Abandoned magnificence of Karl Faberge's residence

After World War II, they learned that Sam Rubin of the United States had established Fabergé Inc. which was selling perfume under the Fabergé name and had registered Fabergé trademarks for jewellery items. In 1945, the brothers initiated legal action against Fabergé Inc. but, unable to afford the protracted and expensive litigation, were forced to settle out of court, ceding the rights to the Fabergé name in 1951 for a mere $25,000. In 1989, Fabergé Inc was sold to Unilever.

And stroke the parquet floor once graced by elegant ladies' legs clad in satin slippers. The atmosphere of this architectural gem is what neither the Bolsheviks nor the treasure hunters could destroy. Only the merciless advance of time will ultimately consign the Farberge estate, piece by piece, to the pages of history.

Whatever the truth, even now, inside the house, one senses deep down the other worldliness and the slowness of time. The wooden banisters that once gleamed with fresh polish at Carl Fabergé's formal receptions are there to be clasped in the hand. The patterns of the ornamented tile stove can still be discerned with the naked eye.

The third place, meanwhile, is none other than Fabergé's dacha at Levashovo. Many researchers believe that the safe found in the wall was unlikely to be the only one. After all, the Fabergé family's favorite saying did happen to be: "Don't keep all your eggs in one basket."

There are countless old wives' tales about the second possibility: somewhere on the Finnish border. It is said that there, under a certain "prominent tree," Agathon's wife buried her jewels. The border has been redrawn once or twice since then, and the area is not short of "prominent trees."

According to legend, there are three places that could be home to Fabergé's riches. The first of these is the territory of modern Latvia. The story goes that Fabergé's former accountant Otto Bauer hid his client's treasure there.

Agathon was imprisoned until 1921 and finally escaped the country in 1928.

Agathon was eventually made to talk, and in one of the walls of the Fabergé dacha, the Bolsheviks found a safe full of treasures. More jewelry was found in Fabergé's former apartment on Bolshaya Morskaya Street. Historians concur that this represents only a tiny fraction of Fabergé's worth. The remainder will only be discovered by chance, since we know that the family archive was almost completely destroyed.

It is known that he was led out to be executed by firing squad no fewer than three times, but on each occasion was reprieved at the last moment because only he knew the whereabouts of the hidden treasure. And it is known for a fact that all members of the Fabergé family left Russia with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Carl and his sons lived in Europe practically as paupers.

Agathon, the second son of Carl Fabergé, joined the firm after his namesake's death in 1895. He is the only one, who remained in Petrograd: Agathon did not escape with the rest of the family during the Bolshevik Revolution.

Two of Peter Carl Fabergé’s sons, Eugène and Alexander, settled in Paris in the early 1920s and established Fabergé & Cie which traded in and restored Fabergé objects, as well as general jewellery items.

The story of the missing treasure begins, unsurprisingly, with the coming to power of the Bolsheviks in 1917. Its value is said to have been incalculable, and it is believed that even members of the royal family deposited their personal jewelry in the hands of Fabergé.

The left wing of the house was converted into an orangery. According to eyewitnesses, Agathon Fabergé's winter garden was a thing of wondrous beauty. Today, the left wing of the building is a sad spectacle: the ceiling has collapsed, and stucco debris crunches underfoot.

Evenings were spent entertaining friends: the table was laid and the fire lit. The tiled stove with hand-painted details has been preserved to this day. But not in one piece: in search of untold riches, treasure hunters smashed up all the stoves and fireplaces in the house.

At that time, the dacha was nicknamed the "Little Hermitage," because it contained a unique collection of precious stones. The house was decorated with antique furniture, paintings, engravings, and sculptures by famous masters.

The story begins more than a century ago. In 1900, the eminent jeweler Carl Fabergé built a dacha outside Saint-Petersburg, in Levashovo. Seven years later, he gave it to his second son, Agathon Fabergé.

Today the Fabergé mansion is steeped in legend. Just finding it is difficult, and even if you do, entering the grounds is nigh on impossible. The estate now officially belongs to the Mountain Institute, and is guarded around the clock.