The palaces of Big Yalta are famous far beyond the borders of Crimea, and many tourists, coming here to rest, first of all seek to see them, to touch the heritage of an era that has irrevocably passed into the past, when the ancient Tavrica was a place of rest of the most noble and wealthy Russian families, including the imperial family. There are several palaces in Crimea, which at different times were owned by representatives of the royal family, and one of these estates, owned by the Romanovs, was Massandra Palace, which has survived to this day in a beautiful state.
Massandra — a suburb of Yalta, located northeast of the city center, is considered one of the beautiful corners of the South Coast of Crimea. The local scenery for centuries has inspired and continues to inspire all who are lucky enough to see it, and that is why this part of Big Yalta remains one of the most beloved by tourists. The fact that the most beautiful palace, which belonged to two generations of Romanovs, is located here, also played an important role in Massandra’s popularity.
The Massandra Palace is also often referred to as the Palace of Emperor Alexander III. It is located in Upper Massandra and today it is a monument of culture and history, on the basis of which a museum — a branch of the Alupka Palace and Park Museum-Reserve was opened. And this means that its doors are open to everyone who is interested in it and wants to see not only its exterior, but also its interior decoration.
The construction of the palace in Massandra began in 1881 under Prince S.M. Vorontsov, the son of the Governor-General of Novorossiya M.S. Vorontsov. A picturesque place with an abundance of springs, grottoes and rocky panoramas was chosen for the estate. The building was erected according to the project of the French architect Bouchard in the style of the times of King Louis XIII, and initially resembled an ascetic knight’s castle, but the prince was not destined to finish the job — in 1882 he died, and all the work, of course, was suspended. The unfinished building stood there for 10 years until it was purchased by the Udelnoe Office — Emperor Alexander III became interested in the promising estate in a colorful area. The new construction project was entrusted to the architect M.E. Mesmacher, who was interested in the promising estate in a colorful area. Mesmacher, who, keeping the general style and size of the palace, transformed it beyond recognition — thanks to new decorative techniques and materials he managed to turn it into a fairy-tale terem, rich decoration of the facade made its appearance very light and airy. The Art Nouveau style was taken as a basis. The two-storey building became a three-storey one, and the height of the building was visually enhanced by the fireplace chimneys pointing up to the sky, the pyramidal roof and the turrets crowned with arrow-shaped tops.
Equally impressive was the interior decoration: each room was designed in the style of a particular era of French architecture: Baroque, Gothic, Classicist, Rococo, Romanesque. There are no huge parade halls, than the architect sought to please Alexander III, who loved the comfort of home, who wanted to build the palace solely as a residence for recreation and therefore does not require formal halls.
The spectacularity of the palace was complemented by the landscaped park around it, which today is considered to be one of the best. Under the direction of the famous gardener Karl Kebach, an English-style park was created on the site of an oak and hornbeam forest: with paths, alleys, flower beds, exotic and simply beautiful and valuable trees — juniper, cypress, cedar, Mediterranean pines, olives, oranges, lemons and figs. The area of the park amounted to 42 hectares.
After Alexander III, the estate passed to Nicholas II, but he never visited this palace, favoring Livadia. After the revolution it was nationalized and used first as a sanatorium «Proletarian Health», then it housed the Institute of viticulture and winemaking «Magarach». Since 1948 it became a state dacha — Brezhnev, Stalin, Khrushchev vacationed there. And only in 1992 a museum was opened in the walls of the ancient building with a rich history.
To visit the Massandra Palace today anyone can. The exposition of the museum tells about the artistic image and history of the building, the purpose of the interiors — here they are recreated in accordance with the concept of Mesmacher. Stained glass windows, stucco and painted ceilings, marble fireplaces with red and yellow copper trim, panel doors, carved panels, glass painting, maple, mahogany, oak and walnut — the interiors are striking in their richness and splendor, but at the same time, due to the peculiarities of the layout, they feel homely and comfortable.
A visit to Massandra Palace is not only a great opportunity to see the beauty and wealth of this landmark of Ukraine, surrounded by which the royal family lived, but also to walk in the footsteps of the crowned persons, as well as Soviet rulers, to visit places where the foot of an ordinary person could not tread before. And such an adventure remains in the memory for a long time with pleasant memories.