Vorontsov Palace in Crimea: features, history and location

If we talk about the monuments of architecture of the Crimea, the first comes to mind the famous Vorontsov Palace in Alupka. Even those who have never been there, only when viewing photos can be noted - the beauty of this building in the context of a no less impressive park, towering over the Black Sea, does not need to be given ratings. I just want to see it with my own eyes!

Vorontsov Palace, without a doubt, refers to the outstanding examples of the architecture of Romanticism. The Crimean residence of Count Vorontsov (by whose name we know today the building) was built about two decades. In 1848, the palace finally saw the light.

Who is this graph Vorontsov? Information about him is eloquent: Governor-General, aristocrat, Anglomaniac, Count. He personally determined the place where his palace will be. The person, certainly, possessing taste and analytical mind, decided that it is better not to find a better stone cape at Mount Ai-Petri. At the same time today the city of Alupka is widely known, and at that time it was an ordinary Tatar village.

To carry out the work, the graph decided to invite a non-local architect, the Briton Edward Blor (known for building the castle of Walter Scott in Scotland) was honored to build a residence. He was the court architect of the English monarchs. Therefore, Blor constructed the future pearl of the Crimea in a stylistic plexus, where the English style was obvious.

The governor-general didn’t come immediately to the decision to invite Blora. Francesco Boffo, an eminent Italian master, was to be the author of the residence. And this choice was quite logical - it was he who built the palace in Odessa graph. And Boffo's assistants chose Briton Thomas Harrison, an admirer of neoclassicism, a very talented engineer. But in 1828 construction began, and a year later Harrison died. At the time of work, they subsided, and the idea of ​​neoclassicism, apparently, seemed to Vorontsov not so interesting.

And the count decides to turn to Bloor, a very fashionable graphic artist in his circles, an architectural historian. The eminent Briton was in no hurry to present the drawings; Vorontsov had to wait about a year. And here's the result: the idea of ​​Bloor like the graph, in 1832, construction continues. The governor-general did not regret that he trusted the Englishman: the architect managed to create a masterpiece in which nothing is accidental.

The image of the palace demonstrates how medieval European and Moorish architecture developed. The building is deployed so that the features of the mountains visible because of it are guessed.

One of the hallmarks of the palace (and he has a lot of them) - the majestic lions. Three pairs of lions sit, as if guarding the monumental staircase of precious white marble. Also noteworthy is the design of the palace, in which Tudor England is guessed, friezes with an inscription in Arabic, a keeled arched arch, guessed in the grate by the roof, and in the iron balustrade. The palace really fascinated with each step taken across its area.

Finally, it is interesting that it was made extremely modern in the sense that It was the first Russian palace with running water, hot water and sewage. And this is the middle of the XIX century! Of course, the reader will have a question - what is the budget of this luxury? 9 million rubles in silver, the amount is huge at that time. But the count, who married Elizabeth Branitskaya, had such opportunities. By the way, the spouse Vorontsova herself watched the work progress, carefully watched the decor of the park.

If you already can not wait to go there, you need to get to Alupka, this is Crimea. It is a palace, as already mentioned, at the foot of Mount Ai-Petri.

Alupka - a city located on the southern coast of the Crimea, is a seaside climatic resort. Once Alupka belonged to the Ottoman Sultans, for some time its owner was Prince Grigory Potemkin. Count Vorontsov became the owner of the village in 1823. In addition to the palace, the governor-general built a mosque and a church in his possession.

Already after the Civil War, 22 health resorts operated in this area. By the way, Gorky, Chaliapin, Bunin, Bryusov, Rachmaninoff and others were treated in them. The city of Alupka was in 1938.

On the map you can see that the city is located near Yalta. Indeed, between the two settlements only 17 km. The main attraction of Alupka is the palace itself, as well as the park, which is adjacent to it. And also, if you go to this address, do not be lazy to visit the museum-apartment of Arkhip Kuinji.

Geographically, Alupka is a Yalta urban district. The town is located between Yalta and Sevastopol. This means that the excursion program will be extensive and interesting to the tourist. Buses run from Simferopol to Yalta every 20-40 minutes. If you arrived at the Crimean airport, you do not need the Central Bus Station, where the buses come from, but the Simferopol-Airport station.

There is another such option as the trolleybus Simferopol - Yalta. By the way, this option is remarkable in that it is a retro-excursion in itself.

The airport is located in Simferopol, because if you are flying, then the point of arrival is this beautiful city. You can order a transfer directly from the airport. True, do it in advance.

From Yalta by shuttle bus to get to Alupka about half an hour. The road from Sevastopol will take just over an hour.

The palace was built from diabase - a natural, in fact local stone (by the way, granite twice as strong). It would seem that such a massive material should have made the palace heavy, even awkward. But nothing like that!

What to see inside the castle.

• Chinese cabinet. This is the property of the wife of the count, E. Vorontsova. It was not a purely office, but also a boudoir, because the ladies' character in the room is very guessed. The windows overlook the southern terraces, the doors are sent to the veranda. The name of the room is not laid down in every centimeter of it: unless panels trimmed with rice mats give a reference to the word “Chinese”. A Chinese motif is carefully embroidered on them with beads and silk thread: over time, of course, it faded, but the work of Russian embroiderers is visible and admires today. Very much in the office decorated with wood carvings. The ceiling is decorated with stucco.

Coming here, the visitor's eyes run up - this is not a modest study of a writer or an official; this is the place where each carved animal figure or flower is a small work of art.

• Front office. He, despite his name, looks more modest than the Chinese.Just Spartan conditions regarding the expectations that have already arisen in the mind of a visitor. But here, too, there is a fireplace made of notorious Ural marble, a large bay window, and wooden panels. The count was a real Englishman, and this office is a clear confirmation of this. Restraint that does not contradict the style - this is how the ceremonial study can be described. Being in this room, work to look up: the ceiling is gorgeous, this is wood painting on alabaster.

• Chintz living room. The room serves as a connector of two cabinets - Chinese and main. The walls of the room are distinguished by calico finish, the style is French Rococo. The chintz was not replaced by an analogue, these are the same walls that were under the owners of the palace. Of course, time made them turn a little pale, but not so much that it was impossible to appreciate the original beauty.

• Front lobby. And here is a reference to the favorite English style of the graph. You go through the main entrance, you get into a large ceremonial room, which immediately makes itself respected. As visitors of the palace admit, in such walls one can not help but want to be sedated. In the lower part of the room are relatively few furniture, as well as two fireplaces with marbled polished. In the upper part - the owners, all Vorontsov, as well as the royal family. Portraits, as befits, huge, ceremonial. The decor is a sconce, candelabra.

• Front dining room. This is where the richness of the situation is literally striking. It seems you are in a medieval knight's castle. The room is darkish, although the bay windows do not have one. The main decor is the same perfect woodcarving: the ceiling, panels, as well as cupboards, sideboard. Impressive and ponderous long mahogany table, near which there are chairs in a row. The bright red copper chandelier also attracts attention, as well as the curtains, which are surprisingly in harmony with the upholstery of the chairs. For musicians equipped with a special balcony, again, carved wooden. In this room are also two diabasic fireplaces with very fine finishes.

• Blue living room. Even if all the other rooms did not make you breathe more often and blink less often, the famous blue room falls in love at first sight. Another name for the room is Siraskir. The walls and ceiling of the room are decorated with an ornament. White stucco with plant motifs looks amazing on a gentle background of blue hue. They covered not only the walls, but also the ceiling part. The windows are located at the end of the room, which studies so much space and light that there is a complete feeling of being in the fresh air. This room was joined by an artistic room, where fame was brought only by a wall mirror in a baroque massive frame, a chair and a candelabra.

• Winter Garden. Initially it was a gallery, and then a fountain began to grumble there, copies of ancient sculpture and family portraits took their places. The heat-loving plants that are here are unique. Ficus-repens is a real survivor of the winter garden, having found its original form.

• Turkish room. This is a southern vestibule, a small room with two real Persian carpets. On one of them the Persian Shah is skillfully embroidered. The work in the stained-glass technique of an unusual butt-seam was completed: today, information about how exactly the woven colored fragments of the master were joined has been lost.

It is difficult to say who else is able to repeat this beauty without resorting to the possibilities of modernity. This is a unique Russian manor, eclectic, verified by its stylistic persuasiveness to the smallest element.

Unfortunately, the heirs of Count Vorontsov could not, without the cunning intervention of time, save the palace in all its glory. At the end of the 19th century, the luxury building fell into disrepair. But the new owners, who appeared at the palace in 1904, also belonging to Vorontsov’s relatives, took up the business with an enviable grip. The lands of Countess Vorontsova-Dashkova surrendered to boarding houses and sanatoriums.

When the Soviets came to power, the lands of the estates were nationalized. Lenin ordered the protection of artistic values, soon a museum was opened in the palace. But his collection during the war years was very damaged, the occupiers managed to take out much.

A modern visitor can visit the exposition of the “Parade Halls of the Main Building”, as well as the exposition of the “House of Count A. P. Shuvalov”. Also today you can see Dvoretsky’s apartment, a sculpture of the Southern terraces, Vorontsov’s kitchen.

In these places, seaside, romantic, always attracting with its historical mystery, some timelessness, come from afar ordinary tourists, people of art and beginning artists, students and pensioners. Of course, if you are prepared for the visit, if the information base is already there, the excursion itself will seem to you more interesting, full of the smallest details and immersion in history. This will probably entail a desire to visit other glorious places, buildings, buildings of the same era.

Review of the Vorontsov Palace, see the video below.