- His home really is his castle.
When you have ridiculous amounts of money, you can have anything you need. You may also acquire many things you don’t need.
For instance, you might get stuck with a medieval fortress.
Russian businessman Vladimir Galaganov has been caught in an unusual dilemma. After spending decades building houses for others, he decided to finally construct one for himself and his family.
He wasn’t satisfied with a regular luxury manor, though. Galaganov decided to construct an entire fortress, modeled after Cossack forts of the Middle Ages.
Now, his fortress consists of mighty walls and several towers alongside them. There are also houses with fabulous details, such as a fireplace designed by a famous artist.
However, despite years of construction, the fortress still isn’t completed. It has also become a massive strain on Galaganov’s finances, so he’s decided to sell the place.
That’s easier said than done, though. As it turns out, the market for medieval fortresses isn’t exactly booming, and no one has stepped forward to buy the castle.
However, the place recently went viral in Russian corners of the internet. Now, the businessman hopes to finally find a buyer for the castle of his broken dreams in the tourism sector.
‘Not Just Any Cottage’
Vladimir Galaganov is a resident of Volgograd (which you may know better by its historical name Stalingrad). Over the past decades, the construction industry veteran has worked his way up from a builder to managing large construction firms.
“I’ve been building all my life, and I continue to do so. The companies I managed built apartment buildings and socially significant facilities in various areas of our city,” he told Russian news outlet V1.RU.
Some time ago, he concluded it was time to build something for himself.
“I decided to build a house myself. Not just any cottage, but something interesting and unusual,” said Galganov.
Indeed, he chose to build something much grander than a countryside vacation home. Instead, he wanted to live in a medieval fortress.
Specifically, he drew inspiration from old Cossack forts. They often featured a unique triangular layout for their walls, with watchtowers interspersed among their length.
He also hoped that the place could become something of a local hub for Peskovatka, the village he chose as the host of his castle.
“After all, in the Middle Ages, a castle wasn’t just a dwelling and defensive structure, but also a cultural center of sorts,” mused Galaganov.
A Real Fort
It took a long time and a lot of money, but eventually Galaganov’s fort began to take shape. Today, the fortress has its triangular walls finished, with a tower at each corner and two others in the middle of the side walls.
“Near each tower are semicircular gates, which also serve as entrances. Each turret is adorned with its own distinctive spire,” he described.
Although the walls’ and towers’ design harkens to the ages past, Galaganov constructed them out of decidedly modern white silicate blocks from his own factory.
“They were just starting to make them at our silicate plant when I started construction. I tried it and liked it—brick wouldn’t have looked the same. Later, I planned to paint the blocks to make them look more aged,” he told.
In addition to the fortifications, Galaganov has constructed three houses within the walls. They, too, are built to high standards. For instance, one of them has a unique fireplace designed by artist Pyotr Chaplygin.
What’s more, the castle sits in a beautiful setting. It’s located on the Don River with a reservoir of its own, surrounded by picturesque farmland.
Difficult Project
As it turns out, however, building a medieval fortress isn’t as easy as it seems. The project began stretching and stretching, all the while swallowing up more money.
As an example of the difficulties he faced, Galaganov cites the fortress’ reservoir.
“A lot of money was spent cleaning the nearby reservoir. The entire bottom was silted up, and tens of thousands of tons of silt were removed. Also, to prevent future flooding of the fortress and houses, we did backfill—we raised the ground by more than a [yard],” he recounted.
Finally, in 2021, Galaganov concluded that the slow pace of construction and the increasing costs just weren’t worth it. Other building projects required his time and funds, and the unfinished fortress was getting in the way.
“I built it for myself, but circumstances have changed—I need money now, so I decided to put it up for sale,” said Galaganov.
Who Wants a Castle?
But if building a fortress had been difficult, so was selling it. The place has been on the market for years, but no one seems to want to buy it.
In 2021, Galaganov listed the property for sale at 33 million rubles, or around $452,500. A year later, he shaved half a million off the price tag. By 2023, he’d dropped the price to 27.7 million rubles ($380,000).
Still, no takers.
Galaganov believes that his castle has potential, though. He originally envisioned organizing traditional tournaments on its grounds, and he still thinks it would make for a great tourist destination.
“Perhaps someone would want to live here or run a hotel business. Perhaps we could turn it into a tourist camp or a recreation center.
“If you buy the entire fortress, you could easily build a huge swimming pool in the center and other recreational facilities for visitors. I see it as a great place for weddings,” he said.
Recently, the castle went viral on the Russian internet. The sudden surge of interest has brought in a lot of visitors to take pictures of the strange building, and Galaganov thinks his time may at last be at hand. So, he has relisted the fortress for sale, this time asking for 40 million rubles ($550,000).
If you’ve ever wanted to own a more-or-less real Cossack fortress, this is probably your only chance. But considering that it’s in Russia, you may be out of luck.