Palace of Count Kening in Sharovka
Sharovka Palace
Ukraine, Kharkiv
The palace belonged to the famous Count Kening, who owned sugar factories, sawmills, and parquet factories. It passed into his possession in 1890, not fully completed. The count made some more efforts and the result was a beautiful park and palace. The palace is located on a natural hill, in the middle of the forest. Below the palace is a small ravine. Thanks to this, a beautiful park was created on the slope, as well as a system of ponds in the ravine. There is a large fountain on the topmost terrace. Below are 2 more terraces. You can go down the stairs to the very bottom. The stairs and walls of the terraces were decorated with figurines, decorative vases, and lanterns. All the walls were hung with weaving roses and wild grapes. There were flower gardens on the terraces.
A magnificent park was laid out around the palace. The park is dominated by blue spruce and oak. And also planted a huge number of ornamental plants. Tree species were selected that bloom at different times of the year. Many fruit trees have been planted.
All the paths in the park were laid with red brick, and some with red brick chips. Along the edges of the paths, water drains were made of brick, which were subsequently replaced with molded gutters. Drainage and sewage systems were built on the terraces.
Below, in place of the ravine, 2 artificial ponds were built, through which an arched bridge was thrown. The ponds are now overgrown, but this made them even more mysterious. And on the other side of the ponds - a steep slope, overgrown with forest. Here is the famous linden alley. At the end of the alley was a beautiful gazebo. From the pavilion one could see the whole park, the palace and the surrounding hills.
The Köning family left the palace after the revolution. And after that, changes began in the palace. The Sharovsky Palace was lucky to some extent - it escaped the fate of other landowners' estates in Ukraine - destruction. In the 1920s there was a fire that destroyed the stables. In the 1940s, the church and the family crypt were destroyed. Subsequently, a new room was added to the building, which somewhat violates the uniformity and style of the entire palace. Restoration work is currently underway. The external restoration of one tower has already been completed, some stairs have been repaired. It is planned to gradually clean up the ponds and restore the bridge. Today there is a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients.