, Princess Anastasia Gagarina. Local experts say that there is a secret door. She goes to the roof, which the peasants who worked at Princess Gagarin, called "mint". Because there were people for wages. Gave money manager. A Duchess Anastasia leaves through a secret door to the roof and saw to it that no one hurt. About Princess Gagarina legends and even say that her ghost appears from time to time in the palace.

Georgian Princess Gagarin - the girl from the ancient Georgian people Orbeliani. She became the second wife of Prince Gagarin. Widowed, he offered his hand and heart of the Georgian beauty. And she agreed, against the wishes of his mother. But the happiness of young family was brief. Kutaisi Governor Prince Gagarin was killed four years after the wedding. In general, the number four was fatal for all young women Kuchuk Lambata. But that's another story. A Princess Anastasia was left a widow at age 27. And married more did not come out.

The estate of the princess is compared to the palace of emperor Alexander III in Massandra. In the Gagarin castle the extended nippers of towers are combined with gear walls. Bright tile on the roof, tracery parapets of balconies - all these give a unique charm to the palace. Vestibule doors, mosaic floor, diorite steps have preserved their original appearance. The interior setting-out of the palace doesn't disappoint. The front staircase are made from snow-white marble, a beautiful stucco molding decorates walls and a ceiling. And in niches there were icons, but not pictures as some researchers assume. Eyewitnesses assert that time and again the faces of Saints became apparent in the niches. The Gagarin palace attracts not only with its beauty. Tourists come here to listen to the stories about the lady of the house —a beauty and a clear-head, princess Anastasia Gagarina. Local experts tell that there’s a secret door which leads to the roof. When peasants working for the princess Gagarina came to receive their salary, princess Anastasia alighted from the secret door on the roof and watched that nobody had been offended.

Legends are composed about princess Gagarina, and even tell that her phantom appears in the palace from time to time. The Georgian princess Gagarina was the girl from the ancient Georgian Orbeliani family. She became the second wife of prince Gagarin. Having become a widower, he made a proposal to the Georgian beauty. And she did agree, against her mother’s will. But the happiness of the young family was short. The Kutaisi governor, prince Gagarin, was killed in four years after wedding. In general, the number four became fatal for all young women of Kuchuk-Lambat. But that is quite another history. And princess Anastasia became a widow at 27 years old and never married again. The princess began to build her well-known castle when she was 70. When building of the castle on cape Plaka had been finished, she died.

Having walked along Kuchuk-Lambat, we advise you to come up to the Gagarin palace once more as it’s one of the most romantic on the Southern coast. Certainly, they won't cease to make legends about it. And you are sure to return here more than once to listen to the most interesting of them.

You can get there by direct flight to Simferopol or through Kiev or Odessa.