Vorontsov castle in Crimea. Medieval castle in Crimea: Vorontsov Palace - everything you need to know before visiting

In 1823, the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, Count Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov, became the governor-general of the Novorossiysk Territory, which at that time included Crimea. The development of Crimea owes much 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 the wine industry is developing rapidly, the number of industrial enterprises. In 1828, the history of the Black Sea Shipping Company begins. In the same years, the count actively buys land from the local Tatar population and dreams of creating his own palace.

The construction of the palace lasted for 20 years.

After the death in 1829 of Thomas Harrison in 1831, Count Vorontsov unexpectedly orders to stop the construction of the palace and radically change the style of the neoclassical style of the palace. The count invites one of the most talented architect of that time - Edward Blore. As conceived by the architect, the palace is being built in the English Gothic style. In the same year, the construction of the main building began. building material diabase was used to build walls - rock of volcanic origin, which is several times stronger than granite. Deposits of this stone are in abundance nearby. Diabase is very difficult to process, but this does not stop Count Vorontsov, because he was richest man more than 60,000 serfs worked in the country and under his command. Even a sapper battalion took part in earthworks, whose soldiers worked on the construction of terraces on the south side of the facade.

An interesting fact: the architect Blore never visited the construction site. He got all the idea of the terrain from numerous drawings and engravings.

In 1948, the construction of the palace came to an end. Vorontsov Palace consists of five buildings, decorated with towers, which are interconnected by various passages, stairs and courtyards. The architect managed to organically fit the buildings elongated from west to east into the mountainous landscape of the area. Outwardly, the palace is very much like 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 their decoration. The decoration of the rooms is almost completely preserved. Each room, and there are only about 150 of them, is made in a personal style. The materials that were used in the decoration are reflected in the names of the rooms. The Chinese cabinet is trimmed with the finest rice straws, decor elements are embroidered with beads and silk. The decoration of the Chintz Room is skillfully made from this fabric. The brightest room in the Vorontsov Palace is the Blue Drawing Room, the highlight of which is a stucco ornament in the form of petals and leaves. There are about three thousand of them in total, and each of them is not like 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 landscape design. This masterpiece was created by the Chief Gardener of the Southern Coast of Crimea, Karl Antonovich Kebakh, for 25 years. The park is spread over an area of 40 hectares. More than two hundred species of plants grow here, which were imported from the regions of the North and South America, Mediterranean. Geographically divided into Upper and lower parks. The park is designed in such a way that it complements the local nature. Three reservoirs have been artificially created on the territory of the park.

Interesting fact: To decorate the bottom swan lake Count Vorontsov ordered 20 bags semi-precious stones that 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, ejected by the volcano back in time immemorial, called "Big Chaos" and "Small Chaos". Also, a large number of fountains were built in the park.

glade in the park

Interesting facts about the Vorontsov Palace

The palace was owned by three generations of the Vorontsov family. The cost of laying out the parks is twice as high as the construction of the palace itself. Up to 36,000 rubles were spent on the maintenance of the park in 1910, 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 the comfort of living. A museum has been functioning in the palace complex since 1921. 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. During the Yalta Conference in February 1945, an English delegation headed by W. Churchill lived in the Vorontsov Palace. A curious story is connected with him, which happened during a walk in the park of Churchill and Stalin. 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 he looked like himself and suggested that Stalin buy him. Stalin refused this offer, but suggested to Churchill that if he answered his question correctly, Stalin would present a sleeping lion. "Which finger on the hand is the main one?" - such was Stalin's question. Churchill replied, "Of course, index." “Wrong,” Stalin replied and twisted the figure from his fingers, which is popularly called the figurine.

The Vorontsov Palace in Alupka is one of the most visited Yalta palaces and the only one that I visited, and even then by accident. It’s not that I didn’t want to see it, but I really didn’t want to do it in the summer, it’s too crowded at this time.
The palace was built in the English style, and the building contains elements of various eras, from early forms to the 16th century. The farther from the western gate, the more recent style of construction. The English style is combined with the neo-Moorish style. For example, Gothic chimneys resemble the minarets of a mosque. The palace was built from 1828 to 1848 as the summer residence of the Governor-General of the Novorossiysk Territory Count Vorontsov. Interestingly, the Vorontsov Palace is one of the first buildings in Russia, where sewerage and water supply were built for the comfort of living.

The main facade of the Vorontsov Palace

The palace was owned by three generations of the Vorontsov family. Since 1921, a museum has functioned in the palace complex. 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. Now it is a museum again.

The Vorontsov Palace is located on the territory of Alupka Park, which was created by the famous botanist and gardener Karl Antonovich Kebach for 25 years. He designed clearings, placed trees according to their size. This was a matter of principle, because, according to Karl's plan, the trees should not have blocked the gorgeous view of the top of Mount Ai-Petri.

The park is spread over an area of 40 hectares. Geographically divided into Upper and Lower parks. The park is designed in such a way that it complements the local nature. More than two hundred species of plants grow here, which were brought from the regions of North and South America, the Mediterranean. The cost of laying out the park is twice as high as the construction of the palace itself. Up to 36,000 rubles were spent on the maintenance of the park in 1910 - a huge amount at that time.

Map of Vorontsovsky park

The attraction of the park are piles of stones from solidified magma, thrown out by the volcano in ancient times, called "Big Chaos" and "Small Chaos". These chaoses were carefully inscribed in the layout of the park, a dozen paths were laid through the piles of stones, forming almost a labyrinth, benches were placed, viewing platforms were arranged. Separate blocks are entwined with ivy and wild grapes. Sometimes it is very difficult to believe that you are in a park, and not abandoned.

A large number of fountains have been built in the park. Most of them were built according to the designs of V. Gunt.
In general, in Crimea, there has long been a tradition of respect for water. The construction of a fountain, both in the Muslim Crimea and in Russia, was considered a worthy deed, and even charitable. Where at least some trickle flowed, they put a fountain, decorated it with a saying from the Koran or the emblem of an engineering department, sometimes they beat out the date. Along the old roads, in the old Crimean settlements, a lot of these ancient fountains have been preserved, many are still functioning.

Three ponds are also artificially created on the territory of the park: Upper, Mirror and Lebediny. Around the ponds grow maples, ash and dogwood.

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 owner chases the ducks out of his property

A couple more interesting facts about the park, according to the guides. Vorontsovsky Park literally grew on blood, because the soil under the trees was abundantly fertilized with the blood of freshly killed animals. A separate gardener was assigned to each tree, who did not sleep, did not eat, but watched his ward, cherished and cherished.

The Chilean Araucaria owes its name to the Araucans - Indians living in Chile, for whom the fruits of this tree form the basis of the diet. This copy is over 130 years old. It does not develop well in our conditions. In its homeland, it grows up to 50 meters in height, has a trunk up to one meter in diameter. There are only 5 such trees in Crimea. Araucaria branches are covered with sharp thorns, so neither monkeys nor birds sit on them.

Chilean araucaria

Crimean pine

pistachio

lower park

The fountain "Maria" is made based on the famous Bakhchisarai fountain, sung by Pushkin. The fountain is made of white and colored marble and decorated with shells and rosettes. Water falls in small drops from one bowl to another, forming a quiet, even rhythm of drops - “tears”.

Mary Fountain (Fountain of Tears)

From the sea is the famous lion terrace.

The southern entrance is decorated with oriental splendor. The Arabic inscription translates as: "And there is no winner but Allah."

coral tree

Fountain of Bakhchisarai

I didn’t go inside the palace, I really don’t like a slender run in the crowd. Maybe some other time I'll visit.

Winter Garden of the Palace

During the Yalta Conference in February 1945, the British delegation headed by W. Churchill lived in the Vorontsov Palace. A curious story is connected with him, which happened during a walk in the park of Churchill and Stalin. Churchill, who really liked the sleeping lion sculpture, said that he looked like himself and suggested that Stalin ransom him. Stalin refused this offer, but suggested to Churchill that if he answered his question correctly, then Stalin would present a sleeping lion. "Which finger on the hand is the main one?" - such was Stalin's question. Churchill replied: "Of course, index." “Wrong,” Stalin replied and twisted the figure from his fingers, which is popularly called the figurine.

sleeping lion

Fountain "Sink"

The southern facade of the Vorontsov Palace and the Lion's Terrace

For more than a hundred years, one of the favorite and popular attractions of the Crimea, created by man, is the Vorontsov Palace, amazing in its beauty. In the middle of the 19th century, it was the residence of the famous Russian count, and today it has become a museum visited by tourists not only from Russia and Ukraine, but also from far abroad countries. History of the palace

In 1828, in the Crimea, in Alupka near Mount Ai-Petri, they began to build the residence of Count M. S. Vorontsov, a prominent Russian figure, and concurrently the Governor-General of the Novorossiysk Territory. They didn’t even build a house or a mansion, but a huge palace from the strongest diabase, which was mined nearby. The project of the residence was developed by the English architect Edward Blore. The Englishman had never been to the Crimea, but before starting the project, he studied the relief of the mountainous terrain from books and drawings.

The construction of the palace took twenty years. It was a truly grandiose construction site, where soldiers from the engineer battalion and serfs from the Moscow and Vladimir provinces worked. They did all the menial work, but they were not allowed to cut stones - this was done by hereditary stonecutters who took part in the construction of white-stone Moscow palaces.

Palace architecture

The palace was built gradually, building by building. First, a dining room was built, then the central building and a billiard room were attached to it. After that, the eastern wings, the guest and utility buildings, the towers of the palace appeared. The construction was completed with the design of the Front Courtyard and the construction of the library.

No wonder the architect studied the local landscape so scrupulously - he managed to arrange the palace as if according to the relief of the mountains and make it seem to be one with them. You see him and you understand that he is really in his place.

The architect created the palace in the English style, mixing several eras at once, the latest of which is the 16th century. At the same time, the elements are arranged in chronological order - the closer to the gate, the older the style. There is Gothic here, there is classicism, there is the wealth of the East: arches, vaults, inscriptions in Arabic.

Is it worth talking about the richness of the interiors of the palace? In their design, expensive wood was used, natural stones, noble metals. Each room was decorated in a special way, in the spirit of a particular era or country. For example, there is a Chintz room, a Chinese study, a Blue living room. The dining room is like in a medieval castle - it is decorated with giant panels and rich wood carvings.

The fate of the palace

Before the revolution, the Vorontsovs owned the palace. But when the power in the country changed, the owner of the famous castle also changed - it was nationalized, and in 1921 a museum was opened here.

During the war, they did not have time to take out the most valuable exhibits from here, and the invaders got them. The Germans transported to Germany collections of paintings, antique utensils, figurines and other things that the Vorontsovs once owned. Some paintings were returned after the war, but most of them ended up in private collections.

Winston Churchill himself was able to appreciate the decoration of the Vorontsov Palace - during the Yalta Conference, the palace was his residence.

From 1945 to 1955 the palace was a government dacha, and from 1956 to the present time it has been a museum-reserve.

What is shown to tourists?

Visitors start their tour of the palace from a unique park, which was created back in the time of the Vorontsovs by the gardener-botanist Karl Kebach. More than 25 years on the area of 360 thousand square meters he bred and cultivated the rarest flowers and shrubs. The garden is also decorated with stone lions, specially created by the Italian sculptor Giovanni Bonnani.

Today, several expositions are constantly working in the halls of the palace, which tell about the palace itself and the Vorontsov family. It also displays works of art that have been preserved and returned. In total, the palace has 27 thousand exhibits, and in the library, which Count Vorontsov himself began to collect, there are more than 10 thousand books!

The material was prepared by Yulia Savoskina.

Nationalization and occupation

After the bloody revolution, already in 1920, all the "remnants of the empire" were nationalized. Now the family estate has become the property of the people. This did not last long. During the hostilities, the German invaders caused almost irreparable damage to the museum complex, taking priceless art objects from the peninsula. And in those days, everything was such items, from cutlery to paintings and furniture.

What a blessing that the Nazis did not have time to raze the palace to the ground, but such a plan had a place to be. Apparently, the estate is guarded by the lucky star of the Vorontsovs, and to this day museum complex flourishes. A large number of scientists, curators and restorers lead painstaking work, at the moment, time seems to be frozen in the exhibition halls, the exhibits are kept in perfect condition.

And in the museum "funds", hidden from the inquisitive eyes of the tourist crowd, there is a globe of Mikhail Semyonovich. This Earth not simple, it is Alaska - Russian!

Amazing rooms

There is a certain azure room in the palace, it is called the “Blue Drawing Room”. The room is simple unprecedented beauty, it seems that such premises simply cannot exist on earth. Snow-white flowers are hand-sculpted on the sky-colored walls. It is noteworthy that not a single pattern is repeated throughout the sufficiently voluminous cubic capacity of the room. The alliance is harmoniously complemented by a snow-white grand piano and a luxurious white set with gilded inserts.

Video: Palace from a bird's eye view

The count had a Chinese-style office, a very interesting object on a tour. So you won’t immediately understand whether the owner ordered craftsmen from China or whether it was our craftsmen who worked in the style of the land of the rising sun.

Yes, there are many other interesting things in the palace: the “chintz 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 room, the ceilings are made of wood, there is still an unusual smell of wood here, for sure, it smelled like that in those days when eminent owners still lived in their palace.

Magnificent sculptures

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 animals - huge snow-white lions. The “sleeping” lion is especially admired, words cannot express how beautiful he is, how nobility, strength, wisdom are embodied in him, and how vulnerable he seems when he sleeps.

This same lion is not accidentally depicted on guidebooks, calendars, postcards, emblems, websites, coats of arms, and so on, it is calling card Crimea, along with the castle "Swallow's Nest".

There are other sculptures on the "South Terraces" of the palace, all of them attract tourists like a magnet. These ideal stone sculptures are alluring, it is simply impossible to pass by and not capture them in a photo. Someone now and then tries to saddle one of the lions, but strict rangers immediately stop these impulses.

Winter Garden

The wonders of skilled craftsmen of the past centuries never cease to amaze, one of the exhibition halls is the winter garden. This same garden, like a dessert, the guides leave at the very end of the "lecture". A special microclimate reigns here, water splashes from a miniature fountain, in summer you can hide from the scorching heat.

Although the residence was conceived as a summer residence, paying tribute to fashion, the earl ordered to organize a "green corner" in the manner of those that were broken in the castles of England. There is a lot of greenery, palm trees, but snow-white, as if antique statues pay attention to themselves in all this emerald foliage.

The most stormy applause breaks the sculpture "girl". The statue was made of Carrara marble by the sculptor Corbellini. It is unlikely that you have seen something like this before. The work is so delicate that even the pores on the skin are visible on the girl! And when you look into her eyes, it seems that she is alive, the sculptors of that time have never carved pupils. And what lace the girl has on her dress! This is marble, it doesn’t fit in my head, as the master also showed the lines on the clothes and even a slight wrinkle of the fabric!

Alhambra - a tribute to the Turkish Khan

If from the north side the palace looks like a castle, then the south side, the one that faces Turkey, is made in oriental style. The portal of the southern entrance is like a Moorish palace - the Alhambra. Count Mikhail Vorontsov ordered to write a secret message to the Muslims in the form of the inscription repeated six times "There is no winner but Allah."

Prices for excursions

The ticket price in the Alupka Palace is quite acceptable. A visit to the ceremonial halls for an adult will cost 300 rubles, for a student 150, and for a child only 70 rubles.

Photography, as well as video, is made on a paid basis, if you want to make a report - welcome to the cashier for payment.

Shuvalovsky wing

Additionally, you can visit a very original wing, where the Shuvalovs lived. There are many personal belongings and decorations of eminent residents. The relatively modest area of the premises is even slightly surprising.

The most touching room can be called Personal Area Sophia Mikhailovna, daughter of the count. From all sorts of little things, it becomes clear that she was a true secular lady who takes care of herself. It is very interesting to look into the countess's boudoir. Sophia loved Alupka very much, she was infinitely attached to her.

And in the portrait room there is a series of paintings depicting members of the Vorontsov dynasty. Gloss, chic of uniforms, brilliance of orders, dignity in the look, behold, characteristic, visible in all portraits.

Vorontsovsky park

If palace excursions do not appeal to you at all, then you should not deny yourself the pleasure and visit the local park. Here, 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 excited tourists from the hot southern sun.

If you want to learn about the history of creation, the difficulties and victories in laying out the park, then you can go for a walk with an organized group. Excursion support costs only 100 rubles, for children and students of universities - 70.

If you do not want to walk through the park on foot, 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, simply unthinkable in size, cannot be walked around the park in a day.

The best photo shoots are here!

For the agreed fee, you can arrange the most romantic outdoor wedding ceremony. Connect with family ties in one of the most beautiful places in Crimea - the dream of many.

And what a masterpiece photo shoots are obtained here! Definitely the best in Alupka, but in Alupka, in the whole Crimea! Places imbued with the spirit of exceptional taste and elegance - that's what makes the pictures special.

Be sure to come to the Crimea to the Vorontsov Palace, it must certainly be on the list of attractions scheduled for inspection.