Someone having a huge fortune always raises questions. But still there were and will be people who know how to spend a lot of money (obtained in different ways) not only on pleasing themselves, who are irreplaceable. Yes, representatives of the richest Russian noble families were serf owners. But they were also patrons of the arts and sciences, and left their descendants with architectural masterpieces paid for by their millions. Such as Vorontsov Palace in Crimea.
Where is the Vorontsov Palace on the map
Looking at the map of Crimea, it becomes clear that palace and park ensemble located on the territory Big Yalta, in the small but colorful village of Alupka, which is why the palace is often called Alupkinsky. Its territorial location is the center of a resort village, on the Black Sea coast.
History of Alupka Palace
Crimea and England
The family of Counts Vorontsov is known in Russian history. Its representatives occupied the most important government posts. The family was also one of the richest in the country and could afford to realize any of their most incredible fantasies.
A representative of this genus, M.S. Vorontsov was a brave officer who took part in the War of 1812. He was also the nephew of the famous Ekaterina Vorontsova-Dashkova, which already meant that he had a good upbringing and education. More than anyone else, the count liked the English tradition - people like him were called Anglomaniacs in the 19th century.
In the mid-20s of the 19th century, this nobleman was appointed to Crimea as governor of New Russia and Bessarabia. Having taken office, the governor looked for a good estate not far from the small Tatar village of Alupka. In 1828, a residence began to be built there according to his order - a real palace on a grand scale.
As an Anglomaniac, Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov wanted to see features of English architecture in his home. Therefore, he rejected the original design of E. Boffo and T. Harrison in the classical style and turned to E. Blore, the architect of Walter Scott and the British royal family. Of course, the master who brought Buckingham Palace to fruition was also suitable for a Russian count.
Blore has never been to Crimea. But he received from the customer comprehensive data on the area, as well as materials from his predecessors. And he performed a miracle - he designed a masterpiece building, which naturally combined several eras of English history with oriental flavor.
Incredible construction
Then everything became even more wonderful. The main building stone for the implementation of the idea of the great Englishman was the Crimean diabase - the rock is even too strong. It is very difficult to process. Under the conditions of the Russian Empire in 1830 (just when direct construction work began) the mechanization of labor was not envisaged.
The main labor force for construction was quit-rent peasants from the owner's numerous estates (mainly from near Moscow and Vladimir). Vorontsov’s people tried to select for the work the maximum number of people with specialties - stonemasons and stone cutters. We were guided by the fact that candidates participated in the construction and decoration of rich stone churches. These craftsmen worked in Crimea with super-hard material with virtually bare hands - they processed the stone with axes and chisels! It is not surprising that construction took a lot of time.
However, Blore's project had one advantage - the palace was like a complex of buildings of different styles. So they built it in parts, and not all at once. In 1830-1831 a dining building was erected. In 1831-1837 a central building was added to it. In 1838-1844. They built all the towers, the eastern wings, the guest wing, and decorated the front yard. At the same time in 1841-1842. A billiard room was being built next to the dining room. The library was completed the latest - in 1846.
At the same time, individual elements of the building demonstrated different stages of the development of English architecture. The “time line” ran from west to east: the further west the element was located, the more ancient the style it represented.
Then the governor began to develop a park near the palace, reprehensibly using soldiers for excavation work. In 1848, the palace ensemble was supplemented with a terrace and staircase, decorated with sculptures of lions. But this M.S. Vorontsov was no longer seen - in 1844 he was assigned to serve in the Caucasus.
Noble Nest
Then the whole business almost died, and all because the eldest son M.S. Vorontsov did not bother to provide him with grandchildren. CM. Vorontsov, the son of the governor, lived in the palace with his wife and little by little worked on completing the construction and decorating his property. However, he died without having any heirs. But his widow did not want to live in Crimea and went abroad, taking with her many artistic treasures from the Crimean estate.
Because of this, the palace almost fell into disrepair, because no one lived in it for a long time. But then the estate went to the governor’s relatives through the Vorontsov-Dashkov and Shuvalov lines. These nobles turned out to be enterprising people - they set up dachas on the territory of the estate for rent. This happened in 1904. But in 1917 a revolution broke out, ruining the ancient nests of the nobility.
With the establishment of Soviet power in Crimea, the estate was nationalized. And already on February 22, 1921, the telegraph transmitted Lenin’s personal order to the peninsula: to take all possible measures to preserve the valuables from the palaces of the Crimean nobility. And the order was carried out. Already in the middle of 1921, the palace was open to the public as a museum.
Saved value
It should be noted that the Vorontsov Palace in Crimea has been perfectly preserved, and looks today almost the same as in the time of its last owners, the counts. But it was not easy for him.
After the invasion of Crimea in 1941, the Nazis shamelessly plundered the locals. They took to Germany everything that was not nailed down, and what was there they broke and took away too. The Soviet command did not have time to evacuate most of the Crimean museums, and the Vorontsov Palace was one of them. The conquerors took away a lot of valuable things from there and threatened to destroy the building.
But the palace survived, and a significant part of its collections also survived. This became possible thanks to the dedication of researcher S.G. Shchekoldina. The Nazis appointed him director of the museum, which meant that he had to give them the most valuable exhibits. But Shchekoldin hid part of the collections, supplied the occupiers with unreliable information, and also prevented the explosion of the building during the retreat of the Nazis.
It was Stepan Grigorievich who compiled a complete inventory of the exported exhibits for a completely wild sum at that time of 5 million rubles (thanks to which some of them were later found and returned).
The worst detail of this whole story is that the defender of the museum collections later also served several years “for collaboration.” True, Shchekoldin was lucky - he left prison relatively quickly, relatively healthy, and then for a long time did what he loved, looking for valuables that had disappeared from the museum (he died in 2002, at the age of 98).
In 1945, the Vorontsov Palace was in such good condition that it was used to accommodate participants. English architecture predetermined the choice of the guest for the estate - British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.
The first meeting of the leaders of the Anti-Hitler Coalition within the framework of the conference took place here (further, for the sake of convenience, all events were moved to). For several years, the castle was used as a departmental dacha for NKVD employees, and in 1955 it again became a museum, which it is to this day.
Architecture and decoration of the palace
Mixing styles and peoples
As already mentioned, in general, the architecture of the Vorontsov Palace represents the English style. Moreover, this is like the history of Foggy Albion in miniature, since the structure combines features of different eras - from William the Conqueror to the Tudor dynasty.
But in the century in England (and in other European countries too) in connection with the expansion of colonial expansion, a fashion for the East arose. Pseudo-Indian and pseudo-Egyptian elements appeared in literature, clothing, and interior design; architecture did not escape them either. And in the building of the Vorontsov Palace, E. Blore inexplicably managed to harmoniously combine contemporary ideas about the East with the traditions of medieval England.
The western façade of the palace is real castle a medieval robber baron (apparently, working for W. Scott affected the royal architect!). This is an excellent example of the skillful use of neo-Gothic style. Almost the same era is represented by the so-called Shuvalovsky passage - an access path that rather resembles a fortress gallery. The courtyard is decorated with uneven “ragged” stone, which also brings to mind the Middle Ages.
The northern façade demonstrates a completely different style and a different time period. It's early modern, Tudor 16th century - straight lines, big tall windows and chimneys.
The southern façade manages to form a harmonious whole with the other parts of the palace and at the same time represent the Moorish style - with the pomp befitting the East. Particularly interesting is the arch, in which the architect somehow managed to combine the motifs of the Tudor rose and the oriental lotus, and also added a saying from the Koran, without fear of harming the English idea of the entire structure. E. Blore managed to add Moorish notes and old England - thus, the purely English appearance of the northern facade is crowned with tent-shaped roofing elements, and long pipes are made similar to eastern minarets.
Although the palace actually consists of 5 buildings, they are all successfully linked into the ensemble and are perceived as a single whole. Moreover, the architect, who had never seen Crimea, managed to successfully fit his creation into the landscape. He took into account not only the technically important features of the area, but also its aesthetics (based on the sketches given to him). As a result, the silhouette of the palace seems to repeat the outline of the plateau against which it is located.
Cottage with comfort
In the minds of Governor Vorontsov and his heirs, the palace in Crimea was not an official residence where ceremonial secular hospitality should be demonstrated, but something like a dacha. The family was supposed to spend the summer here, as well as relatives and close friends visiting the owners. Nevertheless, the count poured 9 million rubles into the construction (wild money by the standards of the 19th century!), and his heirs also invested additionally in furnishing the interior.
The inside of the palace has been preserved very well, so you can be sure that even at the dacha, representatives of the Vorontsov family preferred to live both beautifully and comfortably. Total in this " summer house» 150 rooms arranged with English austerity - door to door. Another English detail is that every room has a fireplace (although in Crimea it is not as necessary as in England).
Each room in the palace is decorated in its own style and has its own name. There is a Blue Living Room, a Calico Room, a Chinese Study and similar themed rooms. The large palace living room seems to copy the main hall of the feudal castle - dark colors, solid oak and family paintings reign there.
The blue living room is not only designed in this color, but also decorated with unusual stucco molding depicting 3 thousand embossed flowers, each of which is different from the others. In the time of Count Vorontsov, chintz was considered a fashionable and rather expensive material, and even now it is successfully used in interiors. And the walls of the Chinese cabinet are decorated with inlays made of rice straws (and they are well preserved).
There is also a greenhouse in the palace, called a winter garden in the traditions of that time. By analogy with the summer garden of St. Petersburg, it is decorated with beautiful statues.
The owner-counts cared not only about the beauty, but also about the practicality of their home. In the Vorontsov Palace, one of the first internal water pipes was installed (with an uninterrupted supply of hot water!) and a sewage system that was normal according to modern standards was installed. In 1914, they switched to electric lighting.
All work was carried out efficiently, and this is not last reason excellent preservation of the interiors. The artistic parquet floors and wall panels remained the same as during the time of the Novorossiysk governor. A lot of antique furniture, utensils, and decorative trinkets have been preserved. The art collection suffered the most, as the Nazis took more than 500 paintings from Germany to Germany. And only a small part of the stolen property was found and returned.
Photo inside the Vorontsov Palace
Screen Star
Due to its excellent state of preservation and noticeable “appearance”, the Vorontsov Palace in Alupka enjoys constant popularity among camera masters. His photos adorn all sorts of calendars and advertising posters, and the interior and adjacent park area have become filming locations for many audience favorites.
The most famous film filmed here was from 1961. In this popular film, the Vorontsov Palace “played” the rich mansion of the Gray family. 30 years later, it was “reclassified” as the interior of an American millionaire’s estate during filming (the exterior view of Francis Morgan’s estate was filmed).
The complex also appears in “Heavenly Swallows”, “Hamlet”, “Ten Little Indians”, “An Ordinary Miracle” (not the most famous version from M. Zakharov, but an earlier one, from E. Garin). Among the more “innovative” films, the palace had to take part in the creation of “Assa” and the Ukrainian film “Sappho” (not an acquired taste, but in its time the movie made a splash).
It is quite difficult to list the entire filmography of the Vorontsov Palace - filmmakers used it often. The reason, among other things, lies in its architectural diversity - by choosing the right angle, you could shoot literally anything here.
Vorontsov Palace – visits and excursions
Despite the exclusively museum status of the complex, it cannot be said that visiting the Vorontsov Palace is so easy. The reason is not the desire to hide something from tourists, but the need to comply with a fairly strict security regime.
You can explore the palace for free and completely independently only from the outside. Admission is free. In Alupka, many vacationers go through it, combining two amenities at once. Reviews from many tourists claim that an external inspection is enough to get a strong impression.
The interior is visited for money and with a guide. But there is a difficulty here: the Vorontsov Palace is actually not one museum, but several. It constantly organizes temporary exhibitions of a wide variety of content. Accordingly, there are many excursion programs, and the work schedule of different departments may vary.
Experienced tourists recommend that before going on an excursion, you should call by phone about the work schedule (it may change for permanent exhibitions, especially depending on the season), the availability of temporary exhibitions and current benefits.
You can also get information on official websites. It’s even easier to sign up for a tour through a bureau (Vorontsov Palace is an obligatory element of the “Parks and” route, one of the most popular in travel bureaus throughout the peninsula), where everyone is aware of the operating features of the visited objects.
Data on the cost of an excursion in the palace takes up more than one page, because a tourist can choose to visit only one exhibition, several of them, or a sightseeing tour of the entire complex. The price range can vary significantly.
Speaking of prices, they cannot be called low, but the costs of maintaining such a large and expensive complex in proper condition are high. In addition, the Vorontsov Palace has a complex system of payment benefits and free admission rights (in particular, for young people under 16 years of age).
But beneficiaries must remember that they will receive their discount or free ticket only if they have an original document confirming their status (for example, a birth certificate or award certificate). Some categories of beneficiaries are required to pay a fee for excursion services, but it cannot be called high.
The exhibition is based on several main palace halls, a visit to which allows you to get acquainted with the history of the Russian nobility, and specifically the Vorontsov family and its outstanding representatives. Many original items that belonged to the owners of the estate and their relatives are also displayed there.
A separate exhibition in one of the wings tells about the relatives of the Vorontsovs - the family of Counts Shuvalov. In the museum you can also get information about people who are not as influential as multimillionaire counts. In particular, in the Utility Wing there are premises of the palace kitchen (with original tableware and all the chef's equipment) and the apartment of the count's butler.
Among the permanent exhibitions there is also a collection of avant-garde painting, a collection of artistic porcelain and earthenware (Russian and foreign production), and artistic works depicting flowers. Temporary exhibitions replace each other, as a result of which unexpected things appear in the palace, such as a collection of fans.
The museum is technically advanced. Technical innovations such as audio guides in different languages and virtual exhibitions are widely used here.
It’s not worth bringing preschool-aged children here - a long visit may seem tiresome and boring to them (although such visits are not prohibited, and you don’t have to pay for preschoolers at all). But for middle-aged schoolchildren, a visit to the palace is even highly recommended - both the taste will be better and the level of knowledge of history will increase.
In 1823, the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, Count Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov, became governor-general of the Novorossiysk region, which at that time included Crimea. The development of Crimea owes a lot to this strong-willed and energetic person. Under his leadership, a highway is being built on the southern coast of Crimea, the agricultural and especially wine industries are rapidly developing, and the number of industrial enterprises is rapidly growing. History begins in 1828 Black Sea Shipping Company. During these same years, the count was actively buying land from the local Tatar population and dreaming of creating his own palace.
Construction of the palace lasted for 20 years.
After the death of Thomas Harisson in 1829 in 1831, Count Vorontsov suddenly ordered to stop the construction of the palace and radically change the neoclassical style of the palace. The Count invites one of the most talented architects of that time, Edward Blore. According to the architect's idea, the palace is being built in the English Gothic style. In the same year, construction of the main building begins. The building material for the construction of the walls was diabase, a rock of volcanic origin that is several times stronger than granite. Deposits of this stone are found in abundance nearby. Diabase is very difficult to process, but this does not stop Count Vorontsov, because he was the richest man in the country and more than 60,000 serfs worked under his leadership. Even a sapper battalion took part in the excavation work, whose soldiers worked on the construction of terraces on the southern side of the facade. 
Interesting fact: the architect Blore never visited the construction site. He got his entire idea of the terrain from numerous drawings and engravings.
In 1948, construction of the palace came to an end. The Vorontsov Palace consists of five buildings, decorated with towers, which are connected by various passages, stairs and courtyards. The architect managed to organically fit the buildings stretched from west to east into the mountainous landscape of the area. Externally, the palace very much resembles a family feudal castle in England.
Palace interiors
The interiors of the Vorontsov Palace are in no way inferior to the Livadia Palace in the luxury of its decoration. The decoration of the rooms has been almost completely preserved. Each room, and there are about 150 of them, is designed in a personal style. The materials that were used in the decoration are reflected in the names of the rooms. The Chinese cabinet is decorated with the finest rice straw, decorative elements are embroidered with beads and silk. The decoration of the Chintz room is skillfully made from this fabric. The brightest room of the Vorontsov Palace is the Blue Living Room, the highlight of which is the stucco ornament in the form of petals and leaves. There are about three thousand of them in total and each of them is different from the other. The fireplaces of the palace are a separate masterpiece of architectural art. In each room they are unique and made of different materials.
Alupka Park
The Vorontsov Palace is located on the territory of Alupka Park, which is a pearl of landscape design. This masterpiece was created by the Chief Gardener of the Southern Coast of Crimea, Karl Antonovich Kebakh, over the course of 25 years. The park spreads over an area of 40 hectares. More than two hundred species of plants grow here, which were brought from the regions of Northern and South America, Mediterranean. Geographically divided into Upper and Nizhny parks. The park is designed in such a way that it complements the local nature. Three reservoirs have been artificially created in the park.
Interesting fact: To decorate the bottom of Swan Lake, Count Vorontsov ordered 20 bags of semi-precious stones, which were delivered by ship. In sunny weather they created an indescribably beautiful play of light.
The attraction of the park is the piles of stones from solidified magma, thrown out by the volcano back in time immemorial, called “Great Chaos” and “Little Chaos”. There are also a large number of fountains built in the park. 
clearing in the park
Interesting facts about Vorontsov Palace
The palace was owned by three generations of the Vorontsov family. The cost of laying out the park is twice as high as the construction of the palace itself. In 1910, up to 36,000 rubles were spent on maintaining the park, a huge amount at that time. The Vorontsov Palace is one of the first buildings in Russia where sewerage and water supply were built for comfortable living. Since 1921, a museum has been operating in the palace complex. Only after the Great Patriotic War, for about 10 years, the territory of the Vorontsov Palace was a secret object and there was a dacha for the party leadership here. During the Yalta Conference in February 1945, the British delegation led by William Churchill lived in the Vorontsov Palace. Associated with him interesting story, which occurred during a walk in Churchill and Stalin Park. The fact is that the staircase on the side of the facade, which faces the sea, is decorated with sculptures of guarding lions. Churchill, who really liked the sculpture of the sleeping lion, said that it looked like himself and offered Stalin to buy it. Stalin refused this proposal, but suggested to Churchill that if he answered his question correctly, Stalin would give him a sleeping lion. “Which finger on your hand is the main one?” - that was Stalin’s question. Churchill replied, “Of course the index finger.” “Wrong,” Stalin answered and twisted a figure from his fingers, which is popularly called a fig. 
Alupka- a resort town as part of Greater Yalta, located at the foot of Mount Ai-Petri, 17 km southwest of the city of Yalta in Crimea.
Vorontsov Palace and its park complex – "highlight" Alupka landscape and the main attraction of the seaside town.
Holidays on the Black Sea in Alupka attract tourists with a mild climate without sharp seasonal fluctuations, healing sea and pine air in which one can breathe easily and freely, as well as a picturesque view of the surroundings of the Russian seaside town on the southern coast of Crimea.
A particularly mesmerizing view of Alupka opens from the sea: in the center of the panorama on the hill stands the magnificent Alupka Palace (Vorontsovsky); the buildings of coastal sanatoriums stretch out in a chain along the sea and are buried in the greenery of parks, and the battlements dominate over them majestic mountain Ai-Petri.
The Ai-Petrinsky mountain range is one of the highest in Crimea. Like a shield it covers Alupka from the cold northern winds, and the largest number of sunny days a year (compared to Black Sea resorts Caucasus) make this town on the Black Sea coast a wonderful resort - the second after Yalta on the southern coast of Crimea.
History of Alupka.
The history of Alupka begins in the 6th-5th centuries BC, when the first Tauri settlement was founded on these blessed lands. Archaeologists found the remains of fortifications and a large burial ground on Mount Krestovaya. In the 10th century, Alupka belonged to the Khazars, in the 14th century it passed into the possession of the Genoese, who built a port and fortifications here, and later became a Tatar village. After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, these lands saw new owners: aristocrats and royal nobles. In the 20s of the 19th century, Alupka became the estate of the Governor-General of the Novorossiysk Territory, Count Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov, who decided to build a palace here. Until the 80s of the 19th century, Alupka was still a small village. The local population was mainly engaged in gardening and viticulture.
At the end of the 19th century, Alupka began to rapidly develop as a resort due to the fact that Russian “luminaries of medicine” recognized the healing properties of the local climate for the treatment of bronchopulmonary diseases and the improvement of the whole body. In Alupka, dachas of aristocrats, shops, boarding houses, hotels, a post office and a telegraph appeared, and roads were built. In 1902, back in Tsarist Russia in Alupka, the first sanatorium for children began operating on voluntary donations.
During the years of Soviet power in Alupka, the construction of sanatoriums proceeded at a rapid pace, of which there were already more than twenty by 1940.
Alupka received city status in 1938.
is a narrow strip of large and small pebbles, 4 km long along coastline. There are a total of 6 beaches and 23 beaches at sanatoriums. The main beach is a free city beach, which is located under Vorontsovsky Park. To the beach " Cote d'Azur", which is located near the bus station, you can drive up by car (there is paid parking).
Mild climate, dry air of Alupka with the aroma of pine, the Black Sea - the best place for the treatment of lung diseases. Here is the first children's sanatorium in Europe for the treatment of bone tuberculosis (founder Professor A.A. Bobrov). In 1982, a wine tasting room with 240 seats, Massandra, opened in Alupka.
Vorontsov Palace in Alupka.
Vorontsov Palace(Alupka) - this is the former summer Crimean residence Governor General of the Novorossiysk Territory Count Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov. Today is Alupka Palace and Park Museum-Reserve. It fits perfectly into the amazing landscape with a mountain range, evergreen vegetation and several narrow streets of the town, rising uphill from the sea coast. It is built from diabase, a material that is twice as strong as granite and is mined on the Crimean Peninsula. The gray-green color of the stone creates a unified architectural composition of the Vorontsov Palace with nature.
Photos of the Vorontsov Palace.
The palace was designed by the English architect Edward Blore. Construction took place from 1828 to 1848. The finishing process lasted until 1852. The architecture of the palace is unique. It consists of a combination of different styles:
- The North Front is late English Gothic;
- The Western Facade is a European medieval castle, a fortress from the 8th to 12th centuries;
- Southern - elements of India and the East. Huge dome of the South facade with Arabic inscriptions, open towards the Black Sea, has a romantic appearance. The “Lion Terrace” with gradually wary “kings” of animals adorns the magnificent staircase leading to the entrance to the castle from the park. Three pairs of lions made of Carrara white marble were made in the workshop of the Florentine sculptor Bonnani, but the most famous (lower) is “Sleeping Lion”.
The palace ensemble consists of 5 buildings, open and closed courtyards, terraces. The Vorontsov Palace looks both stern and elegant, stable and romantic. The western part of the palace (the so-called Shuvalovsky passage) appears to tourists in the form of a stone-paved street medieval city with old fortress walls powerful towers and narrow loophole windows. The southern facade is famous for its high portal with a deep niche, on the frieze of which the saying “There is no winner but Allah” is inscribed in Arabic script.
Eastern and Western architecture are united by the palace's carved stone decorations, battlements and Gothic chimneys, as well as soaring domes in the form of mosque minarets and thin turrets on the sides. All this splendor is complemented by the natural pattern of Mount Ai-Petri.
Each of the 150 rooms included in the palace ensemble is unique: “The Calico Room”, “The Blue Living Room”, “The State Dining Room”, “The Winter Garden”, “The Chinese Study”, “The Billiard Room”, “The Entrance Hall”. The luxury and love of the owners for their home is visible everywhere. The special pride of the Alupka Palace is its luxurious fireplaces in the Gothic style, made of marbled limestone and polished diabase stone.
"Great Dining Room"- the most majestic hall of the Vorontsov Palace. Its interior is made in the style of knight's castles. Tourists are impressed by: a decorative marble fountain with a balcony for musicians rising above it; walls decorated with wood carvings; candelabra made of Ural malachite. High ceilings, doors made of bog oak, simple furniture and oak panels add solemnity to the hall.
"Blue Living Room"- This is a bright, elegant room with a stucco openwork pattern of leaves and flowers covering the blue walls and ceiling. It has Turkish furnishings and luxurious fabrics.
"Winter Garden"– a combination of marble sculpture with rare evergreens. Copies of antique sculptures and portraits of the Vorontsov family, made in marble, make up the main interior of the Winter Garden.
Winter garden in the Vorontsov Palace Photo.
5 terraces of the Vorontsov Palace park- These are stylized five stages of medieval gardens with flower beds and trimmed plants. The Upper Terrace has many marble vases, fountains, benches among rose gardens, and the Lower Terrace is distinguished by an abundance of wall fountains.
In 1921, the Vorontsov Palace became a museum. Since 1990, it has been the Alupka Palace and Park Museum-Reserve. Excursions and exhibitions are held here, including the Vorontsov Family Gallery. In 2007, a new exhibition “The House of Count A.P.” was opened here. Shuvalov."
The resort peninsula is famous not only for its natural resources, the most beautiful estates of the imperial elite were located along the entire coastline. On the southern coast of Crimea, immersed in the greenery of evergreen trees is not just a palace, but a real medieval castle.
The building was erected from volcanic rock, the color of which is green-gray, called “diabase”. The construction can be called unique and unprecedented, because workers, using the most primitive tools, carved out of the strongest rock a real masterpiece architecture. This masterpiece is the Vorontsov Palace. Alupka was not chosen by Count Vorontsov by chance to implement his plan. It was in the possession of as many as three generations of one dynasty.
The palace glorified Alupka. The town is so small that it simply would not be noticeable among other urban-type settlements that it contains Big Yalta. And the grandiose estate makes locality desirable and recognizable in terms of tourism.
The architect managed to build a composition that organically fits into the landscape of the mountains and the riot of subtropical greenery south coast. With its spiers, the palace seems to repeat the shape of the beautiful mountain Crimea - Ai-Petri. The end of the grandiose construction fell in 1848.
When in Alupka, be sure to visit the palace of the same name. All museum exhibitions are imbued with the refined taste and luxury of those times. The castle stands like an impregnable bastion, strong, reliable, tall with narrow windows “loopholes”.
One can make a bold statement by suggesting that Vorontsov's ensemble had a colossal influence on Romantic architecture in the following century. Neighboring Yalta quickly began to be replenished with all kinds of palaces, which to this day surprise travelers.
Nationalization and occupation
After the bloody revolution, already in 1920, all “remnants of the empire” were nationalized. Now the family estate has become public property. This did not last long. During the fighting, the German occupiers caused almost irreparable damage to the museum complex, removing priceless art objects from the peninsula. And in those days, such items included everything from cutlery to paintings and pieces of furniture.
What a blessing that the Nazis did not have time to raze the palace to the ground, but such a plan took place. Apparently, the estate is protected by the lucky star of the Vorontsovs, and to this day the museum complex is thriving. A large number of researchers, curators and restorers are carrying out painstaking work; at the moment, time seems to have frozen in exhibition hall oh, the exhibits are kept in perfect condition.
And in the museum “funds”, hidden from the inquisitive eyes of the tourist crowd, there is Mikhail Semyonovich’s globe. This Earth not simple, it says Alaska - Russian!
Amazing rooms
There is a certain azure room in the palace, it is called the “Blue Living Room”. The room is simply of unprecedented beauty; it seems that such rooms simply cannot exist on earth. Snow-white flowers are hand-sculpted on the heavenly-colored walls. It is noteworthy that not a single pattern is repeated throughout the rather voluminous cubic capacity of the room. The alliance is harmoniously complemented by a snow-white grand piano and a luxurious white set with gold-plated inserts.
Video: Bird's eye view of the palace
The count had an office in the Chinese style, a very interesting object on the tour. So you won’t immediately understand whether the owner ordered craftsmen from China or whether our craftsmen worked in the style of the land of the rising sun.
Yes, there is a lot of other interesting things in the palace: the “calico room”, wonderful paintings, fireplaces and luxury, a lot of luxury. And how many films were filmed in the local royal chambers!
And in the large dining hall, the ceilings are made of wood; there is still an extraordinary smell of wood here; it probably smelled like that in those days when the eminent owners still lived in their palace.
Magnificent sculptures
The sculptures made by the Italian master D. Bonanni and his apprentices from Carrara marble can be called almost a wonder of the world. The approach to the palace from the sea is protected by the kings of beasts - huge snow-white lions. The “sleeping” lion is especially admired; words cannot describe how beautiful he is, how nobility, strength, wisdom are embodied in him, and how vulnerable he seems when he sleeps.
It is no coincidence that this same lion is depicted on guidebooks, calendars, postcards, emblems, websites, coats of arms and so on; it is the calling card of Crimea along with the Swallow's Nest castle.
There are other sculptures on the “Southern Terraces” of the palace, all of which attract tourists like a magnet. These perfect stone sculptures beckon, it’s simply impossible to pass by and not capture them in a photo. Every now and then someone tries to ride one of the lions, but strict keepers immediately stop these impulses.
Winter Garden
The wonders of skilled craftsmen of past centuries never cease to amaze; one of the exhibition halls is the winter garden. The guides leave this very garden, like a dessert, for the very end of the “lecture”. A special microclimate reigns here, water splashes from a miniature fountain, and in summer you can hide from the scorching heat.
Although the residence was conceived as a summer residence, paying tribute to fashion, the count ordered to organize a “green corner” in the manner of those that were set up in castles in England. There is a lot of greenery and palm trees, but in all this emerald foliage the snow-white statues, as if from antiquity, attract attention.
The “girl” sculpture receives the most thunderous applause. The statue was made from Carrara marble by the sculptor Corbellini. It is unlikely that you have encountered something like this before. The work is so delicate that even the pores on the girl’s skin are visible! And when you look into her eyes, it seems that she is alive; sculptors of that time had never carved out pupils. And what lace the girl has on her dress! This is marble, I can’t wrap my head around how the master also showed the stitches on the clothes and even the slight wrinkles of the fabric!
Alhambra - tribute to the Turkish Khan
If from the north side the palace looks like a castle, then the south side, the one facing Turkey, is made in oriental style. The portal of the southern entrance resembles a Moorish palace - the Alhambra. Count Mikhail Vorontsov ordered a secret message to be written to Muslims in the form of the inscription “There is no winner but Allah” repeated six times.
Prices for excursions
The price of a ticket to the Alupka Palace is quite reasonable. A visit to the main halls for an adult will cost 300 rubles, a student 150, and a child only 70 rubles.
Photography, like video, is carried out on a paid basis; if you want to make a report, you are welcome to pay at the cash desk.
Shuvalovsky outbuilding
Additionally, you can visit a very original outbuilding, where the Shuvalov couple lived. There are many personal belongings and decorations of famous residents left here. The relatively modest premises are even a little surprising.
The most touching room can be called Personal Area Sofia Mikhailovna, daughter of the count. From all sorts of little things it becomes clear that she was a true society lady who takes care of herself. A look into the countess's boudoir is very interesting. Sophia loved Alupka very much and was endlessly attached to her.
And in the portrait room there is a series of paintings depicting members of the Vorontsov dynasty. The gloss, the chic of the uniforms, the brilliance of the orders, the dignity in the gaze - this is a characteristic feature that can be seen in all the portraits.
Vorontsovsky Park
If palace excursions do not appeal to you at all, then you still should not deny yourself the pleasure of visiting the local park. Here the mighty trees remember the walks of the count's family. Mighty plane trees protected from the sun with their spreading branches and wide leaves. To this day, trees hide hot tourists from the hot southern sun.
If you want to learn about the history of creation, difficulties and victories in setting up the park, then you can go for a walk with an organized group. Excursion support costs only 100 rubles, for children and university students - 70.
If you don’t want to walk around the park, you can drive through it in an electric car. This service began to be provided relatively recently, but is in demand. There are no other vehicles on the territory, so the park can be classified as an “eco-park.”
By the way, the territory of green spaces is simply unimaginable in size; you cannot walk around the park in a day.
The best photo shoots are here!
For an agreed fee, you can agree to hold the most romantic outdoor wedding ceremony. Unite as a family in one of the most beautiful places in Crimea is the dream of many.
And what masterpiece photo shoots there are! Definitely the best in Alupka, and what about in Alupka, in all of Crimea! Places imbued with the spirit of exceptional taste and elegance are what make photographs special.
Be sure to come to Crimea to the Vorontsov Palace, it should certainly be on the list of attractions planned for inspection.
Palace M.S. Vorontsov in Alupka is one of the most famous attractions Crimean peninsula. It is at the foot of mountain range Ai-Petri. The beautiful park surrounding it, like the palace itself, has been a museum since 1956.
Photo of Vorontsov Palace:
Palace architecture
The style in which the building was built is a combination of English and neo-Moorish styles; they not only combine perfectly with each other, but also perfectly take into account the surrounding terrain. The author of the project, the English architect Edward Blore, managed to organically combine elements of the English style from the ancient period to the 16th century, which is observed in its western part. Oriental elements are presented at the South Entrance, where the horseshoe arch and two-tiered vault are richly decorated with carvings. There is even an Arabic text that says: “and there is no winner but Allah.” The chimneys in this part resemble the towers of minarets.
Historical reference
The Vorontsov Palace took 20 years to build, in 1828 - 48. for Count M.S. Vorontsov, who was at that time the governor of the Novorossiysk region. Architects F. Boro and T. Harrison began construction. The English architect E. Blore replaced them after the sudden death of Harrison. He never came, he only studied the area well, on the basis of which he created his masterpiece. The construction was supervised by U. Gunt, his student.
Interesting:
The palace was built by serfs from the Moscow and Vladimir provinces. When performing the most complex relief decoration, only manual labor and primitive tools were used.
The first was in 1830 - 34. a dining building was erected, construction was completed in 1840 - 46. library building. At the same time, in 1840 - 48 Large-scale work was carried out to build the park. Even sapper soldiers were involved in the construction of terraces at the southern facade.
The park was created by the German K.A. from 1824 to 1851. Kebakh, who was the main gardener of the entire South Coast. The park area is 40 hectares. More than 200 plant species are represented here.
Interesting:
20 bags of semi-precious stones were poured into the bottom of Swan Lake, which adorns the park, to create an extraordinary play of light in sunny weather.The final point in the creation of a magnificent garden and park ensemble was the installation of marble lions created by Italian masters on the central staircase at the main entrance.
A little about the customer and the first owner
Count Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov is best known to us from a not very flattering side. And this, thanks to the caustic epigrams of A.S. Pushkin, who was under his supervision during his southern exile. And really, how can you treat someone whose wife you are in love with without reciprocity? So our great poet took it out on Elizaveta Ksaveryevna’s husband with all his fervor. Every schoolchild is familiar with Pushkin’s characterization of the general:
Half my lord, half merchant,
Half-sage, half-ignorant,
Semi-scoundrel, but there is hope
Which will be complete at last.
In reality, M.S. Vorontsov is an intelligent, respectable person and a true hero. It is no coincidence that his figure is presented on the monument to the 1000th anniversary of Russia. He was born into a famous family, Catherine II became his godmother. The young man received his (brilliant!) education in London, where his father served as an envoy.
Having begun military service at the age of 21, he participated in many battles. Here are just a few of them:
- - 1804 - storming of the Ganja fortress in the Caucasus;
- - 1809 - storming of the Bazardzhik fortress in the Balkans;
- - 1812 - Borodino (bayonet wound in hand-to-hand combat);
- - 1813 - battle near Leipzig;
- - 1814 - capture of Paris.
M.S. Vorontsov led the occupation forces in Paris, and when they left France, he collected information about the debts of officers and soldiers to the local population and compensated everything from his personal funds (almost 1,500,000 of those rubles), selling one of his estates for this.
He did a lot for the economic development of Bessarabia, Odessa, Crimea, the Novorossiysk region, and all of Southern Russia.
Military service M.S. Vorontsov continued in the Caucasus in 1844. For his successes he received the title of prince, then, his Serene Highness, the rank of field marshal general, the position of the Caucasian governor.
Personal qualities of M.S. Vorontsova.
He was a bibliophile and a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He had a unique library, which his father and his own aunt E.R. began to collect. Dashkova.
His awards for military and public services make up a huge list, among them
- St. George Cross of three degrees (for personal courage);
- - 2 golden swords (for bravery),
- — Order of St. Vladimir;
- — Alexander Nevsky;
- — Andrew the First-Called and many more Russian and foreign orders and awards.
He was loved by the soldiers, for whom he abolished physical punishment, was easy to handle and approachable with them, and was loved and respected by the officers. After his death, a sad saying was born among the military: “God is high, the Tsar is far away, but Vorontsov died.”
There are several monuments to the general, created with money collected by people grateful to him. He died in 1856 and was buried in Odessa. In 2005, with military honors, his ashes and the ashes of his wife were transferred to the Transfiguration Cathedral.
In general, the great poet was wrong.
Governor General's Palace
It is today South coast Crimea is a luxurious and popular resort destination, and in the first years XIX V. he was just gaining fame. Russian landowners developed fertile places, and M.S. was no exception. Vorontsov is one of the richest people of his time. His choice fell on the small Tatar village of Alupka.
What attracted the Novorossiysk Governor-General? Of course, the same thing that modern tourists highly value:
- - healing climate;
- — luxurious landscapes;
- - warm sea;
- - surrounding springs.
The architects paid tribute to the love of M.S. Vorontsov to everything English, but at the same time they emphasized the recent Turkish influence that remained in Crimea. All this is taken into account in a harmonious mixture of English and oriental styles, participation in the formation of the image of the palace of the Ai-Petri mountain range has not been forgotten.
Interesting:
To increase seismic resistance, lead is poured into the foundation slabs.
Continuation of a story
After the death of the owner, the palace passed to his nephews, Pavel Andreevich Shuvalov, then Mikhail Andreevich. The last owner was the granddaughter of M.S. Vorontsova Elizaveta Andreevna Vorontsova-Dashkova.
During the Soviet period, the estate was nationalized. At first there was a NKVD dacha here, and in 1921 a museum began operating in the palace.
During the Great Patriotic War, the exhibits did not have time to be evacuated; 4,980,000 rubles worth of rarities were exported to Germany (in 1945 terms)
Interesting:
The museum was twice saved from destruction by S.G. Shchekoldin, a museum employee appointed by the Germans as its director. He prevented an explosion from dynamite planted by the NKVD. He managed to save the building from air bombs. He also provided a list of stolen items. BUT! He was sentenced “for collaboration with the occupiers” to 10 years. Rehabilitated only in 1991.In February 1945, during the Yalta Conference, a British delegation led by W. Churchill lived in the palace. Until 1955 there was a state dacha here.
Since 1956 it has been a museum, and since 1990 a museum-reserve, including a park and a palace.
Palace interiors
The building has 150 rooms located in 5 buildings. It also combines elements of English style and oriental motifs.
The rooms are symmetrical, their doors are opposite each other. Each room has a fireplace and there are portraits on the walls. famous people and landscapes. The sculptures in the greenhouse are depictions of family members of the first owner.
In 1914, electricity appeared in the palace.
Currently, 10 rooms on the ground floor are available to visitors. They practically preserved the original interior. These are the ceremonial rooms where the owners received guests, and the greenhouse. Some of the furniture is original. The rest are selected with such skill that they do not disturb the overall picture.
Interesting:
The parquet flooring of the palace is authentic - it is almost 200 years old.
Video review of the palace:
Tourist Information
In addition to the main exhibition, visitors are offered the following exhibitions:
- - butler's apartment;
- — Vorontsov’s kitchen;
- - Shuvalov's house;
- - park sculpture
- and a number of others.
Important:
You can buy tickets for each exhibition separately, but it is more profitable to buy a single ticket for 650 rubles. Children under 16 years old visit the palace for free. Students, pensioners and citizens 16-18 years old for 325 rubles.
You can ride around the park in an electric car. The cost of such an excursion is 800 rubles for the entire group (from 4 to 20 people.) Excursion services are also provided in the museum.
The main exhibition is open seven days a week from 8:00 to 20:00. The remaining exhibitions are closed on Monday and Wednesday.
Detailed and up-to-date information on the palace website: http://worontsovpalace.org (official website)
How to get to Vorontsov Palace
Buses go here from Yalta central bus station. Go to the Alupka Palace stop. Continue through the park on foot. You can take a minibus to the local bus station and, following the signs, walk 850 m. You can take a boat on the sea - this is an additional pleasure and experience. Then from the beach uphill. Address: Alupka, Dvortsovoye Highway, 18.
Vorontsov Palace on the map of Crimea
GPS Coordinates: N 44.419861, E 34.055972 Latitude/Longitude
