Palace of Countess Shcherbatova

The palace also known as the Nemirov Palace is located in the very center of the city of Nemirov and is closely connected with the history of the Potocki family. The building was originally constructed of wood on the initiative of Wincenty Potocki in the 18th century, but in the 19th century the building was rebuilt according to the design of Franciszek Mechowicz. The last owners of the estate were Boleslaw Potocki's granddaughter, Princess Maria Grigorievna and her husband, Prince Alexei Scherbatov. In 1880, they decided to build a new palace in place of the old one, and 5 years later the construction of the new palace began. The work of designing the palace was entrusted to the architect Jiří Stibrál, who designed the building in an elegant neoclassical style. The two-storey palace impresses with its majestic portico and colonnade. Of particular interest is the room where the canteen is now located, which has preserved its unique ceiling painting in pristine condition. Also noteworthy are the windows in the roof and the light wells, which greatly improve the illumination of the corridors. The luxurious ceremonial hall with a fireplace was designed as a place for balls and receptions. The palace is surrounded by a picturesque park of 85 hectares, created with the participation of the Belgian master of garden art Van Geert, the park is decorated with a cascade of lakes and rare trees. When the princess's only son got married, she gave the gardener the task of finding an unusual plant in the park to symbolize the event, but the gardener found nothing. One day walking through the park, the Countess saw a huge oak tree, the trunk of which was divided into three parts, which struck her to the core. At her son's wedding, she expressed her wish that their family would become as strong as this oak tree. The right trunk is her son, the left is his wife, and in the middle is the Countess, who will look after their well-being. Now, this oak is considered the tree of love. To this day, newlyweds, wishing to ensure a strong marriage, come here to touch the magic oak tree and ask it for inexhaustible love and marital happiness. The construction of the palace was completed in 1917, but the Shcherbatovs were not destined to settle in it. During World War I, the princess turned the palace into a military hospital, where she herself acted as a nurse. After the revolution, the princess's estate was confiscated, and in 1920 Princess Maria together with her son Vladimir and daughter Alexandra, were shot by the soldiers of the Red Army.