Excursion to the Vorontsov Palace in Crimea. Vorontsov Palace

Vorontsov Palace located in Alupka (Crimea) at the foot of Mount Ai-Petri.

Constructed from diabase, which was mined nearby. Currently, the palace houses a museum. At the Vorontsov Palace there is a park - a monument to landscape art. From December 1824 to April 1851, Vorontsov Park in Alupka was created by a talented German gardener-botanist, head gardener South Bank Crimea - Karl Antonovich Kebakh.

Palace architecture

The Vorontsov Palace was built according to new (compared to classicism) architectural and construction principles. Important architectural feature The location of the palace was in accordance with the topography of the mountains, thanks to which the palace blended very organically into the surrounding landscape and acquired its original artistic and expressive image.

The palace was built in the spirit of English architecture, and the construction contains elements of various eras, from early forms to the 16th century. The arrangement of elements starts from the western gate - the further from the gate, the later the style of construction.

The English style is organically combined with the neo-Moorish style. For example, Gothic chimneys resemble mosque minarets. The southern entrance is decorated with oriental splendor. A horseshoe-shaped arch, a two-tiered vault, plaster carvings in a niche where a Tudor flower pattern and a lotus motif are intertwined, culminate in the Arabic inscription repeated six times across the frieze: “And there is no victor except Allah.”

History of construction

The palace was built from 1828 to 1848 as summer residence a prominent statesman of Russia, Governor-General of the Novorossiysk Territory, Count M. S. Vorontsov.

The palace was built according to the design of the English architect Edward Blore. The architect did not come to Alupka, but he was well aware of the terrain. In addition, the foundations and the first masonry of the deep portal niche of the central building were already ready (the palace began to be built according to another project - by architects Francesco Boffo and Thomas Harrison).

The labor of quitrent serfs from the Vladimir and Moscow provinces was mainly used in the construction of the palace. Hereditary masons and stone cutters who had experience in the construction and relief decoration of white stone cathedrals were involved in the construction. All work was done by hand, using primitive tools.

The construction of the palace began with the dining building (1830-1834). The central building was erected in 1831-1837. In 1841-1842, a billiard room was added to the dining room. In 1838-1844, the guest building, the eastern wings, all the towers of the palace, the pentagon of utility buildings were built, and the Main Courtyard was designed. The last building to be built was the library building (1842 - 1846).

The largest volume of earthworks was carried out from 1840 to 1848 with the help of soldiers of the sapper battalion, who built the terraces of the park in front of the southern facade of the palace.

In the summer of 1848, sculptural figures of lions were installed on the central staircase leading to the main entrance, made in the workshop of the Italian sculptor Giovanni Bonnani. The Lion's Terrace completed the construction and decoration of the palace and park ensemble.

History of the palace after construction

Before the October Revolution, the Vorontsov Palace belonged to three generations of the Vorontsov family.

After the advent of Soviet power, the Vorontsov Palace was nationalized.

In mid-1921, the Vorontsov Palace opened as a museum.

In 1941, the Great Patriotic War began. There was no time to evacuate the museum exhibits from Alupka, as well as from many other museums in Crimea. Twice the museum was threatened with destruction, and both times it was saved by the museum’s senior researcher S.G. Shchekoldin. The occupiers took away many artistic values, including 537 works of painting and graphics, and only a small part of the paintings were found after the war and returned to the palace. This is written in detail in the book written based on Shchekoldin’s memoirs, “What Lions Are Silent About.”

From 4 to 11 February 1945, during the Yalta Conference, the Vorontsov Palace became the residence of the British delegation led by Winston Churchill.

From 1945 to 1955 it was used as a state summer house.

In 1956, by decision of the government, a museum began to function in the palace again.

Since 1990 - Alupka Palace and Park Museum-Reserve.

Palace interiors

The ceremonial interiors of the palace have almost completely preserved their original decoration. Each of the rooms is individual, has its own unique flavor, reflected in the names: Chinese Cabinet, Calico Room, Winter Garden, Blue Living Room. The decoration of the State Dining Room resembles the decoration of the knights' halls in medieval castles. It is decorated with rich wood carvings and four monumental panels by the famous French artist Hubert Robert (1733-1808).

Alupka Park

A masterpiece of landscape art - Alupka Park. Its creator, gardener-botanist Karl Antonovich Kebach (1799-1851), was involved in planning and planting plants in the park for more than a quarter of a century. The park, being a park-monument of national importance, is included in the exhibition part of the museum territory, which totals 361,913 m².

Museum expositions

Currently, the Alupka Museum has several permanent exhibitions. Nine state rooms introduce you to the life of the first owners of the palace and the character of the palace interiors of the 30-40s of the 19th century. In the former guest building there is a permanent exhibition “Vorontsov Family Gallery”. “The Gift of Professor V.N.” is exhibited in separate rooms. Golubev" (Russian and Soviet avant-garde), painting by Ya. A. Basov "Poetry of Landscape", art exhibitions "Ukrainian Painting", "Inhaling the Scent of Roses" (flowers in painting). In the park pavilion “Tea House” there are exhibitions “Maps Crimean peninsula", "Vorontsov and Russian admirals", "Sea battles" of the 18th-19th centuries.

In 2007, a new museum exhibition “The House of Count A.P. Shuvalov” was opened in the Shuvalov wing. It is based on previously unexhibited furnishings and personal belongings of the Vorontsovs, Shuvalovs, and Vorontsovs-Dashkovs. The interiors of the house feature works of art that reflect the stylistic features of the residential premises of palaces of the mid-18th century.

The collection of the Alupka Palace and Park Museum-Reserve consists of almost 27 thousand exhibits of the main fund, and the memorial library of M. S. Vorontsov contains more than 10 thousand books.

One of the museum’s paintings, “Portrait of Prince Grigory Potemkin” by Levitsky, was donated to him by Baron Falz-Fein.

Vorontsov Palace in cinema

The territory of the palace and the adjacent park is often used for filming. Among the most famous works:

1961 - " Scarlet Sails»
1964 - “An Ordinary Miracle”
1964 - “Hamlet”
1972 - “Stoves and benches”
1976 - “Heavenly Swallows”
1986 - “The Journey of Pan Blobs”
2003 - “Crazy Day, or The Marriage of Figaro”
2008 - “Sappho”
2009 - “Hamlet. XXI Century"
2014 - “Belovodye. The Secret of the Lost Country”
2015 - “Belovodye. Source of knowledge"

Vorontsov palaces in other cities

Vorontsov Palace in Odessa
Vorontsov Palace in St. Petersburg
Vorontsov Palace in Tiflis
Vorontsov Palace in Simferopol

What is the Vorontsov Palace famous in Crimea: a tour of the palace halls and Vorontsov Park in Alupka. How to get to the Vorontsov Palace.

If you decide to relax in the southern part of the Crimean peninsula, then visit the Vorontsov Palace. Believe me, you won't regret it! This is an Attraction with a capital “D”. Many people consider this building to be real man-made miracle. An important feature of the Vorontsov Palace is its delightful turrets, the battlements of which are somewhat similar to the peaks of the nearby one.

Vorontsov Palace on the map of Crimea

The palace is located in the town at 10 Dvortsovoye Highway. For many years, the Vorontsov Palace has been considered the main decoration of this resort.

History of the Vorontsov Palace

The Vorontsov Palace was built from 1828 to 1848. Initially, it was the residence of Count Mikhail Sergeevich Vorontsov (Governor General of the Novorossiysk Territory). The author of this project was Edward Blore, the court architect of Queen Victoria of England. Most The palace was built by quitrent serfs from the Moscow and Vladimir provinces.

In the first years after construction, the building belonged to the Vorontsov family. With the advent of Soviet power, the Vorontsov Palace became state property. At the beginning of the 20th century the building became National Museum. However, he did not work very long.

The Great Patriotic War made its own adjustments to the fate of the structure. IN terrible years The Vorontsov Palace has repeatedly succumbed to destructive actions. And many museum exhibits were lost and stolen. But, fortunately, in the post-war years, many of them were returned to the palace.

Panorama of Vorontsov Palace, Crimea

In the second half of the 20th century, Vorontsov Palace:

was the residence for the English delegation;
was used as a summer house for government officials;
attracted people with the newly opened museum.

Currently, the Vorontsov Palace is an important place that absolutely every person should visit. By the way, sometimes the building is called the “Alupka Palace and Park Museum-Reserve.”

Excursion to the Vorontsov Palace

Let's look at the components of the palace through which tourists pass:

main building;
Shuvalovsky building;
clock and western tower;
winter Garden;
palace courtyard;
summer terrace;
fountain.

The southern façade of the palace faces the sea. And it is made in the Moorish style. There is an opinion that it resembles the Spanish Alhambra palace. In front of the facade, it is impossible not to notice the beautiful “Lion Terrace” - a monumental staircase guarded by white stone lions.

The western part of the Vorontsov Palace is made in the Tudor style. Architects also call it the “neo-Gothic” style.

Towers of the Vorontsov Palace, Crimea

There are 150 rooms inside the Vorontsov Palace, including:

lobby;
large dining room;
library;
billiard room;
utility rooms.

The premises contain antique furniture, luxurious paintings, and antique statues. Dishes made of crystal, porcelain and precious stones deserve special attention. Many of the interior items are museum exhibits. Without a doubt, the interior decoration of the Vorontsov Palace deserves huge attention from the outside local residents and tourists.

Vorontsovsky Park in Alupka

There is a charming park near the palace, a walk in which can bring a lot of pleasant impressions. Its main decoration is the abundance of plants, for example, cypress trees. In total there are more than 200 species of shrubs and trees. An important and remarkable component of the park is a “mountain” of gray-green diabase blocks as tall as a four-story building. The building has the character “Chaos”.

Also in the park of the Vorontsov Palace you can see:

Tea pavilion;
Swan Lake;
fountain Maria;
Freischutz Falls;
glades - Sunny, Sycamore, Chestnut, Contrast.

As you can see, there really is something to admire in the park at the Vorontsov Palace. And the building itself can be safely called “the most important architectural masterpiece.” Hurry up to visit this attraction, hurry up to plan unforgettable vacation in Crimea!

How to get to Vorontsov Palace

The easiest way to get to the Vorontsov Palace is by minibus number 27 or 102 (run every 20-30 minutes). The departure point is the bus station.

Note: You need to get off at the penultimate stop “Vorontsov Palace”. Otherwise, you will go to the final “Alupka Bus Station”, and you will have to climb up.

The fare is 30 rubles.

The Vorontsov Palace in Alupka (Crimea) is rightfully considered one of the pearls of the peninsula. An elegant and, at the same time, majestic structure is located at the foot of Mount Ai-Petri. It is surrounded by a unique park complex, and from the main staircase there is an amazing view of the Black Sea.

The palace complex fits organically into the surrounding landscape due to the fact that its location corresponds mountainous terrain. That is why the palace has such an original image. The Vorontsov Palace in Crimea and the adjacent park often became a film set. At least 17 films have received recognition from the general public.

Ticket prices for the Vorontsov Palace in 2019

Ticket prices are indicated on the official website of the complex. They depend on the selected exhibitions and excursions.

Separate expositions and exhibitions: adults - from 50 to 350 rubles, students, pensioners and teenagers 16-18 years old - from 25 to 200 rubles.
Walking tours of the park: adults - 100 rubles, students, pensioners and teenagers 16-18 years old - 70 rubles.
Excursions around the park by electric car: 800 rubles. from a group of 4-20 people.
For preferential and free category of visitors, as well as for children from 7 to 16 years old: a fee of 70 rubles is charged. for the use of audio guides.
“Single ticket” (all expositions and exhibitions): adults - 830 rubles, students, pensioners and teenagers 16-18 years old - 450 rubles.

Opening hours of the Vorontsov Palace

You can visit exhibitions, temporary and permanent exhibitions daily from 09:00 to 17:00. However, the State Rooms and South Terraces are open until 20:00 on Saturdays. Tours of the palace park are available at 11:00; 13:00 and 15:00, but only if there is a group of 15 to 20 people. There are options hiking and trips by electric car. A “single ticket” can be purchased on any day except Monday and Wednesday.

History of the Vorontsov Palace

The first owner of the palace was His Serene Highness Prince Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov, a descendant of an ancient family known since the 14th century, a hero-order bearer who participated in many military campaigns and retired with the rank of Field Marshal, Novorossiysk and Bessarabian Governor-General, honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences . After his death in 1856, the palace was owned in turn by the prince's close relatives. After the revolution, the facility was nationalized.

The period of construction of the Vorontsov Palace in Crimea dates back to the period 1828-1848. Quit-rent serfs were involved in heavy work, and hereditary stonemasons performed the relief decoration, manually. First, the Dining Building was erected, then the Central Building. Already in the forties of the 19th century, a billiard room, outbuildings, towers, guest and utility buildings, as well as a library appeared. Sappers were working hard on the ledges of the South Terrace. Thanks to them, the Vorontsov Palace in Alupka acquired a luxurious grand staircase, on the pedestals of which lions made by the Italian master Giovanni Bonnani were installed in 1948. This was the final chord in the design of the overall ensemble of the palace complex.

Already in 1921, the Vorontsov Palace in Crimea, which never changed its common name, turned into a museum. During the Second World War there was no time to hide the exhibits, so many of them were taken away by the occupiers. The amounts stolen turned out to be colossal. During the Yalta Conference (February 1945), the palace temporarily became the residence of W. Churchill and his retinue. Until 1956, a government dacha was located here. Subsequently, a decision was made to reopen the museum, which is still functioning, but in a new status. In the 90s of the last century, the complex began to be called a palace and park museum-reserve.

Architecture

In the appearance of the building, elements of different eras and a successful combination of architectural styles are visible - strict English, with a neo-Gothic direction, and lush oriental, neo-Moorish. An interesting fact is that the palace began to be built according to one project (by the Italian Francesco Boffo and the Englishman Thomas Harrison), and ended according to another (by the famous British eclectic architect Edward Blore). By the way, the latter did not visit Alupka while working on the project, as he was too busy with orders from the royal family in his homeland.

The main material for the construction of the Vorontsov Palace in Alupka is diabase, which is superior in strength to granite stones. The museum-reserve includes five individual buildings, patios, terrace, front and additional stairs, as well as a park area.

Palace inside

The official website of the Vorontsov Palace offers several interesting exhibitions for visiting. The main exposition of the complex is the State Halls, located in the Main Building of the complex. Their decoration has been preserved almost in its original form. The design and decoration of the Front Office are made according to all the rules of the English style. There are portraits of the first owner, as well as his comrades who participated in the Battle of Borodino. A Chinese cabinet is capable of surprising visitors with elaborately decorated furniture and rice straw mats that occupy most of the surface of the walls. The lobby with wooden profiled ceilings, simple furniture and fireplaces decorated with diabase portals is adjacent to a vestibule in which there is an embroidered image of the Persian Shah. The Blue Living Room amazes with its sophistication and amazing stucco ornaments, once made by a serf master.

In the Winter Garden you can see climbing ficus, preserved since 1838, and rare exotic plants. There are interesting sculptures and a fountain here. The state dining room of the Vorontsov Palace in Alupka (Crimea) resembles knight's castle. It features an original balcony for musicians and a fountain shaped like a fireplace. The State Rooms are completed by the Billiard Room with artistic canvases placed on the walls.

The next exhibition includes the one-story Shuvalov outbuilding, to which only people close to the family of M. S. Vorontsov’s daughter had access. The cozy house has several rooms, each of which is interesting in its own way. Next, you can go to the butler’s apartment, located in the Utility Building, and see how the prince’s service staff lived while receiving full board, and even a salary. Here you can also look into the Vorontsov kitchen. And finally, another exhibition of the “Southern Terraces” includes the main staircase itself, sculptures of lions, flowering flower beds and cascading fountains.

In addition to the main objects of the Vorontsov Palace in Alupka, temporary and permanent exhibitions are located on its territory. Among them are Russian and Western European porcelain facades, paintings by artists of different periods, including the second half of the 20th century, sculptures, graphics, etc.

Vorontsov Palace Park

The lower part of the park is characterized by the Italian regular style. Mostly coniferous trees grow around the palace complex - spruce, fir, cedar, pine and cypress, so the area always remains green. In spring and summer, magnolias, exotic shrubs and the amazing Cercis bloom in the park, the trunks of which in April are densely covered with purple-crimson flowers reminiscent of moths. The park of the Vorontsov Palace is incredibly beautiful, and walking through it is an incredible pleasure.

Vorontsov Palace - how to get there

There are several options for visiting the palace and park complex in Alupka. Two routes pass through the city - upper and lower, so you can get here from different settlements peninsulas connected by the Yuzhnoberezhny and Sevastopol highways.

From Yalta

There are two regular buses on the route Yalta - Vorontsov Palace - No. 132 from the center and No. 102 from the bus station. They stay within walking distance of the attraction - just a 10-minute walk. The stop for minibuses running between Yalta and Alupka (No. 107 and 115) is located a little further from the complex - a 15-minute walk.

From Sevastopol

You can get to the Vorontsov Palace by direct bus "Sevastopol - Alupka" or to the "Avtostation" stop and walk, or to the "Pitomnik" stop with a transfer to city bus No. 1A, which runs along a circular route. Exit at the “Center” stop.

From Alushta

The route Alushta - Vorontsov Palace consists of two stages. First you need to take the Crimean trolleybus No. 53 to Yalta, and then transfer to a bus or minibus(description above).

From Simferopol

From Simferopol you can get to the Yalta trolleybus station, located near the Bus Station, directly from the Simferopol airport by trolleybus No. 55 or from railway station flight No. 52. Another option involves a transfer connection in Alushta from trolleybus No. 51, going from the Simferopol railway station, or No. 54, departing from the airport, to trolleybus No. 53, going to Yalta. Next, the path to the Vorontsov Palace - how to get there is described above. You can get to Yalta faster by intercity transport.

Crimean taxi drivers and private cab drivers know very well where the Vorontsov Palace is located, so they deliver passengers not only from Yalta, but also from Foros, Gurzuf, Alushta and even Simferopol. At independent trip By car you will have to take care of the navigator in advance.

Important information Until October 2017, the Vorontsov Palace could be reached by sea. Currently, the Alupka pier is closed due to its destruction

There are many romantic stories associated with the Vorontsov Palace, which could well become the basis for a dozen romance novels. I will say more - Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin was involved in the love affair. But first things first.

The palace in Alupka is so harmoniously integrated into the surrounding landscape, repeating with its Moorish turrets and Gothic battlements of facades the outlines of the Ai-Petri mountain range located in the immediate vicinity, that it seems as if this entire architectural and natural ensemble has always been here.

Governor-General of Novorossiya Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov began construction of a representative residence in Crimea in 1824. In addition to Alupka in the south of Crimea, Vorontsov owned Massandra (I showed the Massandra Palace here), Ai-Danil and Gurzuf. But it was the Alupka estate that the count decided to turn into a summer residence.

Simultaneously with the construction of the palace, construction of a road from Simferopol to the southern coast of Crimea began.

In the world, Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov was known as an Anglomaniac, so it is not surprising that he entrusted the creation of the palace project to the court architect of the Queen of England, Edward Blore. It was he who designed Buckingham Palace in London. It is noteworthy that during the twenty years of construction, Blore never came to look at his brainchild. The work was supervised by his assistant and student William Gunt, thanks to whom some amendments were made to the drawings in accordance with the characteristics of the area.

They didn’t go far to get stones for construction - they took the Crimean volcanic rock dolerite (diabase) right from under their feet: the central, dining, guest, library and utility buildings of the palace complex were made of dolerite. By the way, Red Square in Moscow is paved with Crimean dolerite.

The Vorontsov Palace was designed in the style of late English Gothic (Tudor style), but with elements of oriental architecture, which is why from different angles it looks like medieval castle, then as the residence of the Mohammedan ruler.

The reason for such an unexpected combination of styles in the appearance of the palace lies in the personalities of the architect and the customer. Edward Blore was well acquainted with the architecture of the British colony - with the architecture of India. Therefore, it was not difficult for him to combine the Tudor style with variations on the theme in one project Indian architecture Mughal period. Probably, in his mind, such a mixture should correspond to Crimea, given that the peninsula was Muslim for a long time. In addition, romantic trends prevailed in architectural fashion, which was also to the taste of Count Vorontsov.

Portrait of Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov by Lawrence, 1823

On the western side is the main entrance to the palace complex. This part of the Vorontsov Palace resembles a medieval castle with round watchtowers, narrow loopholes and blank fortress walls.

Here we see the Shuvalovsky building and the Shuvalovsky gate passage. The daughter of Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov, having married, became Countess Shuvalova, and her apartments were located in the right building.

Shuvalovsky passage between two fortress-like walls of rough masonry made of gray diabase blocks, with round crenellated towers and narrow lancet windows makes us believe that we are in a medieval castle.

Shuvalovsky proezd

A separate gate leads to the utility yard. In the center of the courtyard grows a plane tree, planted during the construction of the palace. There is also a museum ticket office here, where instead of paper ticket you will be given a metal token.

Passing the outbuildings, we find ourselves in the front yard in front of the northern facade of the palace, facing Ai-Petri and the upper park.

Northern façade of the palace

According to experts, the architecture of the northern façade, with its vertical projections, miniature decorative turrets and large bay windows, harmoniously combines elements of sixteenth-century Gothic and Renaissance architecture.

In front of the palace there are two parterres with marble fountains in the center of each. The “Selsibil” fountain, a copy of the “Fountain of Tears” from the Khan’s Palace in Bakhchisarai, glorified by Pushkin, took refuge in a shady pergola of blooming wisteria.

Nearby, at the left wing of the palace, is the white marble fountain “Source of the Amur”.

Let's go around the palace on the eastern side to look at the southern facade facing the sea, made based on Indian architecture.

The blue and white escadre with two tiers of arched windows is decorated with a double jagged horseshoe arch and covered with stucco alabaster ornaments made in the Eastern tradition. At the level of the second floor, along its decorative frieze, there are three balconies with openwork grilles and a relief Arabic inscription - a praise to the prophet repeated six times: “And there is no winner but Allah.” In the depths of the exedra there is a wide lancet door leading to the Blue Living Room of the palace, where we will go a little later.

To the left and right of the exedra stretch two symmetrical wings of the open terrace of the second floor, resting on cast iron columns with capitals in the form of lotus buds. To the west of the squadron there is the Winter Garden, behind it the dining room, and then the southern facade of the Shuvalovsky building.

A wide staircase with three pairs of lions descends from the esqueda to the sea - the Lion's Terrace. At the entrance to the palace, the lions are awake, standing guard, on the middle landing of the stairs they wake up or fall asleep, and those closer to the sea sleep peacefully, with their muzzles resting on their paws. The Lion's Terrace ends with a platform with exits to lower park, to Aivazovsky Rock and the Tea House on the seashore.

Fountain "Bowl" in the lower park

The south terrace is a favorite place for taking pictures in beautiful poses and beautiful outfits.

From here the paths diverge to Nizhny Vorontsovsky Park.

After examining the palace facade, it is interesting to look at the count's chambers. We immediately found out that the second floor and mezzanines were closed for inspection: there was a time when tourists went up to the rooms on the second floor, but the ceilings of the first floor suffered from this. In the end, the museum decided to leave only nine halls on the first floor accessible to tourists.

Like many other Crimean palaces, after the revolution of 1917, Vorontsov Castle was nationalized, but not turned into a health resort, but became a museum of noble life. Perhaps this happy circumstance played an important role in the preservation of the palace interiors. During the Great Patriotic War, the palace was looted, but not destroyed. From 1945 to 1955, a state dacha was located here. And finally, in 1956, the museum was reopened here.

Entering the palace from the north side, you find yourself in a corridor where the dressing room used to be. Now in cabinets made of bog oak, completely covering one of the walls from floor to ceiling, books from the Alupka library of Count Vorontsov, who was a famous bibliophile, are stored.

Another wall is decorated with ancient engravings depicting the construction of the palace and Alupka landscapes.

Landscape by Carlo Bossoli "Palace of Prince Vorontsov in Alupka"

Through the corridor we enter the State Office of the owner of the palace.

The central place on the western wall of the office is occupied by a portrait of Count Vorontsov by Louise Dessemé. Mikhail Semyonovich was one of the most famous heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812. Nearby are portraits of Borodino heroes Lev Aleksandrovich Naryshkin and Fyodor Semyonovich Uvarov, painted by the famous portrait painter George Dow.

The walls of the office are covered with painted wallpaper, which was specially ordered in England. Massive wooden doors are complemented by oak panels on the walls and a stucco wood-like ceiling.

Against the wall is an antique ebony bookcase in the Boulle style, bought by the owner of the palace himself. The cabinet is decorated with tortoise shell and intricate carved bronze inlay.

Next to the bookcase there is a round table, English chairs and armchairs with Gothic carvings. This arrangement of furniture gives the office an atmosphere conducive not only to business conversations, but also to friendly meetings.

Another reminder of the Anglomania of Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov is a window in the form of a bay window. This element, often found in English architecture, visually increases the space of the office and gives more light. A table covered with green cloth and two chairs were placed in the bay window. Sitting in a chair, you can admire the upper park, and in clear weather, the peaks of Ai-Petri.

From the office we find ourselves in the Calico Room. It is called chintz because the walls of the room are actually covered with chintz.

There is original fabric on the walls, the only flaw of which is the faded color. Initially, the chintz was a crimson shade with small splashes of blue, which was combined with a fireplace made of pink Ural marble and a basket-shaped chandelier. The pinkish-blue reflections of the pendants on the chandelier echoed the color of the chintz on the walls.

Through the Calico Room we pass into the Chinese study of the mistress of the house, Elizaveta Ksaverievna Vorontsova, whose portrait by George Dow can be seen on the right wall from the entrance.

The room is decorated in the then fashionable oriental style, but without any specific links to China, India or the countries of the East in general. Oak panels, high lancet windows and doors leading to the southern terrace, to the sea, unexpectedly but successfully combine with silk and beaded rice mats on the walls and wooden carved details in the interior.

The ceiling in the room is not wooden, as it might seem, but stucco. Russian peasant Roman Furtunov skillfully made a ceiling from plaster, imitating wood carving.

There is a round table made of Karelian birch by the window. Nearby, behind the curtain, is a small corner cabinet, given to Vorontsov by Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas I, as a token of gratitude for the hospitality shown to them.

And a few lyrical digressions. Many people know from school that Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin was infatuated with the wife of the Novorossiysk governor-general. It is believed that it was to Elizaveta Vorontsova that Pushkin dedicated the poems “The Burnt Letter”, “The Rainy Day Has Extinguished...”, “The Desire for Glory”, “The Talisman”, “Keep Me, My Talisman...”. In addition, in terms of the number of portrait drawings of Vorontsova executed by Pushkin, her image surpasses all others - a total of 17 portraits were counted.

There were rumors that Pushkin was the father of one of Elizaveta Ksaveryevna’s daughters. However, researchers of the poet’s biography also have reason to assume that Pushkin was only a cover for Elizaveta Ksaveryevna’s affair with her relative and friend of Pushkin, Alexander Raevsky. In any case, we can say thanks to Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov, who “contributed” to the change of the poet’s southern exile to exile in Mikhailovskoye. Because it was there that Alexander Sergeevich wrote not only the novel “Eugene Onegin,” but also his other poetic works, which became the pride of Russian literature. And by the way, the same researchers claim that Vorontsov himself had an illegitimate daughter with his wife’s best friend Olga Stanislavovna Naryshkina. Portraits of Olga Stanislavovna and her daughter were always kept among Vorontsov’s personal belongings and even stood on the desktop of the front office.

But let's not linger in the Chinese office, but let's go further - to the Main Entrance Hall.

The main entrance hall is located in the center of the palace. Two small vestibules symmetrically adjoin it from the south and north, and offices and lounges are located from the west and east. The northern vestibule, like the northern facade of the palace, is made in the English style. In contrast to the Englishness, the southern vestibule is decorated with carpets depicting the Persian Shah Fath-Ali.

Following the traditions of the English style, the architect connected the lobby with the rooms on the second floor with stairs, but hid them behind the wall, which is why at first glance you cannot understand how the owners got from the first floor to their bedrooms.

Portraits of eminent ancestors of the owners of the residence are hung on the walls of the lobby, so that from the threshold of entering the palace he would have an idea of the nobility of the family and the origin of the owners of the house. The parents of Elizaveta Ksaveryevna Vorontsova are looking at us from the walls - Countess Alexandra Vasilievna Branitskaya and her husband, Crown Hetman of Poland Ksavery Branitsky. The largest canvas is a ceremonial portrait of Empress Catherine II by Rokotov.

From the lobby we proceed to the eastern palace wing, which begins with the Blue Drawing Room. It is impossible not to notice the contrast between the adjacent grand entrance hall and this sun-filled room. The soft blue walls and ceiling are covered with a stucco pattern of leaves and flowers. Like the ceiling in the Chinese office, the skillful stucco molding of the living room was made by Roman Furtunov and his assistants.

The living room is divided into southern and northern parts by retractable wooden curtains, which are almost invisible when folded. In the southern part there was an “auditorium”, where a set of furniture was placed, transported to Alupka in late XIX century from the Odessa Palace. The interior is complemented by a carved fireplace made of white Carrara marble and huge vases - craters, painted in blue tones.

For musical evenings and theatrical performances, there is a grand piano in the northern part of the Blue Living Room. In 1863, one of the founders of the Russian realistic theater, Mikhail Semenovich Shchepkin, performed here. In 1898, Fyodor Chaliapin sang in the Vorontsov Palace to the accompaniment of Sergei Rachmaninov.

From the Blue Living Room, the Vorontsovs' guests went out into the Winter Garden. In the 19th century, almost every European palace had its own winter garden, which was used for reading and relaxation.

The winter garden serves as a transition from the central building to the dining room. Originally it was a loggia, which was later glazed and a large lantern was constructed on top for better illumination. The walls of the winter garden are covered with ficus repens. The fountain and marble sculptures stand surrounded by araucarias, cycads, date palms and monstera.

Near the glazed wall, consisting of huge French windows, there is a row of marble busts, among which are sculptural portraits of representatives of the Vorontsov family - Semyon Romanovich Vorontsov, Mikhail Semenovich himself and his wife Elizaveta Ksaryevna. Next to them is a marble bust of Catherine II by Johann Oesterreich. They say that for the excessive realism of her image in stone, the aging empress not only did not pay for the work, but also sent the sculptor out of Russia within 24 hours.

Passing the Winter Garden, not forgetting to admire the view of the South Terrace and the sea from the windows, we find ourselves in the next room - the State Dining Room. This is the largest and most pompous part of the palace.

The dining room area is about 150 sq.m., the ceiling height is 8 m. Under the Vorontsovs, it was illuminated by dozens of candelabra and chandeliers. A huge table, consisting of four offset parts with polished mahogany tops, rises on pedestals with animal paws and occupies a significant part of the room. By the window there is a massive sideboard on the same lion's paws as the tables, and under the sideboard there is an Egyptian-style bathtub for cooling wine, which was filled with crushed ice.

In the center of the northern wall of the formal dining room, between the fireplaces, there is a fountain, the niche of which is decorated with a majolica panel depicting fantastic birds and dragons. Above the fountain is a carved wooden balcony for musicians.

The Billiard Room adjoins the Dining Room from the east. The proximity of this room to the Dining Room is reminiscent of two large still lifes by the Flemish artist Peter Sneyers, “Vegetable Pantry” and “Fish Pantry” located opposite each other.

The Vorontsovs, like many other aristocrats, collected paintings. Especially at that time, paintings by painters from Holland, Flanders, and Italy of the 16th-18th centuries were valued.

This is the last room of the Vorontsovs’ chambers available for inspection. Now we can take a walk around the Upper Park.

The work on creating the park, which began even somewhat earlier than the construction of the palace, in 1820, was entrusted to the chief gardener of the Southern Coast of Crimea, Karl Antonovich Kebakh. When laying out the park, the abundance of mountain springs was taken into account, which were used to create artificial lakes, numerous cascades and small waterfalls. In this part of the park you can constantly hear the murmur of water.

Most of the paths in the Upper Park lead to lakes and the Big Chaos - a huge stone blockage of natural origin.

The largest lake in the park is Swan Lake. The gardener deliberately gave it an irregular shape to create the illusion of its natural rather than artificial origin. Under the Vorontsovs, the bottom of the lake was strewn with semi-precious “Koktebel stones” - jasper, carnelian, chalcedony, which were found in abundance in Koktebel.

Near Swan Lake is the Trout Pond and even further away is the Mirror Pond. On the Mirror Pond, the water seems motionless, which is why the trees and sky are reflected on its surface as if in a mirror.

To the east of the lakes in the landscape part of the park there are four picturesque meadows - Platanovaya, Solnechnaya, Contrastnaya, where Himalayan cedar and yew berry rise in the middle of the lawn, and Kashtanovaya.

Above the ponds, along the path through the Hall of Grottoes, between skillfully placed rock fragments, the path goes to the Greater and Lesser Chaos. Millions of years ago, frozen magma turned into a scattering of huge debris as a result of earthquakes and landslides. The creators of the park left them untouched stone blocks, they just removed the small fragments and planted the top with pine trees. This is how the famous “Alupka chaos” turned out.

At this point, we’ll pause our walk through Vorontsovsky Park so that we have a reason to come back here again.

It might be useful to read: