Massandra Palace in Crimea: history, description, where it is and how to get there?

Massandra Palace is one of the most famous sights of the Crimean peninsula. It is located on the territory of Alupka Palace and Park Museum-Reserve. In addition to the Massandra Palace, it also includes the Vorontsov Palace. The palace received its name from the village of Massandra, which is located nearby.

The territory on which the palace and the village of Massandra are located has been inhabited since the 14th century. Archaeologists have discovered the remains of the Taurian settlements, dated by this period, and the temple, built by the Greeks a little later than the settlement. Until 1783, the Crimean peninsula was under the rule of the Khan Girey dynasty and was a separate state. Interestingly, in the works of the last Khan of Crimea-Giray there are references to the abandoned settlement of Marsanda. By the time of the annexation of the territory of the Crimean peninsula to the Russian Empire, the territory which now occupies the Alupka Museum-Reserve was in a state of neglect.

After several unsuccessful attempts to give the territory in the economic hands, they decided to make the Imperial Nikitsky Botanical Garden. At the same time, the territory of the village of Marsanda is for sale. The owner was Sophia Konstantinovna Pototskaya. She was set on fire with the idea of ​​building the city of Sophiopolis on the site of the fishing village of Yalta, which would become the center on the entire south coast. However, this idea was not destined to come true. After her death, the territories went to her daughter Olga Naryshkina, who in 1822 invited the English gardener Karl Kebah. He broke the garden, paved paths and built alleys. O.S. Naryshkina sold the land to Alexandra Vasilievna Branitskaya, who was the mother-in-law of Prince Semyon Mikhailovich Vorontsov.

The history of the palace begins in 1881, when Prince Vorontsov decided to build a house next to the church. The design and implementation of the project was entrusted to the architect Etienne Bouchard. The appearance of the building resembled strict knight castles. And the style of architecture belongs to the late Renaissance. But Prince Vorontsov was not destined to see the completion of the work. After his death, construction stopped.

A new round of the history of the palace began in 1889, when it was acquired by the specific department for the needs of Alexander III. To assess the state of the building, the famous sculptor A. I. Terebenev was involved. He left a brief note in which he noted that this building was two floors with a partially made basement and a galvanized roof with skylights. Local calcareous rocks were used as material. All rooms were made of wooden and iron beams. Also, Alexander Ivanovich noted that the whole building has a very good masonry.

Further construction was continued according to the drawings of Russian architect Maximilian Egorovich Mesmakher. Preserving the layout and style of the building, he added more decor, thereby turning the knight's castle into a tower. Construction continued until 1902.

In 1903, Nicholas II became interested in making a wine making center in Massandra. So Massandrovsky Palace became a traveling palace. Members of the royal family stayed there for rest or for hunting. In this regard, the interior decoration was rather modest, there were no additional buildings necessary for a long stay.

After 1917, the territory passed to the new government. The construction of the palace continued and was completed in 1921. The temple was demolished, the oak trees were destroyed, the layout of the park was changed, and the source with the reservoir dried out. The palace complex was remade under the sanatorium "Proletarian health" for patients with tuberculosis. The sanatorium ceased to exist with the beginning of the war.

In 1948, the entire territory and buildings were converted into a state summer cottage for the first persons of the country.

The status of the cultural object of the Massandra Palace was returned in the 90s of the last century. To restore the exposition of the times of Alexander III, the palace complex was transferred to the museum association "Palaces and Parks of the Southern Coast of Crimea".

Since 2014, the palace complex is under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President of the Russian Federation.

In 2017, a monument to Alexander III was erected on the territory of the complex.

Most of the household items of the Romanovs were destroyed during the revolution. However, preserved built-in furniture, mirrors, handmade chandeliers and a fireplace in the living room, made from a single piece of marble. The rest of the interior was recreated using household items, furniture, paintings and graphics of the Alupka Foundation. Part of the items entered the fund from the southern estates of the Romanovs and the State Museum Fund. Inside the palace is now a museum.

Features of the interiors of the Massandra Palace:

• in accordance with the fashion of the second half of the 19th century, a combination of various styles was used when creating interiors;
• each room has an individual feature;
• the interior traces the individual preferences of Alexander III (he said that it was much easier for him to be in small, cozy rooms).

Acquaintance with the interior of the palace begins with the lobby. All the design of the room was made in the Romanesque style, which was common in France in the 10th – 13th centuries. The walls of the room are visually divided into two parts: the upper (finished with artistic painting) and the lower. In contrast to the traditional design of the tree, the lower part of the walls was revetted with ceramic tiles with a cold blue pattern. This was done not only for aesthetic reasons, but also on the basis of the practicality of this lining option: ceramic plates do not heat up and maintain a cool temperature in the room. In order to prevent direct sunlight from entering the room, colored glass has been inserted into the windows and doors. The floor is laid with metal tiles and the ceiling is decorated with ornaments. Doors, window frames, stair railing and trim on the edges of the panels are made of wood. The room is divided by a wide arch.

The following room was reserved for the billiard room. It is made in the English style. The “tone” to the interior is set by a large corner fireplace, which is trimmed with mahogany plating and red bronze embossing. The lower part of the walls is decorated with oak panels, and the ceiling - with stucco in the English style of the XVI century. Under the ceiling is a kind of stucco pattern. On the walls are paintings. The billiard room is divided into two parts. In one of them was located an art gallery and windows to the garden, while in the other there were billiard tables and there was access to the main dining room.

The grand dining room is made in the style of Louis XIII. The interior of the room echoes the general view of the building. When creating it used a lot of wood color of bog oak. Just like in the rest of the premises, the walls are “divided” into two parts.The lower part is decorated with wooden panels with carving of plant motifs, the upper part is covered with artistic painting. The interior contains notes of knight motives. Strengthens this feeling "beam" ceiling. This interesting artistic solution lies in the fact that beams of noble wood were fastened on the “main” ceiling, and the intervals between them were filled with paintings. The room is divided into two parts: the first part - the passage between the billiard room and the dining room - was called the service. Its feature in a large fireplace made of carved wood and majolica slabs. The meal took place in a large room with five windows and built-in cupboards made of wood with baroque carvings. The interior of the dining room was complemented with objects of art: landscapes and still lifes of the Crimean peninsula, Japanese faience vases and dinner sets.

In addition to the dining room, billiard room and lobby, there was a kitchen and a cellar on the first floor. Since the stops in the palace did not suggest a long stay, the kitchen was equipped with only the most necessary things, for quick preparation of food.

Acquaintance with the interiors of the second floor begins from the lobby. This is a small room with a minimum of necessary furniture: chairs, a hanger and a mirror. The lower part of the walls is decorated with wooden panels, and the upper one is painted with a brick-red pattern. The mirror is decorated with an oak frame, and the hanger is decorated with an ornament made using the burning technique. From the lobby you can go to the reception of the emperor and empress. They are located in different parts of the building. You can get there by spiral staircases in the towers.

The interior of the emperor's living room is made in the style of "Jacob" and is distinguished by rigor. Furniture in the room a bit: a console mirror, a bookcase. All furniture and wood trim are made of polished mahogany. Gilded bronze was used as another basic finishing material. According to the original plan, the emperor’s reception office was supposed to be trimmed with fabric in light green tones with plant motifs, and the ceiling was supposed to be decorated with stucco multi-layer painting. These plans did not come true, and today the living room is presented in golden-pink tones. The peculiarity of this room is in medallions with monograms of Alexander III and crowns. Medallions are located at the corners of the ceiling.

The interior of the receiving empress is softer and more comfortable. This is a small room. A lot of wood was used for its decoration: more than half of all walls are covered with wood panels. The rest of the walls are painted in shades of coffee and coffee with milk. The ceiling is made in the same colors and decorated with stucco. The peculiarity of this room is the glazed wall. It is worth mentioning the ventilation system grille: it completely repeats the pattern of stucco, which is almost imperceptible. Interestingly, the chandelier from this room has been preserved. It dates from the end of the XIX century and today returned to its historical place.

In addition to receptions, the layout of the palace involved two cabinets for Their Majesties.

The office of the emperor was distinguished by luxury. Walnut was used as a material for finishing the room and creating furniture. In one of the walls a large window is made, which is lined with wooden panels. There is a fireplace in the room, a baroque mirror in a gilded frame weighs over it, a chandelier and a clock dated to the 8th century complement the mirror. According to the original plan, the walls should have been decorated with a silk fabric of light green color, however, when restoring the interior, the walls were decorated with artistic painting of peach and powder-pink color. Feature of the room - in the ceiling.On it is made a wide strip of stucco, repeating the shape of the ceiling, inlaid with gold.

The Empress's office looks less luxurious. The room is always flooded with light. This feeling is created because of the finishing in the color of light rezedy and four large windows. The only decoration of the ceiling is a chandelier. Plant motifs became the main idea for its creation, and gilded bronze was used as a material. The floor is made of wood and is limited by a wide plinth. Its color is combined with the color of a marble fireplace (chocolate). On the walls are portraits of members of the royal family. The interior of the room reflects the traditions of classicism style.

The bedroom of Their Majesties. The main idea was to create a soft, relaxing atmosphere. To this end, it was planned to finish the walls with a light beige fabric, but as a result, the walls were decorated with paintings in pink and golden colors. Colored windows were used to create diffused light. From the royal bedroom there is access to a wide balcony. The entire ceiling is covered with painting. The peculiarity of the room is in the golden curtain of the alcove with the lambrequin. The color scheme of its pattern echoes the color of furniture, walls and balcony decorations.

There are also two bathrooms: for the emperor and the empress. The emperor’s bathroom is trimmed in walnut and Dutch ceramics with landscapes. The room of the Empress was decorated with mahogany.

The park on the adjacent territory can be divided into two parts: the upper garden and the park itself.

The garden is located close to the palace. On its territory, the tracks are broken, and on the north side a wall was built, which reliably protects it from possible descents of rocks. Along the paths planted laurel and thuja bushes. The peculiarity of the park lies in the fact that, in addition to the widely known grapes in Russia, currants and gooseberries, orange, lemon and olive trees were planted. After Enke's court gardener arrived in Massandra, whole alleys of conifers and roses were planted. Exotic trees such as satin cedar and Arizona cypress, oleanders, palm trees, fir trees and magnolias grow in the garden. While in the main territory of the park grew old oaks and beech.

The territory of the lower park exceeds 30 hectares. The landscape is a mixture of natural and artificially created landscape and plant objects.

Massandrovsky Park was famous for its roses, which were delivered to the courtyard. Therefore, until 1917, he received considerable attention, and the plants (and especially roses) for the park were brought from all over the world.

The park was badly damaged during the First World War. All free areas were planted with tobacco. After the arrival of Soviet power, the park was completely abandoned. Many rare trees without maintenance and regular watering have dried up. In addition, the territory left unattended was taken down by peasants to vegetable gardens. Most of the park trees were cut down.

On the territory of the palace complex, ongoing excursions are held, which can be visited from 9:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and until 20:00 on weekends. The expositions are dedicated to the life of Alexander III and the royal family, I. V. Stalin, the life of the Soviet people.

• Excursion around the palace. It is dedicated to Alexander III and runs constantly. Price for an adult about 300 p., For a child - about 150 p.
• A tour of the park. It is held only for groups of 15 people and by prior arrangement. The total price will be 1500 r.
• Group tour of the expositions of the Massandra Palace. A preliminary application is required and the number of visitors is at least 15.Total price - 4500 p.
• Group tour of the territory of the court dedicated to its flora and fauna. It is held for groups of 15 people by prior arrangement. Total cost - 900 p.
• Excursion dedicated to the flora and fauna of the park. Ticket price - 100 p.
• Excursion "How we lived ...". It is dedicated to the life of the Soviet people and is held on the third floor of the building. There is an exhibition of paintings by Soviet artists.
• Also on the third floor is a separate exhibition dedicated to the coronation of Alexander III.
• A tour of the palace grounds. She is attached to the life and work of Stalin.
• It is possible to take a tour on the electric car. The price of one ticket will be 800 p.

Ticket price for discount categories is reduced. Visitors have the opportunity to take an audio guide. This service costs 70 p.

The complex has souvenir shops and summer cafes.

The exact address of the palace: st. Naberezhnaya, d. 2, pgt Massandra, Republic of Crimea.

Depending on the point of departure, there are three options for how to get to the place.

• From Yalta There is a trolley bus No2 and bus No29. You need to get to the final stop "Massandra Palace" and take a 15-minute walk along the asphalt road to the palace.
• From Simferopol. It is necessary to take the bus "Simferopol - Yalta" and continue to travel using trolleybus No2 and bus No29. The bus "Simferopol - Yalta" on the way stops at the stop "Massandra Palace", but go far enough from there.
• From Sevastopol. First you need to get to Yalta by bus "Sevastopol - Yalta", and then by trolleybus or bus.

About the Massandra Palace, a tour of the Massandra Palace and Massandrovsky Park in the next video.