For a long time, Russian aristocrats and monarchs loved to rest in Yalta. They were attracted by the wonderful climate, lush tropical vegetation, the gentle sea and the healing air. They generously “favored” the resort with magnificent architectural structures, which today form the unique look of this amazing city. And first of all, of course, we are talking about the unique palaces of Yalta, made in various architectural styles.
Each of them is a monument of the era and a symbol of the unity of the man-made and natural splendor of the Crimean peninsula. We offer you to take a virtual tour of the famous palaces of Yalta, which everyone can visit today.
Massandra Palace
The scaly roof and sharp spiers of the Massandra Palace against a background of dark green velvet mountain peaks resemble a magnificent illustration for a romantic short story or fairy tale. In the architecture of this unique complex, different styles and epochs are fantastically interwoven - Baroque and Gothic, Classicism and Romanesque. And this is not surprising, because the palace was built for more than twenty years, these magnificent sand-yellow walls were erected by such famous architects as M.E. Mesmakher and M.E. Bushar.
At first, the palace was intended for Count S. M. Vorontsov. But the construction of the magnificent structure was suspended - at first the cause was the death of the architect, and then the count (1882). Only seven years later, an unfinished estate was acquired for Alexander III, the Russian emperor. The architect Messmacher retained the scale and design of the predecessor, and thanks to the abundance of decorative elements he managed to give the palace a unique look. Interestingly, when visiting Tauris quite often, the royal family visited the Massandra Palace, but never stayed there for the night.
After 2017, a tuberculosis sanatorium was opened in the palace, and then the Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking. The royal chambers became the resting place of the first persons of the USSR since 1948. Stalin and Khrushchev, Brezhnev stayed here. Today, on the third floor of the palace, an exhibition of socialist realism of the 40-50s of the last century "We lived like this ..."
Address and mode of operation
The palace is located at 9. Simferopolskoye Shosse. The opening hours of the Massandra Palace in Yalta are from 9.00 to 17.00 daily (except Saturday). On Saturday, visitors are accepted until 20.00.
Vorontsov Palace
This magnificent building, located at the foot of Ai-Petri, is fully consistent in its architectural design with the relief of the mountains. The Vorontsov Palace, whose address is Palace Highway 10, was built according to the project of the famous architect Edward Blor as the residence of Count M. S. Vorontsov, Governor General of New Russia.
Its walls are made of diabase - a durable, but very difficult to process stone of greenish color, which was mined nearby. Construction work has been ongoing for twenty years since 1828. Before the October Revolution, the palace was the property of three generations of the Vorontsov family.
The architecture of the palace combines English and Neo-Moorish styles. The pipes resemble minarets, and the southern entrance of the building is decorated with the splendor of the eastern caliphs. The palace is crowned with a horseshoe-shaped arch, and the inscription “And there is no winner except Allah” is engraved in Arabic script.
The palace complex consists of five buildings. It has more than 150 rooms, of which nine are ceremonial halls. Each of the living rooms is decorated in its own style, as their names say:
- Chintz room.
- Chinese office.
- A magnificent conservatory decorated with antique statues.
- Blue living room.
- Chambers decorated with rich carvings and panels by Hubert Robert.
- Lion terrace.
At the entrance, visitors are greeted by three pairs of lions: sleeping and awakening, growling and awake.
During the legendary Yalta Conference, the Vorontsov Palace became the seat of the British delegation. Winston Churchill saw a resemblance to himself in one of the Vorontsov lions and asked Stalin to sell him a statue, but was refused.
It is interesting that the owner of the palace, Count Vorontsov, was a member of the Masonic fraternity, so the symbols and signs of the mysterious box are encrypted in the design of the palace. The territory of the palace, as well as the adjacent park, has more than once become a film set. Shooting of popular films was conducted here: "Sky Swallows", "Ten Little Indians", "Scarlet Sails", "Hamlet".
If you happen to visit Yalta, be sure to visit the Vorontsov Palace, the address of which we informed you earlier.
Livadia Palace in Crimea
This palace is located three kilometers from Yalta, surrounded by a magnificent park with an area of ​​more than forty-five hectares, laid out on the side of a mountain. Right behind it is the famous Tsar’s trail, which Nicholas II loved to walk along.
The snow-white Livadia Palace in Crimea was built in the style of the Italian Renaissance and is one of the most visited structures of the peninsula. Livadia at different times was the residence of three Russian rulers. Here Alexander III completed his life journey. In the Livadia church was laid on the kingdom of Nicholas II.
This palace in its present form was built according to the project of the great architect N.P. Krasnov in seventeen months. The work was completed in September 1911. New walls built of Inkerman stone were built on the site of the Bolshoi and Maly palaces, which were designed by the famous St. Petersburg architect I. A. Monighetti. The new building significantly exceeded the previous level and size of comfort. The royal family last rest in Livadia in the spring of 1914.
After 1917, a sanatorium for peasants began to work in the imperial palace. He became the first institution of this type not only in the young republic, but also in the world. During the Great Patriotic War, the palace buildings were partially destroyed. And in the main surviving building (the White Palace) the fateful Yalta Conference was held in 1945. If you want to visit the palace, let us know its address: Livadia, Baturina, 44 a.
Dulber Palace
At the end of the 19th century, this magnificent palace in Yalta was built for Prince Peter Romanov according to the design of N.P. Krasnov. The name of the structure in Arabic means "beautiful", which is quite true. The palace is made in the Moorish style. It is interesting that the sketches of the structure were developed by the Grand Duke himself during his journey through the countries of the East.
The palace is decorated with battlements, mosaics and silvered domes, and all visitors are greeted by a saying from the Koran. In the manor park with decorative ponds, fountains, an amazing alley of fan palm trees , sculptural compositions are installed.
In rebellious revolutionary times, this beautiful Yalta palace (open to visitors today) became a fortress in which representatives of the Romanov clan — the Empress Maria Fedorovna, the great princes with families — were hiding from the reprisals of the anarchists. And I must say that the battlements of the palace, refined and refined, at first glance, coped with the task - the fortress survived.
After the revolution, the palace complex turned into a sanatorium "Red Banner". During the war years it was partially destroyed. After restoration work, a new building was added to it, and in the seventies of the last century - another. Nowadays, Dyulber, located at the address of Koreiz-1, Alupkinskoye Shosse, 19, is a year-round sanatorium designed for 150 vacationers with a pool, cafe and conference rooms.
Yusupov Palace
Another magnificent palace of Yalta, which is the creation of the great N.P. Krasnov. The former Yusupov estate is located in the village of Koreiz. The construction was built on the site of the "Pink House", owned by Princess Anna Galitsina. It is believed that the Yusupov clan dates back to the prophet Magomed himself. In Koreiz, the princes intermarried with the imperial family: in 1912, the engagement of Felix Yusupov and niece of Nicholas II took place in the palace.
In the twenties, another Felix, Dzerzhinsky, was walking along the magnificent halls of the palace and the beautiful alleys of the park. Here, in the wine cellars, a bunker was created. During the Yalta Conference, the Yusupov Palace, which almost did not suffer during the war, became the residence of the Soviet delegation, headed by Joseph Stalin.
The palace is made in neo-Moorish style. Tourists visiting this historical place are amazed by the many sculptures that are located both in the palace itself and in the park surrounding it. Here you can see both traditional lions and heroes of Greek mythology. This Yalta palace was opened for visits only in 2002, but you can get here only as part of an excursion group, accompanied by a guide.
How to get to the palace?
Are you interested in how to get to the Yusupov Palace in Yalta? By car you should go along the Alupkinskoye highway to the village of Miskhor, and then go up the Park Descent.
Palace of the Emir of Bukhara
Thousands of tourists annually visit the beautiful Yalta. Palaces, tours of which are necessarily included in the program of all vacationers, are attracted by their magnificent architecture, rich interior decoration, magnificent gardens and parks. True, not all of them can be examined today from the inside. These include the palace of the Emir of Bukhara in Yalta. The price of a ticket to inspect the interior is included in the price of a vacation ticket to the sanatorium of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation “Yalta”, located on its territory. All other tourists can be satisfied only with the inspection of the facades and the park.
The Bukhara Palace is one of the most picturesque buildings on the Crimean coast. The ruler of Bukhara was very fond of visiting this city and was his generous philanthropist. For this, he was even named an Honorary Citizen. At the end of the XIX century, he bought a land plot. For four years, an oasis of luxury has been created here - a Moorish-style palace complex with carved columns, numerous outbuildings and a delightful park.
The estate was designed by the Tarasov brothers - famous Yalta architects. The emir appreciated the work of architects and called his possessions nothing more than “dilkiso”, which translates as “charming”.
In the twenties of the last century, the palace, located at ul. Sevastopol, 12/43, was nationalized and a museum was opened in it. During the war, he was badly damaged: in fact, only the main building survived. For a long time he was in an abandoned state, and only in the seventies of the last century he was completely restored. Now here is one of the buildings of the sanatorium "Yalta".
Mordvinov Palace
This truly grandiose building is of great interest to all visitors to the city. For more than a century, the palace of Count Mordvinov in Yalta has been surrounded by a halo of mystery. You can not ignore the refined architectural style, which does not even contain a hint of any excesses and flashy luxury.
The palace is located almost in the center of the city in the depths of a beautiful park, on the street. Sverdlova, 32. Even for the Crimean peninsula, the palace is distinguished by an unusual architectural style, which has a pronounced Mediterranean shade. It can be argued that this complex has not many differences from Italian villas of the Renaissance: grace, symmetry of forms and lines, characteristic of that time, but without the flashy splendor characteristic of late Baroque.
The palace is built of Gurzuf sandstone, which has a characteristic greenish, rather soft shade, slightly changing its color depending on the lighting. The Yalta grayish-ash limestone was also used in the construction. Properly alternating the stone, the architect Wegener created a truly architectural masterpiece thanks to the exquisite color scheme. Even his critics were forced to admit, they were unanimous in the opinion that the master was able to achieve perfection.
The interior of the palace is amazingly luxurious: interior balconies, colonnades, high fireplaces - all this is covered with skillful stucco molding. The decoration used expensive marble, priceless mosaics, precious woods.
swallow's Nest
In this article we were not able to talk about all the magnificent palaces of Yalta. To complete our review, I would like to be a recognized symbol of the city, and the entire peninsula - a small Gothic castle that hangs over a sheer cliff. Interestingly, initially the structure on the forty-meter rock was made of wood. The Swallow's Nest found its present appearance at the beginning of the last century.
At that time, the owner of the site, oilman Baron Steingel decided that the palace should resemble medieval romantic castles on the banks of the Rhine. Architect A.V. Sherwood coped with the task brilliantly. During the First World War, a restaurant was opened in the palace. During the Civil War, the building was abandoned. The Aurora rock, on which the castle is located, was severely damaged during the Crimean earthquake (1927), but it is surprising that the structure did not receive serious damage.
Large-scale restoration work here was carried out in the late sixties of the last century. Now the palace, located at 9 Alupkinskoye Shosse, is open to visitors. In its halls and in the open air, chamber music concerts are held, exhibitions are held, and a cozy restaurant welcomes guests.
A few words in conclusion
We told you only about some interesting places of magnificent and forever young Yalta. To get acquainted with its sights, come to rest in this glorious city, which is always glad to guests. We are sure that the trip will leave in your memory the most pleasant memories.