Description of the attraction
House No. 15 of Andriyivsky Descent with the poetic name "Castle of Richard the Lionheart" was built in the manner of British Gothic and is an architectural monument of the 19th century. Named so by the Russian Soviet writer Viktor Nekrasov and in honor of the English king Richard the Lionheart, the hero of the novel "Ivanhoe" by V. Scott. This real ancient castle rises not far from St. Andrew's Church, on the complex relief of the previously existing Uzdykhalnitsa Mountain - the most romantic place in Kiev, sung in the annals.
The monumental facades of the building are decorated in the form of architectural elements of castle and fortress buildings - various towers, spiers, battlements, etc. The left side of the house is crowned with a high tower with pronounced fortified features.
According to the documents, Richard's Castle arose in 1902-1904, and the house and land belonged to the Kiev contractor D. Orlov. It was according to his order that the building was erected by the engineer-builder A. Krauss in the manner of the English neo-Gothic. In 1911, the contractor Orlov, who was engaged in construction in the Far East, was shot dead, and the house was soon sold. After that, rumors spread throughout the city about the evil spirits that settled in the house on Andreevsky Spusk. Only thanks to the intervention of the professor of the Theological Academy of Kiev, the famous historian Stepan Timofeevich Golubev managed to save the castle from the discontent of the townspeople, who were outraged and frightened by the unkind glory of the house.
At different times, famous Ukrainian artists I. Makushenko, F. Balavensky, F. Krasitsky lived in it. Exhibits at the One Street Museum are dedicated to the history of the unusual house and its inhabitants, where artwork and personal belongings of the residents of the house are presented, as well as plans and photographs of Richard's Castle.
