Features of the Dulber Palace in Crimea

On the territory of Crimea there are several palaces that deserve the attention of tourists and architects. Among them, one of the most prominent representatives of Moorish architecture is Dulber.

Dyulber Palace, designed by Nikolai Krasnov in Koreiz, near Yalta in the Crimea, is one of the brightest sights of our time. The palace of the Grand Duke Pyotr Nikolayevich in translation from the Crimean Tatar means "beautiful." The architect explained his idea as follows - "the palace should be visible in the surrounding area." And he managed to fully bring it to life.

The structure is an asymmetric architectural ensemble with battlements, silver domes. Inside there are more than 100 rooms. This palace was built between 1895 and 1897. The project was developed by the Yalta architect, some elements and the decor of the palace were independently chosen by the Grand Duke Pyotr Nikolaevich. He brought a lot of what he saw from his long trips to Egypt, Syria and the Mediterranean and Maghreb. On the white walls, sculptural stone elements and mosaic compositions stand out.

There he made sketches of local architecture, it was they who were later used as sketches in the construction of the palace. The construction required an impressive territory. After the implementation of this project, the architect was instructed to build another palace.

During the Second World War, Dulber Palace was damaged, and in 1946 it was rebuilt by German and Romanian prisoners of war. In the post-war period, the highest party leaders of the USSR and other socialist countries were received there. Today, the palace is more of a luxurious spa complex where you can relax and rejuvenate. Dulber is an example of elite architecture of the XIX century. "Beautiful ... magnificent ... stealing hearts" - these words can convey the feelings you experience when you see this man-made miracle with silver domes from an oriental tale. After the revolution, members of the Russian royal family were captured in Dulber. This palace became their last residence in Russia, from where they left their homeland.

If you do not know where to start the search for the palace, then you can easily get lost in the Crimea. You can get from Yalta by bus at number 102. It is he who goes directly to the village of Koreiz. Public transport stops at a bus stop of the same name. As a guide, some tourists use the park Chair, which is located at Alupkinskoye highway 19, the village of Koreiz. The former manor today is a famous sanatorium. The distance to Yalta is only 12 kilometers.

The first thing that catches your eye is the entrance to the main lobby, which is decorated according to the same principle as in the Cairo tomb mosque. If there is at least some knowledge in Arabic, then you can read the inscription above the entrance, which means: "May Allah bless those who come here."

This is how this place welcomes tourists, which immediately gives a feeling of special comfort. When looking at the general architecture, I want to immediately note arched windows, a wide variety of decorative elements, made in silver color. It is impossible not to notice beautiful ornaments that fit perfectly in a slightly romantic style. Even from afar, the building, the walls of which are snow-white, can be easily seen.

As for the design of the walls and the adjacent courtyard, blue, white and blue shades prevail in everything. The yard, by the way, is very spacious and tiled for convenience. Numerous battlements on the walls speak of Arab influence in architecture. In addition, there are many small details in the painting. Vegetable ornament prevails in stone carving, there are attractive mosaics, and balconies and numerous arches are made using openwork technique.

The sanatorium appeared here only in 1922, the second building was built much later - in 1938, but they tried to preserve the style. It must be noted that the architecture of this building did not use expensive elements. Earthenware, which is presented here here, are panels created industrially. At the time of construction, they were a true innovation. Compositions were made from the following components:

• petroleum jelly;
• gypsum;
• dyes.

So the architect managed to replace expensive materials with cheap ones, which allowed to save significantly on construction. There are less pleasant facts regarding the construction of the palace. Some sources contain information that the architect was not immediately paid for the work, because then there were big financial problems. Pyotr Nikolayevich was offered to sell the palace building. Then it was estimated at 600 thousand rubles.

Despite such difficulties, it was decided to sell half of the Znamenka estate, to invest in improving the productivity of a brick factory. Only after that did the architect have the necessary money to complete the project. After 20 years, the castle was strengthened, machine-gun nests and guards were installed.The royal family had to flee from here in 1919, but if it were not for the garrison, it is not known whether they survived at all.

The park in its vicinity is a miniature botanical garden with hills, plane trees, sequoias, pistachios, cedars, cypresses and dozens of other plants brought from all over the globe. There is plenty of room for a pleasant pastime. Not only exotic plants are scattered throughout the territory, but also small areas for recreation with benches around artificial ponds have been created.

The total area occupied by the park together with the palace is 6 hectares. It is not easy to get around such open spaces in one day, so tourists devote much more time to studying the sights.

Walking through the park you can enjoy the shade and coolness that gives large sequoias, oaks and other tall trees. Along with them are tropical palms and cypresses. Gradually, the road goes to the sea, you can meet statues and ancient fountains on the way to the water, for vacationers there are small arbors that are braided by plants, which makes them look incredibly beautiful. Nearby are lily ponds where colorful fish live. Children like this place no less than adults, as there is a special atmosphere inside.

Today you can spend your time with pleasure for yourself in the walls of a modern sanatorium. Excursions are available exclusively in the court and park areas, the rest of the area accommodates guests. Unfortunately, the furniture and the personal account of Pyotr Nikolayevich were not preserved in the main building, therefore only the exterior here resembles everything. The territory of the palace is accessible through the main entrance, you can safely walk around, but only without creating too much noise so as not to disturb the vacationers.

A few years ago it was possible to go on an excursion with a person who could tell a lot of interesting things about this place. Now this project is closed and another one has been launched, within the framework of which it is possible to explore the territory of the palace independently. Tourists are allowed to swim and sunbathe on the local beach, but to enter the premises is not.

At the entrance to the territory there is a map indicating the objects that are located on a large territory. You may notice that today there are several bars here, including a phytobar and a solarium. There is also its own small promenade, where there are always a lot of people in the evening. Children's and sports grounds are also marked on the map, which simply assess their location in relation to other objects.

If you want, you can use the working VIP-solarium or go to the summer cinema. There are also greenhouses where plants are grown for landscaping the park. The map shows parking for cars. The administration has provided a first-aid post at the facility, where you can contact if necessary. There is a pier to which small boats and boats arrive.

In the next video, you can walk around the territory of the Dulber Palace in Crimea.