Vorontsov Palace
Vorontsov Palace is one of the most famous sights of Crimea, built near the foot of Ai-Petri Mountain. The design of the palace was planned taking into account the landscape, so its unusual design fits well into the environment.
The palace was built by order of Count M. S. Vorontsov, who then held the post of Governor-General of the Novorossiysk Territory. During the construction, the labor of serfs from the Moscow and Vladimir provinces was used, and a sapper battalion was also involved in excavation work. In 1840-1848, soldiers were engaged in the formation of terraces for Vorontsov Park. The stone for the construction was mined nearby from a volcanic rock - diabase.
The palace was designed by architect Edward Blore from England. The construction of the main buildings began in 1830 with a canteen building, and the central part was built from 1831 to 1837. In 1841, a billiard room was added to the dining room, and in subsequent years, a front courtyard, a guest room, and towers were erected, and a library was built last. In 1848, lion sculptures were installed at the main staircase, they marked the end of the construction of the palace and park complex. The palace was built based on English architecture, but oriental motifs are also clearly visible in the design of the chimneys and the southern entrance. The interior of the rooms is individual and many have a name: The Blue Living Room, the Winter Garden, the Chinese Study. The dining room is similar in design to a knight's hall, beautifully decorated with carvings and large panels.
After the revolution of 1917, the Vorontsov Palace was nationalized, and later a museum was opened in it. During the Second World War, the palace, like most museums in Crimea, was looted. 537 paintings were taken out, and only a small part was found and returned. Vorontsov Palace was the location of the delegation from Great Britain during the Yalta Conference, when the leaders of the three superpowers of the anti-Hitler coalition met.
Nowadays, the Alupka Palace and Park Museum-Reserve has more than 25 thousand exhibits. The main halls contain expositions telling about the Vorontsovs' everyday life, many thematic exhibition halls with paintings: "Inhaling the fragrance of roses", "Poetry of the Landscape", "Vorontsov Family Gallery". There are also paintings in the Tea House by the sea. The family library of Count Vorontsov, numbering over ten thousand books, is especially valuable.
