Once upon a time, this mound loomed on the horizon from afar with its perfectly regular shapes. On this flat terrain, it was like a landmark, like a lighthouse showing the traveler the way. It has long been said in these places: "as soon as you see the mound, take it to the left (right) and in half an hour you will be there." Or: "you need to climb the mound, and from there everything will be clearly visible."
The kurgan has served as a landmark for a long time. He could have been seen for at least twenty miles. It was surrounded by a huge oak ridge stretching from the river to the nearest town. Shortly before the First World War, the owner of the grove apparently needed money and sold it for lumber. Today, the mound itself is missing. They copied it and put it in a canvas next to a modern expressway. The mound is no longer there, but I think the legend of it will live in people's memory for generations to come.
A long time ago, a young and wealthy prince lived in this area. His vast possessions were under the close supervision of a loyal ruler. The prince himself was very fond of traveling the world. His house was filled with countless wonders, armor, weapons, golden dishes, old manuscripts and books in various languages of the countries from which he returned. But one day, the prince brought nothing with him from a trip, but instead a very young girl of unprecedented beauty was sitting in his carriage. It is a mystery how this lovely creature ended up next to the prince, but, apparently, it did not happen by her will at all. According to legend, she even tried to escape several times.
The prince laid all his riches at the feet of the overseas beauty. But the young lady dreamed of only one thing-to return to her home. Out of desperation and longing, or perhaps from some kind of illness, the beauty relieved herself. When she was dying, she turned to the owner of the estate with the only request-to bury her to the east of his house and to fill a high mound over the grave. And the higher the mound is, the more likely it is that her image will appear in the first rays of the sun, looking from a height in the direction where her homeland lies. And if the prince fulfills her wishes with precision, then she will cast a glance at the prince himself, thereby forgiving him all his sins before her.
All the wealth, all the savings, all the priceless collections of the prince went to transport the land and build a mound over the grave of the deceased beauty. No one knows whether the prince saw his beloved in the rays of the dawn sun. But work on the construction of the mound went on until the last day of the owner of the estate. He was seen sitting in an armchair on the terrace of the house: every morning he watched the sun rise.
Today, there is a small village on the spot where the palace once stood, and the sun, rising above the horizon, illuminates with its rays only the crowns of old poplars growing along the street. It leads directly to the east, in the direction where a beautiful mound once towered over the entire neighborhood.