The stone from which the Vorontsov palace was built. Medieval castle in Crimea: Vorontsov Palace - everything you need to know before visiting
There is a majestic monument on the Black Sea coast architecture XIX century - Vorontsov Palace. Its construction lasted 20 years and was completed in 1848 under the leadership of the eminent British court architect Edward Blore. The masterpiece of the era of romanticism was conceived as the residence of Count Mikhail Vorontsov, Governor-General of the Novorossiysk Territory.
The count chose the site for the construction of the palace himself - on a beautiful promontory near Mount Ai-Petri in Crimea. The author skillfully combined the English and neo-Moorish styles with the Gothic and brilliantly entered the building into the existing landscape. Blore had never been there before, but according to sketches he "turned" the building so that its outline coincides with the outline of the mountains.
Diabase, a greenish-gray stone, was used in the construction of the building. It was mined in local areas. The drawings in the design of the building were very complex, the stone could crack during processing, so the best craftsmen who built churches in Central Russia were called in to carry out the masonry work.
So in the unremarkable and little-known Tatar village of Alupka until this moment, a castle of five buildings with numerous passages, stairs and courtyards appeared. The Lion Terrace is located at the main staircase. Six lions "sit" on either side of the magnificent white marble staircase - one is "asleep", the other is "awakening", the rest are "awake" and "roar".
The Vorontsov Palace became the first in Russia to have a hot water supply system and a sewerage system built.
The construction of the palace complex took a huge amount at that time - about 9 million silver rubles. But she was on the shoulder of Count Vorontsov - the richest landowner of the Russian Empire.
History of creation
The history of the Vorontsov Palace is closely related to the events in the country. Soon after settling in, the count had to leave his new home in connection with his appointment to the Caucasus. The palace changed its owners - in different years the daughter of the count Sofia Mikhailovna, the son of Semyon Mikhailovich, the widow Maria Vasilievna lived in it. In the 1880s, the building was abandoned and abandoned.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Vorontsovs' relatives, the Dashkovs, set up sanatoriums and boarding houses there. After the revolution, the lands were nationalized. In the 20s, as in some other large noble estates on south bank Crimea, there was created a museum called Alupkinsky. The collection of the museum was badly damaged during the Great Patriotic War. The Nazis took out more than 500 works of painting and graphics; later they managed to return not much.
After the war, the palace housed the state dacha of the NKVD. And finally, in 1956, the Crimean State Museum of Fine Arts was opened, which later became part of the Alupka Palace and Park Museum-Reserve. Today it houses a collection of paintings, sculptures and applied art, old documents telling about the construction of the palace.
Exhibitions and expositions
Exhibitions and expositions are located in many rooms of the Vorontsov Palace - in the halls, in the Shuvalov wing, in the Guest Building, in the Business Building, in the conference hall.
Thus, guests can see the expositions "The Main Halls of the Main Building", "The House of Count A.P. Shuvalov ”,“ Butler's Apartment ”,“ Sculpture of the Southern Terraces ”,“ Vorontsov's Kitchen ”, exhibitions“ Under the Plane Tree ”,“ Porcelain Pantry ”and others.
Reasonable prices are available for all categories of visitors. The cost of a ticket for adults is from 50 to 300 rubles, for students, pensioners and children from 16 to 18 years old - from 25 to 150 rubles. "Single ticket" costs 650 and 325 rubles, respectively.
For example, the exposition "The Main Halls of the Main Building of the Vorontsov Palace" works in the museum on a permanent basis. These premises have remained practically unchanged since ancient times. Decorations, furniture, even portraits on the walls have retained their original appearance in the traditional English manner. During the excursion, guests will see the ceremonial rooms of the main building, the Chinese study, the lobby, the Blue living room, the Winter Garden, the Main dining room, and the billiard room.
The exhibition "Vorontsov's kitchen" is located in the kitchen building of the Economic Yard. In this part of the palace, the servants not only worked, but also lived. Three rooms of this building are open to visitors, in which you can get acquainted with the interior of the palace kitchen. The first hall is spacious, located on an area of 60 square meters and two floors high. In the center there is a cast-iron slab adorned with cast ornamentation. Antique dishes, sink, samovars, cookbooks, pantry interior create a vivid unforgettable impression.
The exhibition "Reserved Taurida" is open in the conference hall of the palace. It will run until March 31, 2018. Visitors will be able to see 60 works of art from the museum's funds, their authors are domestic and foreign artists. The paintings depict the unreal beauty of the Crimean nature and palaces, parks, city streets, archeological monuments. The works were created in the first half of the 19th century, in the late 19th - early 20th centuries, during the Soviet era. All of them represent the heritage of the Crimean people, which is preserved for future generations.
In 1823, the Governor-General of the Novorossiysk Territory, which at that time included the Crimea, becomes a hero Patriotic War 1812 Count Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov. The development of Crimea owes much to this strong-willed and energetic person. Under his leadership, a highway is being built on the southern coast of Crimea, rapid development the agrarian and especially the wine industry receives, the number of industrial enterprises is growing rapidly. In 1828 the history of the Black Sea shipping company begins. In the same years, the count was actively buying land from the local Tatar population and dreamed of creating his own palace.
The construction of the palace lasted for 20 years.
After the death of Thomas Harisson in 1829 in 1831, Count Vorontsov unexpectedly ordered to stop the construction of the palace and radically change the style of the neoclassical style of the palace. The Count invites one of the most talented architects of that time - Edward Blore. According to the architect's idea, the palace is being built in the English Gothic style. In the same year, the construction of the main building begins. The building material for the construction of the walls was diabase, a rock of volcanic origin, which is several times stronger than granite. Deposits of this stone are found in abundance nearby. Diabase is very difficult to process, but this does not stop Count Vorontsov, because he was the richest man in the country and under his leadership more than 60,000 serfs worked. Even a sapper battalion took part in the excavation work, whose soldiers worked on the construction of terraces with south side facade. 
Interesting fact: Architect Blore never visited the construction site. He got all the idea of the terrain from numerous drawings and engravings.
In 1948, the construction of the palace came to an end. Vorontsov Palace consists of five buildings, decorated with towers, which are connected by various passages, stairs and courtyards. The architect managed to organically fit the buildings stretched from west to east into the mountainous landscape of the area. Outwardly, the palace is very much like the ancestral feudal castle in England.
The interiors of the palace
The interiors of the Vorontsov Palace are in no way inferior to the Livadia Palace in the luxury of their decoration. The decoration of the rooms is almost completely preserved. Each room, and there are about 150 of them in total, is made in a personal style. The materials used in the decoration are reflected in the names of the rooms. The Chinese cabinet is decorated with the finest rice straws, the decor elements are embroidered with beads and silk. The decoration of the Calico Room is skillfully made from this very fabric. The lightest room in the Vorontsov Palace is the Blue Living Room, the highlight of which is the stucco ornament in the form of petals and leaves. There are about three thousand of them in total, and each of them is not like the other. The fireplaces of the palace are a separate masterpiece of architectural art. They are unique in every room and made of different materials.
Alupka park
The Vorontsov Palace is located on the territory of the Alupka Park, which is a pearl of landscape design. This masterpiece was created by the Chief Gardener of the South Coast of Crimea Karl Antonovich Kebakh for 25 years. The park is spread over an area of 40 hectares. More than two hundred species of plants grow here, which were brought from the regions of Northern and South America, Mediterranean. Geographically it is divided into the Upper and Lower parks. The park is designed in such a way that it complements the local nature. Three reservoirs have been artificially created on the territory of the park.
Interesting fact: To decorate the bottom of Swan Lake, Count Vorontsov ordered 20 bags of semi-precious stones, which were delivered by ship. In sunny weather, they created an indescribable play of light.
The attraction of the park is the piles of stones made of solidified magma, thrown out by the volcano back in time immemorial, which received the names "Big Chaos" and "Small Chaos". Also, a large number of fountains have been built in the park. 
glade in the park
Interesting facts about the Vorontsov Palace
The palace was owned by three generations of the Vorontsov family. The cost of setting up a park is twice as high as the construction of the palace itself. Up to 36,000 rubles were spent on the maintenance of the park in 1910, a huge amount at that time. Vorontsov Palace is one of the first buildings in Russia, where sewerage and water supply were built for the comfort of living. A museum has been operating in the palace complex since 1921. Only after the Great Patriotic War, for about 10 years, the territory of the Vorontsov Palace was a secret object and there was a dacha for the party leadership. During the Yalta Conference in February 1945, an English delegation headed by W. Churchill lived in the Vorontsov Palace. An interesting story is connected with it, which happened during a walk in Churchill and Stalin's park. The fact is that the staircase on the side of the facade, which faces the sea, is decorated with sculptures of guarding lions. Churchill, who really liked the sculpture of the sleeping lion, said that he looked like himself and offered Stalin to buy it out. Stalin refused this offer, but suggested to Churchill that if he answered his question correctly, then Stalin would give a sleeping lion. "Which finger on your hand is the main one?" - that was Stalin's question. Churchill replied, "Of course the index." “Wrong,” Stalin replied and twisted a figure out of his fingers, which is popularly called a fig. 
Vorontsov Palace is a precious decoration of Taurida. Many people visit the small southern coastal town of Alupka just to stroll through the mysterious park surrounding the famous castle. Its walls keep many unsolved mysteries... The palace was designed by the court architect of Queen Victoria of England, here members of the Masonic lodge met under the cover of mystery, the legendary Winston Churchill stayed here, the greats of this world rested, famous films were shot ...
Just some 20 years ...
Starting the story about the Vorontsov Palace, one cannot fail to mention the man thanks to whom this architectural masterpiece... A descendant of the old Russian noble family, Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov was famous for his intelligence, education and refined taste. According to the traditions of his time, he was enrolled in the regiment from birth, and at the age of four he was "promoted" to the rank of ensign! From the age of 19, Vorontsov is already at war for real - with the Turks, Swedes and French. In the famous battle of Borodino, the young count is wounded. In 1815-1818 Vorontsov commanded the Russian occupation corps in France. He also takes part in the Caucasian campaigns, for which in 1845 he was elevated to princely dignity.
The activities of Prince Vorontsov were no less fruitful in peacetime. He left a significant mark about himself in Novorossiya, which he ruled as governor from 1823 to 1844. In those days, the land entrusted to him included a significant part of the Northern Black Sea region, including the Crimea. Vorontsov turned out to be an excellent business executive. During his reign, Odessa, Kherson, Nikolaev, Sevastopol grew economically. The Governor gives orders to build roads, including the magnificent South Coast Highway in Crimea. At this time, a shipping company on the Black Sea was established, the foundations of viticulture and fine-wool sheep breeding were laid.
“He possessed great wealth — his own and that of his wife, Countess Branitskaya — and huge income he received as a governor, and spent most of his money on building a palace and a garden on the southern coast of Crimea,” wrote about Count Lev Tolstoy in Hadji Murat ...
Vorontsov spares no money, time or human resources to build his dream. The construction of the palace lasted 20 years - the work was carried out from 1828 to 1848! Edward Blore, who is the court architect of the British Queen Victoria, is invited to create the project. He has designed many famous buildings - Walter Scott Castle in Scotland and Buckingham Palace in London. It is still unknown whether Blore came to Alupka, but he surprisingly managed to perfectly combine architecture with the environment. mountain landscape... Perhaps the searchlight dawned on inspiration, but it is possible that he still came to Crimea to get acquainted with the local relief.
By the time the Blora project was implemented, the foundations and the first masonry of the portal niche of the central building were already ready. The palace was originally designed by architects Francesco Boffo and Thomas Harrison.
Hereditary stonecutters and stonecutters, who had experience in building and embossed decoration of white-stone cathedrals, come to build the palace. Thus, the luxurious residence was built by serfs from the Vladimir and Moscow provinces. The beautiful piece of architecture was erected by hand using primitive tools.
The dining building was the first to grow, then the Central building was built. In 1842 a billiard room was added to the dining room. And in 1838-1844, the Main Courtyard was formed, the guest building, the eastern wings, all the towers of the palace, the pentagon of the utility buildings were built. The library building was built last.
The architecture of the palace contains elements of various styles of the era, but the architectural eclecticism looks very harmonious. The architects boldly combined the English style with the neo-Moorish one. A striking example of this: Gothic chimneys, reminiscent of the minarets of a mosque. South entrance demonstrates oriental splendor. It is very similar to the Spanish Alhambra palace, which once belonged to the Arab rulers. On its facade, the inscription in Arabic is repeated six times, which says: "There is no conqueror but Allah."
The western part of the facade is made in the neo-gothic style. From the side of the mountains, the buildings of the palace resemble the harsh outlines of the castles of the English aristocrats. The towers of the palace are very diverse. The building is decorated with all kinds of spiers and domes, carved cornices and delicate balustrades, stairs and chimneys ... It is not surprising that it was here in the 20th century that the film adaptations of Stephenson and Shakespeare were created, the famous "Heavenly Swallows", "Crazy Day, or The Marriage of Figaro" and many others pictures.
The construction of the park terrace in front of the southern facade of the palace was entrusted to the military. From 1840 to 1848, with the help of soldiers of the sapper battalion, large-scale earthworks were carried out.
In the summer of 1848, the final striking touch was made. Sculpted figures of lions were installed on the central staircase leading to the main entrance. The adorable animals were born in the workshop of the Italian sculptor Giovani Bonnani.
Heaven on earth
No matter how beautiful the palace is, without the magnificent park surrounding it, it would not be so attractive and popular. The unique garden, founded about 200 years ago, has more than 200 species of trees and shrubs from different countries of the world.
The creator of the palace and park splendor was a real magician. German by birth, Karl Kebach masterfully used every meter of space. Erecting fountains on the territory of the park, he combined them into cascades, creating lakes and ponds. The fabulous surroundings are harmoniously complemented by plant compositions. Each exotic bush was lovingly planted by a talented gardener in specially brought black soil.
The structure of the garden ensemble is curious. It consists of the Upper and Lower Landscape Parks. Upper - "Alupka chaos" is a massif of natural diabase, granite boulders, chaotically scattered, as if by the elements. There are also caves with grottoes, and the crater of an extinct volcano. Harsh landscapes of stone softened by views cozy alleys Lower park. As if streaming along the slopes, the terraces are bordered by Italian pine trees.
The park enchants with pleasant and romantic names: Tea Pavilion, Swan Lake, Maria Fountain. The latter, decorated with white roses at the base, is a copy of the Bakhchisarai fountain. Freischütz waterfall is amazing. When falling, its jets split like a transparent veil of a bride. Walking in the Upper Park along Solnechnaya, Platanovaya, Kashtanovaya glades, you catch yourself thinking that you are in a real paradise, and this fairy tale is real!
Mikhail Vorontsov, by the way, like many famous and influential figures of his time, belonged to the Masonic lodge. Therefore, in his residence and in the park, you can find secret signs and symbols of the mighty brotherhood.
New story
Three generations of the Vorontsov family have enjoyed life in the building built by their grandfather magnificent palace... Before the October Revolution, the castle's 150 rooms were luxurious apartments, decorated with antique sculptures, antique furniture and paintings. The canvases decorating the walls belonged to the brush of great painters. To this day, paintings by Levitsky, Borovikovsky, Aivazovsky, as well as Italian, English and French artists have miraculously survived. The interiors of the palace were complemented by bronze candelabra, porcelain, crystal, malachite, and antique vases. The front rooms were filled with mahogany, walnut and oak furniture made by the best Russian craftsmen.
Other times came, and the Vorontsov Palace, along with its treasures, was nationalized. In the middle of 1921, it began to function as a museum. During the Great Patriotic War, the exhibits of the Alupka Museum could not be evacuated. Twice the palace was threatened with destruction, and both times it was rescued by the senior researcher of the museum S.G. Shchekoldin. The Germans took away a significant part of the artistic treasures, of which 537 paintings and drawings, and only a small part of the paintings were found after the war and returned to the palace. Tragic episodes in the history of the Vorontsov Palace are described in the book "What the lions are silent about", based on the memoirs of Shchekoldin
From 4 to 11 February 1945, the Vorontsov Palace became the seat of the British delegation headed by Winston Churchill. At this time, the epoch-making Yalta conference was held.
From 1945 to 1955, the apartments in Alupka were used as a state dacha. In 1956, by decision of the government, a museum began to function in the palace again. And finally, since 1990, the Alupka palace and park complex has become a museum-reserve. The new status is very important, it allows the institution to protect the park area from non-core use, in particular, from cottage development. This phenomenon today is a headache for Crimea. Let's hope that paradise under the name Vorontsov Palace will remain a protected area for a long time and will delight "everyone entering it" with beauty and nobility.
The most beautiful Vorontsov Palace in Crimea is located in the city of Alupka. The palace overlooks the Black Sea, surrounded by a delightful park. Striking the look architectural style, sculptural compositions, luxury, the place where the building was built.
Uniqueness of architecture
Castle built for 20 years (1828 - 1848) by order of the powerful Governor-General of the Novorossiysk Territory, Anglomaniac Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov. The count personally chose a place for his summer residence on a picturesque rocky promontory at the foot of Mount Ai-Petri in the little-known village of Alupka.
Building materials
60 thousand serfs, soldiers of a sapper battalion were involved in the construction according to the project of the English architect Edward Blore. The construction was carried out from the local diabase stone mined nearby.
The greenish-gray stone of volcanic origin is not inferior in strength to granite, however, it is capricious in processing. Stone-cutters who built churches in Central Russia worked here as well. The work was done by hand with primitive tools.
New architectural trends
The Vorontsov Palace was built according to new architectural principles. Located in accordance with the relief, it organically blended into the southern landscape, repeating the outlines of the visible mountains. Paying tribute to the secular fashion of that time, the architect combined the structures in the architecture English, Neo-Moorish and Gothic styles.
In an inconspicuous Tatar village, a castle appeared in the spirit of English architecture of five buildings with defensive towers, unequal in shape and height. Open and closed passages, staircases and courtyards united the buildings with each other, recalling the construction of the English aristocrats of the Middle Ages.
Unique solutions
The Vorontsov castle made of dark turned stone with arches, crenellated walls, openwork transitions, delicate carved patterns amazes with a mixture of styles. The main facade of the central building has been created in the style of a muslim mosque... The spiers and turrets are reminiscent of the eastern minarets. At the main entrance there are austere monumental towers with loopholes, battlements, narrow loophole windows create the image of a medieval castle.
The southern facade is made with Moorish splendor: with pointed arches, oriental ornaments, balconies and openwork gratings, wall carvings. The decorative decoration of the Vorontsov Palace is a gently sloping pointed arch. The decoration is repeated in the cast-iron balconies, in the carved stone lattice of the roof, in the decoration of the entrance, above which the phrase is repeated six times in the frieze: "And there is no winner but Allah!"
On the north side, the building is crowned with neat turrets and large windows. There are marble fountains in front of the facade. Have Front staircase- Lion's terrace. Six lions sit on either side of a monumental white marble staircase. One is "asleep", the other is "awakening", the rest are "awake" and "growl".
Vorontsov Palace, equipped plumbing with hot water and sewerage, cost the column 9 million rubles in silver - a tremendous sum for those times.
Inhabitants of the luxurious palace
The first owner of the palace was His Serene Highness Prince Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov, a descendant of an ancient aristocratic family, godson of Catherine the Great, a hero-order-bearer, a participant in the Patriotic War of 1812, an honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. He retired with the rank of Field Marshal.
Soon after settling in, the count had to leave his new home. Having received an appointment to the Caucasus, Vorontsov left his daughter's residence. Since then, the palace has changed owners. After the death of the count, a son, a widow, lived here. In 1880, the family nest of the Vorontsovs was empty until the new relatives began energetically to restore the inheritance.
After the revolution, the estate was nationalized. Later, the Vorontsov Palace became the state dacha of the NKVD, and in 1956 it opened here. Crimean State Museum... Since 1990, the palace has been part of the Alupka Palace and Park Museum-Reserve. The collection of the museum includes works of painting, sculpture, applied art, old drawings and lithographs.
Interiors of premises
The palace has 150 rooms decorated in the English style with oriental motives. Each room is personalized. The style of the halls' decoration was influenced by the fashion of the era and the taste of the owners, the interest in exotic things.
Design concept
Initially, the halls were dominated by bright colors, lush curtains on the windows and doors. Kashmiri and Turkish shawls, Indian rugs and animal skins created an atmosphere of oriental luxury.
Gradually the character of the interiors changed. The interior decoration of the Vorontsov Palace is luxurious, but this luxury is cozy, "homely", without the ceremonial "palace". Furniture made of walnut, oak, mahogany was made especially for the palace by Russian craftsmen. The fireplaces in each room are unique and made from original materials.
Castle overview
Lobby- a spacious ceremonial room with embossed oak ceilings, austere furniture and two gray-green fireplaces. On the walls there are portraits of the Vorontsovs. Catherine the Great and members of the royal family. On the floor there are Persian carpets with a portrait of the Persian Shah Fath Ali.
- the room is light, the interior is restrained, meets the strict tastes of the owner. The walls are covered with paper wallpaper, which was considered a luxury item, because the master made the drawing by hand. The furnishings of European craftsmen are both prim and solemn at the same time.
On the wall is a portrait of the owner with field marshal epaulets against the background of the Caucasus. The events of the Patriotic War of 1812 are reminiscent of the portraits of the count's associates, military generals - Uvarov, Naryshkin. Bronze mantel clock with the image of Minin and Pozharsky.
Calico reception got its name because the walls are covered with warm fabrics brought from Paris. The crystal chandelier on the ceiling, made by Russian craftsmen, looks graceful. On the walls there are landscapes of Russian and foreign artists.
The colored glass table is the work of an Italian master. The reception area is decorated with a parquet made of expensive wood, which was made to order for the Chintz reception room.
V Blue living room Vorontsov Palace on the azure walls and ceiling is a thin snow-white stucco ornament in the form of petals and leaves. Chandeliers of exquisite shapes, patterns of earthenware vases add solemnity to the interior. The white grand piano, the pride of the hostess Elizaveta Ksaveryevna Vorontsova, an outstanding pianist, attracts attention.
In the Blue Living Room they played music, arranged a home theater. In this living room, Mikhail Schepkin came out to the audience for the last time in 1863, young Fyodor Chaliapin sang to the accompaniment of Sergei Rachmaninoff.
V Boudoir Elizabeth Ksaveryevna the walls are covered with Chinese mats with floral patterns, the furniture decorated with patterns in the oriental style was created by the hands of Russian craftsmen. Parquet flooring with a modest pattern and carved mirror frames create a cozy atmosphere.
Chinese Cabinet... Here China is present symbolically, there are no genuine items from the Middle Kingdom. On the table is a linen tablecloth embroidered by Elizaveta Ksaveryevna Vorontsova. A corner cabinet resembling a tortoise shell is a gift from Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. The walls of the office are finished with the finest rice straw, the decor elements are embroidered with beads and silk by the hands of serf women.
An area of 150 square meters with 8-meter ceilings. The room is comfortably lit by candelabra and candlelit chandeliers. The carved oak ceiling follows the pattern of the wall panels and window frames. A glass door leads to the palace terrace. Furniture to match the grandiose hall.
In the center there is a table made of a single piece of mahogany with massive pedestals and legs in the form of lion's paws. There are two dozen chairs around, the upholstery for which was woven in Lyon by order of Vorontsova. The polished sideboard is filled with cups, jugs and jugs.
On the sides of the hall there are large fireplaces, and between them is a fountain lined with tiles depicting fantastic animals. Above the fountain there is a carved wooden balcony where a quartet of musicians played. In the piers above the sideboards and fireplaces, picturesque panels complement the landscape that opens from the windows.
- a specially built room for books in a separate building of the Vorontsov Palace for storing 27 thousand volumes of encyclopedic books collected over decades. The main part of the interior is four-meter carved shelving, lined with folios up to the ceiling. Here are works on military affairs and navigation, natural science and agriculture in French, German, English.
The count read fluently in several languages, was fond of collecting, collected ancient manuscripts, drawings, geographic Maps... Editions of Diderot, Voltaire, political literature of the period of the Great French Revolution are kept together with the stucco coats of arms of the Vorontsovs. The interiors of the Vorontsov Palace library are complemented by a massive writing desk, comfortable armchairs, two huge globes on carved three-legged stands.
V Winter garden an interior of rare sophistication made of exotic vegetation and works of art. A curling ficus plant is planted along the walls, pots of flowers are placed, a white marble fountain is arranged. Along the walls are marble busts of Catherine the Great, the Vorontsov couple, and the English premiere of William Pitt. Heat-loving plants and flowers create an exotic flavor.
The creator of the park is botanist August Kebach. The German gardener created the park taking into account the relief, climate and local flora. 270 species of trees and shrubs were brought from all over the world. At the same time, 2 thousand varieties of roses were blooming in the garden. Kebakh planned the park so that the coastal highway divided it into two parts - the Upper and Lower Gardens.
Lower park- with fountains, marble sculptures, columns, vases and stone benches. The upper garden of the Vorontsov Palace is more natural: it contains rocky debris (piles of stones of solidified magma thrown out by a volcano and called "Great Chaos" and "Small Chaos"), picturesque meadows, cascades of waterfalls, shady ponds, artificial lakes and grottoes. At the bottom of the Swan Lake, which adorns the park, 20 bags of semi-precious stones are poured to create a play of light in sunny weather.
In the park with an area of 40 hectares, grape vines, olives, fruit trees, cypresses have taken root. A series of new varieties of roses specially bred for Alupka entered the world catalog. The popular rose "Countess Elizaveta Vorontsova". Planted outdoors, California magnolias have been transformed into trees that bloom in the open air, which is considered a sensation. Vorontsov personally planted magnolias and was regularly interested in how pets grow.
Alexander I stayed in the hospitable palace and strolled through the garden. Here, a former Napoleonic marshal of Mormon planted a tulip tree and several plane trees. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna planted plane trees, laurels, cork oak. The Prince of Wales and his wife planted Wellingtonia, giant trees in the park, near the shore.
The park is decorated with the Aivazovsky rock, from which the artist painted the night view of the palace during the illumination. The glory of the Vorontsov Park was strengthened by the artists Isaac Levitan, Vasily Surikov, Aristarkh Lentulov, who worked here.
- From 4 to 11 February 1945, during the Yalta Conference, the Vorontsov Palace became the seat of the British delegation headed by Winston Churchill.
- Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov generously thanked the serf builders of the palace, allowing them to redeem themselves from captivity.
- After the war of 1812, Vorontsov was with the occupation forces in France. When the soldiers and officers left France, Vorontsov found out which of the subordinates owed the local population. The commander paid off all the debts personally from his savings, selling for this one of the estates.
- There were 100 servants in the palace of Count Vorontsov, each living in a separate room.
