On March 11, 1883, the outstanding Russian diplomat, His Serene Highness Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov, passed away in Baden-Baden. He was born on June 4 (15), 1798, in Gapsal and served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire under Emperor Alexander II from 1856 to 1882, becoming the last Chancellor of the Russian Empire.

Gorchakov came from a notable princely family and was born in the Estland province to a respected but not very wealthy family. His mother was a Russified German, an Ostsee baroness. Alexander studied at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum alongside Pushkin, who described him as "a pet of fashion, a friend of high society, an observer of brilliant customs."

These qualities, important for a diplomat, combined with his education and ability to communicate with various people, allowed Gorchakov to begin his diplomatic career early. By the age of 22, he accompanied the Russian Foreign Minister Nesselrode to international congresses, and at 24, he became the secretary of the embassy in London, then in Rome, and later a counselor in Berlin, Florence, and Vienna.

Germany played a special role in his diplomatic career. Gorchakov visited many German states and lived in Frankfurt am Main for about four years. After Russia's defeat in the Crimean War, he sought to establish relations with Prussia, represented by Otto von Bismarck, the future "Iron Chancellor," to counter Austria and France.

Gorchakov was buried in the family crypt at the cemetery of the Sergiev Primorsky Monastery, and his grave has been preserved to this day.

On February 2, 2010, by the order of the President of Russia D. A. Medvedev, the A.M. Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Support Foundation was established. Its mission is to develop public diplomacy and promote the formation of a favorable public, political, and business climate for Russia abroad.