Palaces and Parks around Yalta

---

Alupka
Alupka is situated 17 km (11 mi) to the west of Yalta.
Vorontsov’s Palace was built in 1828-1846. It was designed by the English architect Edward Blore (1789-1879) in mixture of Scottish baronial and Neo-Moorish styles.
Alupka park which surrounds the palace was constructed from 1824 to 1851, it was designed by Carolus Antonius Keebach. The plants were brought in from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, from North and South America, and eastern Asia. Currently over 200 species of plants exist within the palace’s grounds. The park has lakes with swans, stone chaos, waterfalls.
In 1848, white marble sculptures of lions were installed on the central staircase leading up to the castle. The sculptures were carried out by the Italian sculptor Giovanni Bonnani.
Alupka is located at the foot of the 1234 meter Ai-Petri (St Peter) Mountain of the Crimean Mountain Chain. Since 1987, a three kilometer cable car carries passengers to and from the mountain.

Nikita Botanical Gardens
Nikita Botanical Gardens is located close to Yalta.
It was founded in 1812 and named after the settlement Nikita.
The total area is 1100 hectares. The institute has the largest herbarium in Europe, the oldest library in Crimea, and a scientific museum, attached to a cafe featuring exotic fruits. The Gardens has 50,000 species, varieties and hybrids of plants – including rare and endangered species.
It has a cactus greenhouse exhibition, exhibition of living tropical butterflies and many seasonal exhibitions (chrysanthemums in October, tulips in April, roses in summer and many others).

Livadiya Palace & Tsar's Path
Livadiya became the Imperial residence in 1861 and it is connected with the names of three Russian Tsars: Alexander II. Alexander III and Nicolas II.
Russian tsar Alexander II bought Livadiya from the hirers of Polish count Potostky for his wife Impress Maria who suffered from TB. Doctors recommended Her Majesty warm mild climate and fresh air, so the Imperial family choose Livadia, which is situated on the sea coast and surrounded by pine tree forests. For Alexander II and his family two palaces were built: big one — for the tsar and the small one – for the family of his son, the future tsar Alexander III. But today we will not see any of these palaces: the big one was demolished in 1909 and a new white stone palace was constructed on its place in 1910 — 1911 for the last Russian tsar Nicolas II. The small Livadiya palace was destroyed during Nazi occupation in 1941-1944.
After the liberation of Crimea in April 1944 the historic Yalta (Crimean) Conference was held in the former palace of Nicolas II. American delegation headed by president Franklin D. Roosevelt was settled in the palace.

SOME FACTS ABOUT THE LIVADIA PALACE
1834 – the estate was founded by Leo Pototsky
1861 – the estate was bought by Russian Emperor Alexander II
1894 – Russian Emperor Alexander 3 died in Livadia
1910-1911 – a new palace was built for the family of the last Russian tsar Nicholas II
1920 – the palace was nationalized
1925 – a sanatorium was opened in the palace
February 4 – 11, 1945 – Yalta (Crimean) Conference was held, American delegation headed by President F. D. Roosevelt was settled in the palace
1953 – a sanatorium was opened in reconstructed palace
1974 – the Museum of Yalta (Crimean) conference was organized in five rooms of Livadia palace.
1991 – the Museum of the Romanovs in the Crimea was housed in the palace

Massandra
Massandra Palace is situated in Massandra settlement, in several kilometers west of Yalta.
The palace resembles a fairy tale castle. The palace of Alexander III in Massandra and the park give an idea of the Russian estate culture in the end of the 19th – the beginning of the 20th century.
In 1890-s it became the property of the Russian tsar Alexander III and Nicolas II later. The palace acquired a character of early Baroque architecture – the style of Lois XIII. After nationalization, from 1929 to 1941 the palace was used as a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients. After World War 2 in 1947 the wine making institute Magarach was based here. Later it was simply closed and it was used as a state dacha, a summer house for the top Soviet officials. So the area was closed for the Yalta residents. Only in the early 1990-s the palace was opened as a museum.
Phone number of the museum: [phone]
Ticket price: adult- 40 UAH; Child – 20 UAH, Student- 20 UAH.
Working time: 9:00-18:30, monday is a day-off.
Ticket office works till 17:30
In Massandra you can also visit Massandra wine-making factory. It is very old and has great wine collection. They have excursions along the wine-cellars, wine-tasting. You can walk into the wine cellar, visit the wine museum, the wine makers will tell you the way they produce the wine, bottle the wine, and you’ll see the production area, the barrels where the wine is aged, and at the end of the tour you will have a chance to taste 9 samples of the best Massandra wine. Also there is a shop attached to the winery and if you would like to buy Massandra wine you need only remember the number of the glass which you tried so the shop assistant will help you.
Phone numbers of the winery: [phone], [phone]

Koreiz
Koreiz is best known as the site of two palaces. The palace of Grand Duke Peter Nicolaievich of Russia Dulber (dülber is Arabic word meaning “beautiful”). This palace was built between 1895 and 1897. It is an exotic building with silver cupolas, cogged walls, arched windows, blue ornamentation and multi-colored mosaics. The design was made by the Yalta architect Nicolas Krasnov, who was also architect of Livadia Palace. Dulber was the last place where the Romanovs stayed in Crimea after the Russian Revolution in 1917. Now it is one of the most beautiful sanatoriums. In the Soviet times it was used only by soviet leaders and top communist party members.
The Yusupov Palace was built for Prince Felix Yusupov in 1909. The design was made by the Yalta architect Nicolas Krasnov, who was also architect of Livadia Palace. The palace boasts a romantic park with exotic plants and a wine cellar founded by Prince Lev Golitzin in the 19th century. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the palace was nationalized and served as Stalin’s dacha during the Yalta Conference. Now it is also a state dacha, so only organized groups are allowed to visit the palace if nobody rents the apartments.

---