Alupka Park is an unsurpassed work of art, with exotic vegetation, wonderful grottoes, springs, ponds. What is the story of this park? What sights are in it?
Alupka Park: attractions, description
The palace and park complex is ideally inscribed in the southern coastal landscape, against the backdrop of the overhanging and impregnable Ai-Petri wall. Alupka Park covers an area of 40 hectares. It was founded at the beginning of the XIX century. The park was created on the principle of an amphitheater in order to complement the surrounding nature. On its territory there are many different types of exotic plants.
The park area is divided into two zones: Upper and Lower Park. The northern part of the Upper Park is represented by large and small chaos, between which there are three beautiful ponds. From the ponds, paths lead to the Vorontsov Palace. On the way to the palace there is a ten-meter cliff called the “Moonstone”.
The western part of the park is decorated with the Trilby Fountain. The composition of the upper part of the park is made up of Kashtanovaya, Solnechnaya, Contrast and Platan glades.
The lower park is a palace part. There are several terraces and marble fountains. There is also an alley with Chinese fan palm trees, roses, quinces, forzings. Below, a completely different story begins - the landscape of the park, which descends directly to the sea. High cypresses, plane trees grow on the slopes, and waves break on stone blocks below.
Park history
Back in the 18th century, instead of a park, settlements of people were located on the coast of the sea. They were located right among the stones, which often served as roofs for houses. Even then, travelers romanticized these places, with mulberry, peach and pomegranate gardens that bordered on the rocky cliffs of the sea shore.
At the end of the XVIII and the beginning of the XIX century, landscape art was popular, and Count Vorontsov was looking for a place for the foundation of a grand park. The choice, of course, settled on Alupka with many sources and picturesque landscapes.
In 1824, the foundation of the park was laid. The German Karl Kebach was chosen as the main gardener of the park . A very complex and lengthy work began, which, under the leadership of Kebach, was carried out by the peasants. The site of the future park was cleared of stones and shrubs, and black soil from the southern part of Ukraine was brought to their place.
Exotic plants were actively brought from overseas regions. Most of the plants brought to the Nikitinsky Botanical Garden immediately went to the Alupka Park for planting. Not all trees and shrubs growing in these places uprooted. Many of them were transplanted to other parts of the park. Remained in the park and oak, and Crimean pine, dumb pistachio, pomegranate tree. And old and hollow plants were used as a support for climbing plants.
Towards the end of the 19th century, a drawing of the park began to take shape, but that was only the beginning. Plants developed, and their growth required careful monitoring. After his death, the formation of the park continued for another 40 years, by gardeners Bishchenkovich and Galushchenko.
Park style
Alupka Park was planned as a landscape. This means that it should have been significantly different from classical parks with trimmed lawns and shrubs, flower beds and areas of geometric shapes. The main desire was to show the harmonious relations of man and nature, their interaction and coexistence with each other.
The park was not supposed to contrast with the surrounding countryside. The paths that have long existed here turned into park paths, and among the native trees, new plants neatly interspersed. Ponds, fountains, lawns grew where landscape and trails allowed. Not nature obeyed the park, but the park obeyed it.
The mountainous area greatly contributed to the design of the park. The rugged relief made it possible to divide the park into several landscape zones, each of which was different from the other. The upper park has a rather steep terrain. In this part of the park has a more natural and natural look. Huge trees, shady paths, ponds, mysterious grottoes, blowing cool.
The lower park begins with a flatter relief. The lower part of the park is bordered by the Vorontsov Palace and is decorated in a classic park style. Here there are flat terraces, with an abundance of flowers and evenly cut bushes - in the best traditions of European parks .. Having left the palace zone, the park guests are again captured by natural greatness. Terraces and alleys grow into trails with springs and waterfalls surrounded by tall pine trees. The relief becomes rocky and steep, and the park's style returns to naturalness again.
Vegetable world
Plants of the Alupka Park were brought from different parts of the world, today about 200 species of thermophilic plants grow here. Trees were brought from the Mediterranean, North America and East Asia.
To acquire a tree for the park, the conditions for its cultivation were studied, and most importantly, the features of its appearance. Each tree should ideally fit in height, size and type of crown.
In the park grows Japanese sophora, persimmons, palm trees. Indian lilac pleases with small pale pink flowers in August, and in June you can see orange flowers of a coral tree brought from South America. From there they arrived in the park and Chilean araucaria.
The magnificent sequoias, cypresses, and pines of Montezuma brought from North America. Chinari plane trees and cork oaks, laurels, stone oak and strawberries also grow here. In the lower part of the park, large-flowered magnolias and chimanthus grow. The palm alley is dotted with roses of various varieties.
Fountains and ponds
The Fountain of Tears is the most famous in the park located on the terrace, near the library building. This is a small cascading fountain, in the color of shrubs of lilac, laurel, fotini and viburnum. Water flows calmly and evenly from one bowl to another. Near the retaining walls of the terraces there are two more marble fountains “Sink” and “Fountain of Cupids”.
Ponds are bright attractions of the park. These are artificially created ponds, quite similar to natural ones. Lumps of stone are scattered around, and swamp cypresses surround it with a wall. Because of their beauty and atmosphere of peace and tranquility, they are often described in poetic lines.
A tree trunk hangs over one pond, almost adjoining the water and reflected in its mirror surface. Swans and ducks live on another lake. And in the middle of the largest pond is a stone, from under which jets of water break through.
"Cats" park
The park of the Vorontsov Palace is inhabited by cats, but not alive. A diabase staircase leads to the main entrance to the palace, on both sides of which are sculptures of lions. This place is often called the "Lion Terrace."
Three pairs of lions are made of white marble. Each pair is different in mood. At the bottom of the stairs are sleeping lions. Having laid a paw on a paw, they buried their faces in them, and indulge in dreams.
Next are the lions awaking. They rest their paws on the ground, raising their heads up, and greet visitors to the park with a proud lion's gaze.
Near the entrance to the palace there is a pair of awake “kittens”. With one paw they rest on a marble ball. Their claws are released, an open mouth shows fangs, and the gaze is directed towards the stairs, as if expecting new guests.
Glades of the park
Alupka Park, in its upper part is decorated with picturesque glades. A plane-tree glade is located next to the ponds. In the meadow, not only plane trees grow, but also sequoias 40 meters in height. Here you can see the walking peacocks that were once brought to the park.
Immediately after Platanova begins Solar glade. It contrasts significantly with the previous glade and lake area by the abundance of sunlight. From here the best view of Ai-Petri in the park opens. The sunny meadow is surrounded by pyramidal cypresses, Italian and pine trees of Montezuma.
Next are the Chestnut and Contrast glades. A chestnut clearing completes the Upper Park area with Italian pins. Next to it is a grove of stone oak, which is already more than 120 years old.
Contrast glade got its name because of the abrupt change of vegetation after Solnechnaya glade. In the center of the meadow, two species of strawberries grow, which show either olive or coral-colored trunks, depending on the season. There is also a Himalayan cedar with a spreading dark green crown. Silver spruce, cypress and oak trees surround the clearing.
Chaos
In the northern and western parts of the Upper Park there are amazing natural formations - Small and Big chaos. They look like piles of stone boulders. Nature created this work with the help of frozen volcanic magma, destroyed by the effects of earthquakes more than 150 years ago.
Karl Kebach led the boundaries of the park to chaos, writing them into the park composition. Ancient legends are embodied here, telling about the creation of the world from chaos.
Small chaos adjoins the palace and is located on the hills with its descents and ascents. Moss-covered stone blocks, grottoes and creepers winding over them awaken romantic and sublime feelings among notorious snobs and skeptics.
You can get to the Great Chaos along the path that leads from one of the lakes. Here, with the hands of gardeners, a stone step and small observation platforms are laid out. Strawberries and creepers make their way through the stone cracks, and the Apennine pines rise on top. From here you can observe the wonderful landscapes of the sea, the palace and the whole park.
Alupka Park: address
The park is located on Palace Highway 10.
You can get to the park by regular Alupka buses 102, 107, 115.
You can get to the park from the city of Yalta through the Alupka bus station, transferring to regular buses, or by minibus No. 27, which leaves from the upper platform of the Yalta bus station.
Entrance to the park is free, but entrance to the Vorontsov Palace is paid.
Vorontsov Palace is open to visitors from 9.00 to 17.00.
Conclusion
Alupkinskiy park is a real masterpiece of landscape art. Every day he proves to his guests that nature and man-made work can coexist in complete harmony and understanding.