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84 CHAPTER 5 Life at the Dacha FROM THE SHORE OF AMUR BAY NEAR THE TRAIN STATIONS TODAY named Okeanskaia and Sadgorod, one can see the Peninsula of De Vries, with its stately avenue of trees leading north to a prominent hill. For more than three decades, this was the site of the Novogeorgievsk Estate, known simply as Goldenstedt’s Farm. The place is beautiful, with breathtaking views over the sea, but it is difficult to imagine that today’s village was once a bustling agricultural, commercial, and social center similar to some of the landed estates in western Russia.1 After her first visit to Novogeorgievsk, Eleanor Pray exclaimed, “I had no idea there was anything like it in this part of the world” (27 July 1900 to Sarah). Like many country estates, Novogeorgievsk was vitally connected with its region’s merchant and military circles, and the people who lived and died there helped make it a significant player in Vladivostok’s economy . Owned from 1892 by Karl Goldenstedt, a Russian landscape architect of German extraction, and his Cossack wife Agafia,2 Novogeorgievsk produced food for the city, proudly displayed its beauty and orderly management, and provided a rural escape from urban noise and dirt. Whereas some aspects of Novogeorgievsk’s life were similar to those of other estates, its location in Asia—near China and Korea—also differentiated it from its cousins.3 EARLY VISITS, 1900–1907 Eleanor Pray became acquainted with Novogeorgievsk in 1900 through her friend Marie Dattan. Thanks to Karl Goldenstedt’s business connections with Kunst and Albers, the Dattans were able to build their own dacha [sum- Life at the Dacha ✴ 85 merhouse] on the estate, and they named it Villa Alwine, after Mrs. Dattan’s mother. When she and the children left for Germany in 1904, Else and Paul Meyer (a nephew of Mr. Goldenstedt, also at Kunst and Albers) adopted the villa and continued the tradition of inviting friends out in the summer. The Goldenstedts and the Dattans considered their summer houses to be dachas without the sumptuous grandeur of more palace-like country homes, but contemporary photos show them nevertheless to have been splendid villas . On stone foundations topped with wood, their white walls and gracefully jutting gables were surrounded by pergolas and glassed-in porches; there were balconies, windows with screens, and elegant awnings. Situated on the “East Sea” (here, the Sea of Japan), the Goldenstedts’ Big Dacha and the Dattans ’ Villa Alwine were well equipped for the local climate, supporting both comfortable vacations and spacious entertaining. The journey from Vladivostok to De Vries was short enough for day trips, but arduous enough to make visits special treats. One would go either by train to 19th Verst (also known as “Platform”; today’s Sanatornaia Station) and cross Amur Bay by motor or rowboat, hoping that all connections would match up, or by sea starting from a city pier. Although connected with Vladivostok , the estate was also, in Eleanor Pray’s view, conveniently separated from it: “Our ‘peninsular paradise’ has its drawbacks in the way of communication , but to my mind the advantages and isolation more than make up” (22 June 1909 to Home). Mrs. Pray was not a happy sailor, often very seasick during crossings (“Why, why will people have country-places only to be reached by water?” 2 August 1901 to Home), but only in emergencies, such as on 20 August 1907, did the transport logistics cause real concerns. 27 July 1900 to Sarah We had a most delightful time yesterday and I do hope our photos will be good. We left here on the Pavel a little after nine, Mesdames Hansen, Wohlfahrt , Langschwadt, Ivy, Bessie, Bertie and I; and reached Goldenstedt’s farm a little before eleven. Mrs. Dattan and the children were waiting on the pier to meet us and took us straight to the house where we rested for a while. . . . Truly it is a lovely spot, and a big territory back of the house is laid out into a park, with paths, seats, swings and all sorts of things. . . . We took a walk through the park and then came back to luncheon, soon after which we started off again for a trip to the boundaries of the farm, three or four miles away. Mrs. Dattan and Mrs. Langschwadt went in the pony carriage, with Mr. Ringhardt (the boys’ tutor) for a driver, and the rest of us went on a dolgushka 86 ✴ Chapter 5 or...

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