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The Massandra Palace is one of the best architectural monuments of the Southern coast of Crimea, built on the slopes of a mountain range, in a secluded place surrounded by forest. The village Massandra in the early 19th century belonged to the Pototsky family. The first to begin to improve these places Sophia Pototsky. The famous beauty, former Greek courtesan was married by second marriage to the richest tycoon Stanislaw Potocki. It was for her that he arranged the famous park "Sofiyivka" in Uman. In 1815, she bought these places - perhaps to rest in peace here in her old age, or perhaps for her children. She was by then already 55 years old.

After her death in 1822, the estate goes to her youngest daughter Olga Naryshkina. Olga is friends with the Vorontsovs, she is loved and cared for by the wife of Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov, the governor of Novorossiysk and the then "master" of the Crimea - Elizaveta Xaverevna. Her mother and buys for her daughter Massandra, and disposes of the estate, of course, Vorontsov himself. His main residence in the Crimea was a palace in Alupka, but here he also came. Under him in an oak grove was built Assumption Church in classical style, with antique porticoes and colonnades - it was in 1832. Unfortunately, it has not survived to this day - it was demolished after the revolution.

Vorontsov continued to develop local wine production, founded by Pototskyi. Vineyards were planted on the slopes of the mountains and wine cellars were built.

Part of the estate in the middle of the century was sold to the treasury, and part remained for the Vorontsovs. Upper Massandra was owned by the son of Mikhail Semyonovich - Semyon Mikhailovich. He spent all his life in the south in the wars for the Caucasus and the Crimea: he started in the L.-g. Preobrazhensky Regiment and fought against the Highlanders, went through the Crimean War and was wounded at Sevastopol. He finished his military career as a commander of the reserve corps, which was quartered in the Crimea. However, in his life was not only the war. For example, he was keenly interested in ancient archaeology and founded the Odessa Society of Fine Arts. He was married to the beauty and socialite Maria Vasilyevna Stolypina. She married for the second time, his parents were against this marriage. However, it took place, and was marked by misfortune - they had no children. It was she who was described by L. N. Tolstoy in his story "Hadji Murat".

During this period - when he still commands the Crimean troops - Semyon Mikhailovich decides to build himself a new home. In 1881, he orders architect M.A. Bushar to build a palace in Massandra. Construction begins, but suddenly in one year both die - both the customer and the architect. The male line of the Vorontsovs was interrupted, and the wife became the heiress.

Construction of the palace

In 1881, there was already a solid two-storey building made of local limestone, with a galvanised roof and good metal ceilings, but completely without finishing and service premises. The Vorontsovs were distinguished by the scale of their requests: the palace was orientated on the French architecture of the 18th century, first of all, of course, on Versailles. However, it was rather modest in decoration and was supposed to resemble a knight's castle in the mountains. In the eighties the place stood half-abandoned for a long time, Vorontsov's heirs had neither means nor desire to continue building - even their palace in Alupka in those years fell into disrepair. Eventually, in 1889, the estate was bought back to the treasury for Emperor Alexander III.

A new architect - Maximilian Mesmacher - took over. This was the height of his career - at the same time he was commissioned two grandiose palaces: a palace for Prince Alexei Alexandrovich in the capital (it now houses the St Petersburg House of Music) and a palace for the Emperor himself in Massandra.

The architect significantly changed the original appearance of the building through rich decoration and details. One more floor was added, high chimney stacks rose above the roof, and the roof itself became pyramidal. The internal layout of the building was primarily oriented towards privacy and relaxation, with some hints of the classic "hunting lodges". There were almost no grand rooms with high ceilings, the main rooms were exactly living, small and cosy. For flooring and wall panelling of the household rooms and park terraces the so-called Mettlach tile was used - the best German-made tile. It was produced by the firm "Villeroy and Boch", which received the title of supplier to the Imperial Court.

The interior decoration also met the most fashionable trends of the late 19th-early 20th century: ceramics was widely used, cookers and fireplaces were decorated with majolica tiles by Emil Kremer and cast blackened copper. Decorative majolica was at first used mainly in merchants' houses, but from the end of the century it became an element of palace interiors, and artists such as V. Vasnetsov or Vasnetsov began to work with majolica and ceramics. Vasnetsov or M. Vrubel. The decoration of the doors was made by burning and inlaying with coloured glass. The walls of many rooms were panelled with carved wooden panels - in the hunting style.

Construction was quite active, the Emperor came here from Livadia to observe it. But after his death in 1894, everything again almost froze: finished was the palace only by 1902. But even then not to the end: it was necessary to conduct electricity, connect the water supply, bring furniture and everything necessary for life ... In the end, it remained a "travelling palace": a place not intended for permanent life, but only for picnics and rest for a few hours. People hunted here and came here to pray. The Empress loved the white "Vorontsov's" Dormition Church.

Nicholas II himself stayed here when he came to Massandra. He was keenly interested in the development of wine production. Just at the end of 90-ies of the XIX century here were built the famous underground wine cellars - now it is one of the main attractions of the city. The construction began under Alexander III, and by 1897 the central cellar with seven diverging tunnels was already built. Since 1898, the factory began to produce wine using new technologies, with aging in these cellars, where a stable temperature and humidity was maintained.

Palace Park

The park ensemble was laid here as early as Karl Kebakh, the main Crimean gardener of the 30-40s 19th century. A hereditary gardener and scientist-botanist, he devoted many years to the creation of the park in Alupka. But he also worked in other Vorontsov estates, for example, in Massandra. The Massandra park is not inferior to the Alupka park in terms of area - it is 42 hectares. It is created in the "English" style of landscape park, with secluded corners, secret paths and natural arrangement of plants.

Once there was a forest here, consisting of hornbeams and oaks - the last oaks were cut down already in Soviet times. Karl Kebach planted first of all conifers, improving the air: Himalayan and Atlas cedars, junipers, different kinds of pines - both local and exotic. lemon and orange groves were planted. It was this that later allowed to set up a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients - the air was truly curative.

In Soviet times

After the revolution, the palace was not looted. All because there was nothing to loot - in fact, it stood uninhabited until 1921, and in 1921 it finally found a use: until the war the palace and the park were used as a sanatorium.

After the war, the management of the Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking moved in here. The Institute dates back to the viticulture school founded back in 1828 in Magaracha: here not only made wine, but also studied different grape varieties and sent the most promising ones all over the country. During the Soviet years the Institute continued to be engaged in grape breeding and scientific research. Now, in addition to a collection of wines of its own production, it has, for example, a unique collection of yeast cultures.

But the place was too good: the Institute soon left here, and Massandra Palace became a famous "Stalin's" dacha. True, it was used for official receptions and negotiations, not for recreation. Stalin himself preferred a simple wooden house in Malaya Sosnovka - also not far from Massandra. The former royal palace seemed to him too big and uncomfortable. The whole complex was called Government Dacha No. 3.

Palace Museum

In 1992, a museum was established here. Now it is considered a branch of the Alupka Museum-Reserve. There is a two-storey exposition telling about the life of Alexander III and his family. Hall, reception rooms of the emperor and empress, their offices, the imperial bedroom... The basis of the interiors has been preserved. The exhibits themselves are mostly transferred from other Crimean collections.

The museum staff continues the horticultural traditions of Karl Kebach: for several years in a row in June there is a festival of roses. There is also a "garden of aromas" with fragrant and medicinal plants. But this only applies to the immediate surroundings of the palace, where there used to be a regular part of the park with flower beds. The main landscape part is separated from the museum territory by the motorway and buildings, it is also now being protected and landscaped. Under many exotic trees made signs with the name.

On a side note

  • Location: Yalta, Simferopolskoe sh., 13, p. g. t. t. Massandra. Massandra.

  • How to get there: buses № 29, 29A, 106, 110 (from Yalta), trolley buses № 41, 42 (from Yalta), № 53 (from Alushta), № 52, 55 (from Simferopol).

  • Official website: http://worontsovpalace.org/massandrovskij-dvorec/

  • Opening hours: from 9:00 to 18:00, on Saturdays from 9:00 to 20:00, no weekends.

  • Ticket price: adult - 350 rubles, concessionary - 200 rubles.