Massandra Palace in Crimea: history, characteristics, where is it 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 the Alupka Palace and Park Museum-Reserve. In addition to the Massandra Palace, it also includes the Vorontsov Palace. The palace got 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 Taurian settlements dated to this period, and a temple built by the Greeks a little later than the settlement. Until 1783, the Crimean peninsula was under the rule of the Gireev khan dynasty and was a separate state. It is interesting that in the works of the last Krym-Girey khan there are references to the abandoned settlement of Marsanda. By the time of the accession of the territory of the Crimean Peninsula to the Russian Empire, the territory now occupied by the Alupka Museum-Reserve was in a state of neglect.

After several unsuccessful attempts to give the territories into economic hands, they decided to make the Imperial Nikitsky Botanical Garden there. At the same time, the territory of the village of Marsanda is for sale. Sofia Konstantinovna Pototskaya became the owner. She set about trying to build the city of Sophiopolis on the site of the fishing village of Yalta, which would become a center on the entire southern 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 Kebach. He set up a garden, paved paths and built alleys. O.S.Naryshkina sold the land to Alexandra Vasilievna Branitskaya, which 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 for himself next to the church. The development and implementation of the project was entrusted to the architect Etienne Bouchard. The appearance of the structure resembled strict knightly castles. And the style of architecture belongs to the late Renaissance. But Prince Vorontsov was not destined to see the completion of 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 condition of the building, the famous sculptor A. I. Terebenev was involved. He left a short note in which he noted that this building is two floors with a partially made basement and a galvanized roof with dormer-windows. As a material, local calcareous rocks were used. Wooden and iron beams were made throughout the premises. Alexander Ivanovich also noted that the entire building has a very good masonry.

Further construction was continued according to the drawings of the Russian architect Maximilian Egorovich Mesmakher. Having retained 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 the proposal to make a winemaking center in Massandra. So the Massandra Palace became a travel palace. The members of the royal family stayed there to rest or to hunt. In this regard, the interior was quite modest, there were no additional buildings needed for a long stay.

After 1917, the territories passed into the possession of the new government. The construction of the palace continued and was completed in 1921. The temple was demolished, the oaks destroyed, the layout of the park was changed, and the source with the reservoir dried up. The palace complex was converted into a sanatorium "Proletarian Health" for patients with tuberculosis. The sanatorium ceased to exist with the outbreak of war.

In 1948, the entire territory and buildings were converted into a state 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 has been run by 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, the built-in furniture, mirrors, handmade chandeliers and a fireplace in the living room, made of a single piece of marble, were preserved. The rest of the interior was recreated using household items, furniture, paintings and graphics of the Alupka Foundation. Some of the items came to this 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 XIX century, when creating the interiors, a combination of different styles was used;
• each room has an individual feature;
• individual preferences of Alexander III can be traced in the interior (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 decoration of the room is made in the Romanesque style, which was common in France in the X-XIII centuries. The walls of the room are visually divided into two parts: the upper (decorated with artistic painting) and the lower. Unlike traditional wood decoration, the lower part of the walls was tiled with ceramic with a cool blue pattern. This was done not only for aesthetic reasons, but also on the basis of the practicality of such a facing option: ceramic plates do not heat up and maintain a cool temperature in the room. To prevent direct sunlight from entering the room, colored windows are inserted into the windows and doors. The floor is tiled with metlakh 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 next room was reserved for a billiard room. It is made in the English style. The “tone” of the interior is set by a large corner fireplace, which is trimmed with mahogany and minted in red bronze. The lower part of the walls is decorated with oak panels, and the ceiling is stucco molding 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 there was an art gallery and windows to the garden, and in the other there were billiard tables and there was an exit to the main dining room.

The main dining room is made in the style of Louis XIII. The interior of the room has something in common with the general view of the building. When creating it, a lot of bog oak wood was used. As in other rooms, the walls are "divided" into two parts. The lower part is decorated with wood panels with carvings of plant motifs, the upper part is covered with art painting. The interior contains notes of chivalrous motifs. Enhances this feeling "beam" ceiling. This interesting artistic decision is that beams made of precious wood were attached to the "main" ceiling, and the remaining spaces between them were filled with painting. 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 is a large fireplace made of carved wood and majolica plates. The meal was held in a large room with five windows and built-in sideboards made of wood with baroque carvings. The interior of the dining room was complemented by objects of art: landscapes and still lifes of the Crimean peninsula, Japanese earthenware vases and services.

In addition to the dining room, billiard room and lobby, on the ground floor there was a kitchen and a cellar. Since the stops in the palace did not imply a long stay, the kitchen was equipped with only the most necessary for quick cooking.

Familiarity with the interiors of the second floor begins with 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 is painted with a brick red pattern. The mirror is decorated with an oak frame, and the hanger is decorated with ornaments made using the technique of burning. From the lobby you can go to the reception rooms of the emperor and empress. They are located in different parts of the building. You can also get there by spiral staircases in the towers.

The interior of the reception room of the emperor is made in the Jacob style and is strict. There is not much furniture in the room: a console mirror, a bookcase.All furniture and wood trim are polished mahogany. Gilded bronze was used as another main finishing material. According to the original plan, the emperor’s reception room was to be decorated with a fabric in light green tones with floral motifs, and the ceiling was supposed to be decorated with stucco molding of multi-layer painting. These plans were not destined to come true, and today the living room is presented in golden pink colors. 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 reception room of the Empress is softer and more comfortable. This is a small room. A lot of wood was used in its decoration: more than half of all the walls are finished with wooden 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. A feature of this room is a glazed wall. It is worth mentioning about the ventilation system grille: it completely repeats the stucco molding pattern, which is why it is almost invisible. Interestingly, the chandelier from this room has been preserved. It dates from the end of the 19th century and today is returned to its historical place.

In addition to reception rooms, the layout of the palace involved two rooms for Their Majesties.

The cabinet of the emperor was distinguished by luxury. As a material for decorating the premises and creating furniture, walnut was used. A large window is made in one of the walls, which is lined with wooden panels. The room has a fireplace, above it weighs a baroque mirror in a gilded frame, the mirror is complemented by candelabra and watches dated to the 8th century. According to the original plan, the walls were to be decorated with a light green silk fabric, however, when restoring the interior, the walls were decorated with peach and powdery pink art paintings. The peculiarity of the room is in the ceiling. It has a wide strip of stucco molding, repeating the shape of the ceiling, inlaid with gilding.

The Empress’s cabinet looks less luxurious. The room is always flooded with light. This feeling is created due to the finish in the color of light reseda and four large windows. The only decoration on the ceiling is a chandelier. The main idea for its creation was plant motifs, and gilded bronze was used as the material. The floor is made of wood and limited to a wide baseboard. Its color is combined with the color of the marble fireplace (chocolate). On the walls are portraits of members of the royal family. The interior of the room reflects the traditions of the classicism style.

Bedroom of Their Majesties. The main idea was to create a soft, relaxing atmosphere. To do this, it was planned to finish the walls with light beige fabric, but in the end the walls were decorated with pink and gold tones. Colored windows were used to create stray light. The royal bedroom has access to a wide balcony. The entire ceiling is painted. The peculiarity of the room is in the golden curtain of an alcove with a 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 decorated with walnut panels and Dutch ceramics with landscapes. The Empress's room was trimmed with mahogany.

The park in the surrounding area can be divided into two parts: the upper garden and the park itself.

The garden is located close to the palace. There are paths on its territory, and a wall has been built on the north side, which reliably protects it from possible rock escapes. Bushes of laurel and thuja were planted along the paths. The peculiarity of the park is that, in addition to grapes, currants and gooseberries, widely known in Russia, orange, lemon and olive trees were planted.After the court gardener Enke arrived in Massandra, whole alleys of coniferous trees and roses were planted. Exotic trees such as satin cedar and Arizona cypress, oleanders, palm trees, fir and magnolias grow in the garden. While centuries-old oaks and beech grew in the main territory of the park.

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

Massandra Park was famous for its roses, which were delivered to the courtyard. Therefore, until 1917, considerable attention was paid to him, and 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 advent 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, peasants were dismantled into the gardens. Most of the park trees were cut down.

On the territory of the palace complex are constantly guided tours that 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 Soviet people.

• Tour of the palace. It is dedicated to Alexander III and is held constantly. The price for an adult is about 300 rubles, for a child - about 150 rubles.
• Tour of the park. It is carried out only for groups of 15 people and by prior request. The total price is 1,500 p.
• Group tour of the expositions of the Massandra Palace. A preliminary application is required and the number of visitors is not less than 15. The total price is 4500 p.
• Group tour of the palace territory, dedicated to its flora and fauna. It is carried out for groups of 15 people by prior request. Total cost - 900 r.
• Excursion dedicated to the flora and fauna of the park. Ticket price - 100 r.
• Excursion "How we lived ...". It is dedicated to the life of Soviet people and is held on the third floor of the building. There is an exposition of paintings by Soviet artists.
• Also on the third floor is a separate exhibition dedicated to the coronation of Alexander III.
• Tour of the palace grounds. She is attached to the life and work of Stalin.
• It is possible to take an excursion on an electric car. The price of one ticket is 800 p.

Ticket price for preferential categories 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, town of Massandra, Republic of Crimea.

Depending on the departure point, there are three options for getting to the place.

• From Yalta there is a trolleybus No 2 and a 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. You must take the Simferopol-Yalta bus and continue by trolleybus No. 2 and bus No. 29. The Simferopol-Yalta bus en route stops at the Massandra Palace stop, but it’s far enough to go from there.
• From Sevastopol. First you need to get to Yalta by bus "Sevastopol - Yalta", and then by trolley bus or bus.

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