More than a hundred years ago, Nicholas II liked to walk along the Solar Trail. What was the last Russian emperor thinking at such moments? The fate of their country or the beauty of the Crimean landscapes? That we will never know. But, fortunately, we have the opportunity to go along a wonderful route, which ends at the Livadia Palace. What other attractions you can visit while moving along the Tsar’s path is described in today's article.
Solar (Tsarist) trail: how to get there?
Most tourists do not ask this question. The tour bus takes vacationers to the village of Gaspra. And from there, a guide accompanies them to the palace, telling interesting stories about the Crimean period of the Russian emperor along the way. Signing up for one of the excursions is the most convenient way to visit the sights of the Sun Trail.
How to get to the starting point of this route yourself? It is believed that the trail begins in the village of Gaspra and ends at the Livadia Palace. At least, guides usually lead their wards towards the former imperial residence. But you can go this route, of course, in any direction. A bus number 100 regularly runs to Livadia Palace from Yalta. From Simferopol to the village of Gaspra, you can get on a trolleybus or a minibus. But even those who intend to walk along the path that the emperor’s foot has taken, accompanied by an experienced guide, should get a little familiar with its history.
Until 1917, the sun trail was called royal. After the revolution, much has changed: the purpose of many historical buildings, and their names. As for the trail, it became Solar, because all the nouns and adjectives derived from the word "king" acquired a negative connotation. We will begin our imaginary journey along the Sun trail from Livadia. It is here that the residence of Nicholas II. But first, get acquainted with a brief information about the route.
Solar (Imperial) trail in Crimea
The length of the route is 6.5 km. The trail is horizontal, there are almost no steep descents, drops and ascents. Along the way, you can see quite rare exotic plants, trees, shrubs. The sun trail is also called healing. Walking along the Tsar’s trail will give pleasure even on the hottest summer day. Century-old trees will save from the rays of the scorching sun, of which there are so many that it even becomes scary in places.
How to get to the solar trail in the Crimea? There is no single answer to this question. After all, there is no exact route of the royal path. It can begin at completely different points, which are at some distance from each other, and later have small branches. For those who do not know where to start the journey, the Livadia Palace can serve as a guide.
A bit of history
The site from Lower Oreanda to the Livadia Palace until the mid-nineteenth century was owned by Lev Pototsky. Later, representatives of the royal family built a residence here. Then there was a need to create a route that would lead from Ai Todor to the palace. They laid the trail in 1901. After 16 years, the Bolsheviks renamed it, and very unsuccessfully. It is difficult to name the solar road that leads through deciduous and coniferous plantings.
Route
What is interesting to see when walking along the route "Sun Trail"? The photos presented in this article depict the main attractions. Along the way, you can also see bizarre wooden figures, a majestic rotunda, in which Nicholas II, according to legend, loved to drink tea with his daughters after a long leisurely walk. It offers scenic views of the surroundings. Probably, during the tea party, the emperor used to enjoy looking at his possessions.
Being on a rotunda, you can see a sheer cliff in the distance, and on it - a cross. It was once established by Alexandra Fedorovna with Count Vorontsov. True, a cross was most likely installed at the beginning of the 20th century. Because there is evidence that the former was destroyed by vandals.
Along the way, you can see another attraction - the wine cellar, which once belonged to one of the Russian princes. It was knocked out in a rock at the end of the 19th century. Today, there is a local winery. After walking three hundred meters from the wine cellar, you can cross the Alupkinskoye highway, which is popularly called the "mother-in-law language." Where did this name come from? This road is extremely long and has sharp turns. It is better to turn off the highway and visit the temple of the Archangel Michael of God. Read more about it below.
After visiting the temple, it is worth again going out onto the Tsar’s path. There is still a lot of interesting things. True, there are drawbacks to this route. Every year in the vicinity more and more private estates appear. New fences, fences are growing. Tourists who have been here are advised not to postpone their trip along the Solar Trail for later. Perhaps soon it will change beyond recognition.
Passing along the pine alley, you can see a pointer to the Swallow's Nest. The sunny trail ends near the sanatorium "Yasnaya Polyana", located near the village of Gaspra.
Livaydy Palace
At the site of this historical monument once upon a time there were large glades. "Livadia" in Greek means "lawn." The first people, according to historical data, in this area appeared in the third millennium BC. In the XIX century, the remains of pottery production were discovered here. We will not describe the whole history of Livadia. Let's talk about the times when the building first appeared here, which over the course of two centuries was restored, completed and, finally, turned into a museum complex.
In 1834, the land was acquired by the diplomat Lev Pototsky. Livadia belonged to him for more than thirty years. In the sixties this territory passed to the royal family. The architect of the most famous building of those located in Livadia was Nikolai Krasnov. According to his project, the White Palace was created, which became the residence of Nicholas II. However, this already happened much later - at the beginning of the XX century. Construction was completed in September 1911.
The palace is made in the Renaissance style. And it is no coincidence. Shortly before the start of construction, Nicholas II visited Italy, where he was admired by the Renaissance buildings. The emperor wished to have something similar on his estate, which was announced to Krasnov upon arrival. The architect immediately began to create a new project. Nicholas II allegedly spent four million gold on the construction of the palace.
Soviet time
After the revolution, the palace was nationalized. A sanatorium was placed here in the 1920s. Livadia Palace at various times was visited by quite famous personalities. A few years after the revolution, Maxim Gorky visited here. A little later - Vladimir Mayakovsky. It was here that in 1945 the famous negotiations between the heads of the three states took place.
In the palace you can see two exhibits. One of them tells about the course of the Yalta Conference. The second is dedicated to the family of Nicholas II. In 2015, a sculptural composition depicting Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill was opened on the territory of the park ensemble.
Church of the Holy Archangel Michael
On the Sun Trail route, this historic cultural attraction is one of the most important sites. On the way to the Livadia Palace (or, conversely, to the village of Gaspra), tourists usually make a stop at this temple. It was built recently - in 2006. But on the site of this temple used to be a Christian monastery. It was destroyed several centuries ago. The church was built according to the project of V. Bondarenko. Construction lasted only a year.
Church of the Protection of the Holy Virgin
And this temple has a rather interesting story. It was built by decree of one of the Romanovs in 1885. According to legend, the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich himself chose a place for the future church. When passing the royal route, this temple should definitely be visited. In Crimea, of course, there are more ancient buildings. But the history of this church is closely connected with the Romanov family. In addition, it is mentioned in the famous work of Anton Chekhov - in "Lady with the Dog".
In the twenties, the church was closed, and several years later an earthquake occurred in the Crimea, as a result of which the building was badly damaged. Of course, they were not in a hurry to restore it in Soviet times. Restoration was carried out in the nineties. In 2001, a bell tower was built near the temple.
Reviews
On the southern coast of Crimea, an excursion along the Tsar’s path is one of the most interesting. So most tourists think. Do not go on an excursion with young children. After all, the road is quite long. But schoolchildren will like this trip.
It’s worth going along the trail not only for recreational purposes. After all, these are historical places, and not only the sights that belong to Tsarist Russia are present here. Walking along the pine alleys, you can see many different signs, most of them installed in Soviet times. There are also small sculptures created in the 50-70s. Some have fallen into disrepair. In addition, some sections of the route are quite contaminated. Nevertheless, the general impression of traveling along the sun trail is positive for most tourists.