Livadia Palace: history and location

One of the most popular tourist attractions of Crimea - Livadia Palace, is a center of attraction for residents and visitors of the peninsula. Its majestic white walls saw many historical events and served as the residence of Russian emperors. Today, evidence of the historical heritage of this place is carefully preserved. Excursions are held in the palace interiors, and the park around is striking in its splendor.

The first thing that interests Livadia guests is where the palace is in the Crimea on the map and how to get to it from Yalta. In fact, traveling by car, the route is easy to make using the navigator. In addition, local attractions are easy to find by contacting travel guides or the public. But the best solution would be preliminary study of all the details that can help the excursionist when visiting the Livadia Palace.

Even the most detailed description does not give a complete picture of the splendor of this unique cultural heritage. The snow-white complex of stone buildings looks incredibly attractive, and the park surrounding it is well-groomed and has a special charm.

The name "Livadia Palace" today means not only the museum itself. On its territory is the Holy Cross Exaltation House Church and the Page Corps. Also located here the Grand Palace itself and the palace complex, owned by the Minister - Baron Frederiks.

The cultural and historical mission of the Livadia Estate is still quite large. Many significant meetings, conferences, symposia are held here. And in the surrounding area regularly pass filming of cinema films and series.

During the excursion “Romanovs in Livadia” you can see the interior of the palace complex. It includes the following premises.

The luxurious entrance hall has a renaissance finish. Stucco molding, refined decor and a spacious fireplace for heating the room - all this from the first steps creates the desired surroundings in the interior.

The white dining room is a place known to most people for reporting and pictures from the Yalta Conference. The interior is decorated with marble from Carrara. In addition, all furnishings are also decorated in a single snow-white scale.

Here, during the Yalta Conference, the Roosevelt Reception was located. Simple yet elegant mahogany décor is complemented by walnut panels and a rare green marble fireplace framed in lacquered wood panels. The luxurious Venetian chandelier located in the center of the room deserves special attention.

During the time of the Russian Empire, there was a room for visitors to visit, during the Yalta Conference it was converted into the bedroom of Theodore Roosevelt. The interior is decorated in the style of Jacob with French chic. The natural mahogany lining is complemented by a fireplace made of white marble. Here you can also see unique vases from Meissen porcelain, exhibited for viewing and stored in a collection of objects belonging to the imperial family.

The place of informal meetings and pleasant pastime. The room is decorated in the English style characteristic of the Tudor era. Luxurious ceiling paintings and wall paneling made of chestnut natural wood complete the decor. A partially modern exposition has been preserved from the time of the Yalta Conference, when inside was a dining room reserved for the President of the United States and those accompanying him.

The ruler of Russia worked here, and although the initial appearance of the premises has changed, you can still see traces of its former splendor. The exhibition carefully stores a unique product - hand-woven carpet with the image of Emperor Nicholas II with his wife and son. In addition, the main signs of the Art Nouveau style with its rigor and conciseness, including a unique fireplace with a stone lining from dionite of gray-green color, have been preserved. The walls are paneled with natural maple wood.

The personal chambers of the first couple of the empire are designed in a laconic color scheme, with snow-white walls. Inside is an exposition in the form of objects of icon painting, prints, photographs related to the circumstances of the life of Nicholas II and his family.

In addition to the luxurious collection of books published on mahogany shelves, its interiors are striking in the splendor of paintings hung on the walls. The hall itself looks emphasized strictly and concisely, without excessive pretentiousness and unnecessary decorations.

Well-preserved interior allows you to get a complete picture of exactly how this place of family meals looked during the reign of the Romanov dynasty. In the Livadia Palace, this room is decorated with natural yew panels. In the small dining room there is an exposition associated with everyday amateur photographs of the royal family, as well as traditional dishes that were present on the sovereign's tables more than a century ago.

She in the Livadia Palace acted as an office where the heirs of the imperial family studied. There is an exposition with watercolors exhibited by the architect and artist Krasnov, who erected the building. Also, visitors can see drawings of children of the last Russian emperor, as well as their letters. Also here you can see a group family picture, created especially for the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty.

The interior has preserved little from its original appearance. In particular, you can see a bookcase made of unique bog maple, as well as paintings on floral themes.

The room is decorated in the spirit of art nouveau, it is available for viewing spectacular oval-shaped mirror, fireplace with ceramic cladding. In addition, the interior presents a portrait of Alexandra Fedorovna with children.

Outside the palace walls there is also something to see. Suffice it to mention the Italian courtyard, around which a colonnade in the exquisite Tuscan style was created. In the central part there is a magnificent fountain with marble cladding. The architects planned this corner as a place for walking in the morning and afternoon. It is noteworthy that the light-flooded space of the courtyard is familiar to every lover of history - the legendary group photographs of participants in the Yalta Conference were made here.

The light well, called the Arab courtyard, in the territory of the Livadia Palace was not created for promenades. The walls of its interior are decorated with original majolica with a recognizable bright ethnic ornament. Here is the design of the wall fountain "Maria".

Modern history has given the territory of the Livadia Palace its omens. Today, you can see monuments dedicated to different eras and historical figures. So, the park is located monument to Alexander III, and at the main entrance is a stone bronze bust of Emperor Nicholas II. Also, the palace and park ensemble harmoniously joined a monument to Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill by the sculptor Tsareteli.

The Cross Exaltation Church is a magnificent building with snow-white walls, which was built in the traditional Byzantine style. But the original appearance was not completely preserved. During the Soviet era, the building was used as a warehouse, a club, was part of the sanatorium buildings. The historic marble cladding and the luxurious altar have disappeared without a trace. However, even after restoration, the church is incredibly popular among parishioners.

The territory of the complex with a terraincourse beginning on it - "The sun trail" allows you to plunge into the atmosphere of the magnificent nature of the Crimean coast after visiting the palace interiors. There are oak-hornbeam groves, there are observation platforms and places for recreation.

The unique palace and park complex of Livadia owes its appearance to the luck of Leo Potocki, who managed to get at his disposal land on the slope of Mount Mogabi with a unique view of the sea. It was from his heirs in 1861 that the estate was bought by representatives of the imperial court by decree of Alexander II. The estate was acquired for Empress Maria Alexandrovna, suffering from lung disease, who needed healing sea air, walks in coniferous forests and mountain trails.

For the imperial family, the former landowner house was rebuilt, the resulting structure was called the Grand Palace. Nearby, the same architect - Hippolytus Monighetti, built another building in a pronounced Arabic style. So it arose The Small Palace is the residence of the heir to the imperial family.

But one of the works of the architect Monighetti still retained its recognizable features. This is the Holy Cross Exaltation Church, the miniature building of which became the burial place of Alexander III. Interesting facts about her deserve special attention:

• the building was erected in 1863 and has only one dome;
• inside the square walls there was a magnificent white marble iconostasis, the image of saints with large-scale panels, cast gates with a bronze chandelier and real relics - holy relics from Georgia, Palestine, and other countries;
• the temple served for prayer to three generations of the imperial family - from Alexander II to Nicholas II;
• in Livadia, Alexander III died and here his heir took the Russian throne;
• a prayer service for another emperor who had gone into the world served in the house church of John of Kronstadt, now ranked as a saint;
• the church has a corridor connecting it with the chambers of the emperor;
• The restored building was opened to parishioners in 1991.

After the flood in Livadia, the imperial family needed an updated summer residence. On this occasion, the local architect Krasnov created a project inspired by the views of Turin and Florence, approved by the customer without complaints in 1909. The white palace made of natural stone was called Livadia and was laid in April 1910. The builders met the record deadlines set by the customer - the building grew in the park complex in a record 17 months.

A significant milestone in the history of the Livadia Palace after the Revolution was the Yalta Conference, during which the heads of the three allied powers - Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill, discussed the further course of action in Europe and signed a number of important historical documents. Meetings of the event partially took place here. Representatives of the US delegation were stationed in Livadia, in addition, the most important and significant meetings were held here, joint photographs were taken of the participants in this event, and the White Hall at the time of the Yalta Conference turned into a place for a negotiation table.

The location of the legendary Livadia Palace is the Republic of Crimea. It is located at a distance of 3 km from the city of Yalta, in the urban-type village of Livadia. On the map it is easy to find by landmarks, known not only to the local population. It is located on the same street as the famous Organ Hall, the village also has Kichkine Palace, and nearby are a meadow of fairy tales and Wuchang-Su Waterfall. The address of the museum complex itself: st. Baturin, 44a.

The easiest way to get to your destination is to go to it from Yalta from the local bus station. Shuttle public transport provides an opportunity to reach the palace museum in a short time. It is worth using buses number 11, 108, 100. It is necessary to stay in the cabin until the end of the route - the Livadia stop. Go to this stop and minibuses number 32, 27, 11, 5.

Once in the territory adjacent to the palace, it is enough to turn into the alleys of the park and move on foot. It takes about 5 minutes of leisurely walk to get to the main entrance. If you have to leave Simferopol, you can take a bus or a trolley bus running from the railway station in the direction of the Yalta bus station.

Interesting facts related to the life of the imperial family, exhibitions of excursions inside and outside the Livadia Palace take place during the high holiday season during almost the entire daylight hours - from 10 to 18 hours. In the period from November to March, ticket offices are open from 10 to 16 hours. Among the permanent routes.

• Sightseeing tour. Allows you to visit both the outer territory - the park complex, and part of the palace halls open for tourists.
• Thematic exposition on the theme of the Yalta Conference. It has been operating since 1974, since 1993 the entire first floor has been open to visitors. As part of the exposition, you can see the billiard room, the Arab courtyard, the office, the White Hall and the lobby.
• Exposition dedicated to the life of the Romanovs in Livadia. Located on the second floor of the museum complex and includes 5 rooms related to the private chambers of the imperial family - a bedroom, rooms of the Romanovs, the classroom of their daughters.
• Visit to the Tsar's Solarium. One of the newest excursion programs of the Livadia Palace. It includes a visit to the roof of a magnificent building, previously inaccessible to tourists. The climb is carried out on a spiral staircase.

When planning a trip to the Livadia Palace, it is worth considering that the museum complex has weekends. They are set for Monday and Wednesday. For lovers of hiking, it is recommended to visit the Tsar’s walking path - Terrenkur, a trip along which will allow you to enjoy magnificent views of the local nature for 7 km. Once this route was preferred by representatives of the imperial family.

Visiting a sightseeing tour route through the territory of the Livadia Palace costs its guests 400 rubles. For preferential categories of citizens a discount of 150 rubles is valid - you can confirm the right to it only if you have the appropriate document. Participants of the Second World War, preschoolers and schoolchildren under the age of 16 do not have to pay for visiting excursion routes.

An adult ticket to a permanent exhibition associated with the 300th anniversary of the imperial house will cost 200 rubles. The second main exposition is most closely related to hunting predilections. Her visit does not have to be paid extra after purchasing an entrance ticket.

When visiting the palace, a number of rules must be observed. The use of mobile phones, photo / video shooting without coordination with the administration is excluded. A baby stroller, bulky luggage and favorite pets will also have to be left at home or at the hotel. But for disabled groups of visitors in the halls an accessible environment has been created, there are ramps.

Despite the popularity of the Livadia Palace, reviews about it are quite contradictory. The guests noted the great experience of the guides, attentive attitude to questions arising from visitors. But not everything is perfect. The building itself is not in the best condition and needs restoration of the facade. In addition, excess advertising often promises more than tourists actually receive.

Nevertheless, the general impression of the Livadia Palace and the park surrounding it is rather positive. In the summer season, its territory is fragrant with the aromas of roses and flowering shrubs, and the splendor of the inner chambers amazes even the most sophisticated sightseers.

In the next video you will find more information about the Livadia Palace.