Oreanda is a small village 5 km from Yalta, right on the Yalta-Alupka highway. This place is perfect for a calm and undisturbed rest: it was not for nothing that it was once chosen by Russian emperors. Since the tsarist times, an amazing park has remained in Oreanda, in which you can walk every day - and everything will be small. In addition, in the town there are two wonderful temples, and around, in the rocks, there are many interesting places for history and archeology lovers. Add to this the wonderful views from the cliffs and the proximity to lively tourist centers, it is easy to understand why Oreanda should be chosen from the whole variety of options for recreation on the southern coast of Crimea.
Oreanda has a nice pebble beach almost half a kilometer long. It is one of the best in this part of the peninsula, and therefore even the inhabitants of Crimea from neighboring cities come here.
Since the tsarist times, an amazing park has remained in Oreanda, in which you can walk every day - and everything will be small.
A bit of history
The first mention of Oreanda in written sources occurs at the end of the 18th century. There is an assumption that the name of the village came from the Greek language (originally the town was called "Urgenda"). One way or another, in the 1820s. the land on which Oreanda was located was acquired from the Crimean Tatars by the Russian military commander F. Reveliotti, who almost immediately resold it to A. Kushelev-Bezborodko. Already from the latter, a year later, Emperor Alexander I bought Oreanda. It turns out that it was Oreanda that became the first imperial possession in the south of the peninsula.
Soon after the revolution, Oreanda turned out to be abandoned and forgotten, but in the middle of the 20th century it experienced a rebirth, when the Nizhnyaya Oreanda sanatorium was built here. The sanatorium, converted into a wellness center, is still operational and occupies a rather prominent building. Then a second sanatorium, "Wisteria", appeared, and important figures began to come to the village to rest.
How to get there
Oreanda is located just 7 km from Yalta. By bus, taking into account what circles he writes on the road, you will get there in 40 minutes. And by car you will probably need a little more than a quarter of an hour.
Search for flights to Simferopol (the nearest airport to Oreanda)
Oreanda entertainment and attractions
After the acquisition of Oreanda by the royal family, Emperor Nicholas I presented it to his wife, Alexandra Fedorovna, for whom it was decided to build a palace here. The project was created in 1840 by the famous metropolitan architect Stackenschneider. First of all, they began to build a snow-white semi-rotunda, which can still be seen today on one of the rocky slopes above the village. The building is a stone arch on eight Doric columns 8 m high, which is clearly visible from the sea and beyond. It is a very recognizable symbol of Oreanda.
Unfortunately, nothing more from the royal palace, which was nevertheless built, remained, except for the admiral's house and the order of the converted park.
The Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in Oreanda was built by order of the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, who himself chose a place for it, as well as the holiday in honor of which the temple was consecrated. This is a beautiful Russian-Byzantine building near the admiral's house, made of the same stone as the imperial palace. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the church was one of the most revered and most beautiful in this part of Crimea; John of Kronstadt himself served there. Today it has been restored and tourists can admire a beautiful open gallery with slender columns and wonderful interior paintings.
One of Massandra's workshops is located in Oreanda: sherry is made in it.
Another remarkable temple of Oreanda is much younger: it was erected only in 2006. Nevertheless, built over the village, on one of the steep slopes near Ai-Nikola, the Church of St. Michael the Archangel rightfully occupies an honorable place among the local attractions. It is a very imposing and decorative five-domed structure with golden semicircular domes. The temple has one special feature: the surrounding mountains provide unique acoustics. When a male choir sings in a church, the sound is amazing.
Natural beauty
Oreanda's natural attractions are also worth exploring. It all starts right from the beach, from which you can see the Masttovaya rock split into two parts with natural grotto at the bottom. There are versions according to which prehistoric people once lived in this grotto.
The second amazing attraction cannot be unequivocally called natural: after all, a man had a hand in its creation. This is a wonderful park in the place where the Nizhnyaya Oreanda sanatorium is now located. The territory of the park, which was once created for the imperial family, is more than 40 hectares. At one time, Zhukovsky and Nekrasov, Tolstoy and Aivazovsky rested here. A gardener from Britain worked on the creation of the park, and therefore in pre-revolutionary times it was called English. The natural beauty of the rocky landscape has been carefully preserved and used to create a perfect harmony of the park with many secluded corners, flower beds, shady alleys. One of the most striking sights of the park is a century-old plane tree with a height of more than 30 m with an almost seven-meter trunk diameter.
The former imperial park (then - not yet "former") was visited even by Mark Twain.
The famous King's Trail leads to Oreanda, which runs from Livadia Park to Gaspra and passes at the very rotunda. Along this path, you can, after passing a sanatorium and a vineyard, walk to the Kurchatov path. Or to Livadia itself, if there is such a desire. Once upon a time, members of the royal family walked along this path, and it is not surprising: the path is surrounded by shady trees, along the sides, surrounded by rare species of flowering shrubs, benches are set, and wonderful views open from observation platforms.
Above the royal rotunda, you can see the steep slopes of the White-headed Rock and Mount Ai-Nikola. You can climb to the top of the latter along a hiking trail laid famous physicist Kurchatov while on vacation in Nizhnyaya Oreanda. The Kurchatov trail begins near the rotunda. At the top you can see an old iron cross, erected here by the Cossacks in the 17th century. There are also many interesting places around from an archaeological point of view: for example, two burial grounds with stone sarcophagi, the Oreand fortress on the Cross rock or the remains of the ancient Khachla-Kayasy monastery on the same rock.
- Where to stay: Big Yalta- a treasure trove of resorts that have been loved since Soviet times: the sanatoriums of cozy Alupka and ancient Gurzuf, picturesque Koreiz and bohemian Livadia, charming Miskhor and pompous Foros, as well as the beautiful Yalta, sung by poets and artists, await vacationers. It makes sense for fans of silence to stay in chamber Gaspra, Katsiveli, Nikita or Polyana. The swallow's nest will charm you with amazing views, Massandra - with its “fun component”, and Simeiz - with bizarre rocks. Something special can be found among others.
In 1852 the construction of the palace was completed. It cost half a million rubles and became one of the best creations of A.I. Stakenshneider. From the road above the estate, it seemed like a "magic castle", as contemporaries perceived it. Indeed, against the background of harsh rocks and dark vegetation, it looked light and airy thanks to the whiteness of the Inkerman stone, open galleries and balconies, and the picturesque end of the roof. Aged in the style of the Italian Renaissance, it was distinguished by the severity of proportions, a clear rhythm of columns, pilasters, window openings, and floor divisions. The porticoes decorated with caryatids, a large number of acroterias, decorative vases, magnificent capitals of the Corinthian order and cornices of "the best finishing with molded decorations" gave the palace elegance and festivity. All this ended with the solemn sound of white marble staircases leading to the facades of the palace. Each palace has always had its own special artistically designed interiors, which constituted the "landmark of the building". So in Oreanda, the courtyard became the center and compositional planning and artistic and decorative. Judging by the descriptions preserved in archival documents, it was brilliantly resolved in color: its walls and ceiling "were painted in the style of Pompey." You can imagine how 12 columns of reddish Crimean marble were in harmony with this beautiful painting. In the middle was a fountain with a pool and a vase of dark gray Oreanda marble on a pedestal of the same, but yellow marble. The floor was paved with white and gray slabs of Italian marble, 4 dark marble paths leading to the fountain. The so-called vine garden, which adjoined the eastern facade of the palace and the pergola, was originally designed. It was all decorated with marble: a fountain of white Carrara marble with a pool and bowls in the style of the Bakhchisarai fountain (one of the earliest replicas of this fountain on the South Bank) was installed in the wall. The columns that surrounded this garden were carved from Oreandian light marble, while five polished vases, two round tables and a double bench were all whiteness.
The ceremonial halls of the first floor were magnificently decorated: the large hall (in the old documents it is called the Hall) was decorated in the style of Louis XVI (classicism). Coffered ceiling with gilding, two fireplaces of red Crimean marble, strict solution of the walls. Later, for this hall, the St. Petersburg furniture manufacturer A. Vasmut, who produced furniture for the Orenada Palace, will be ordered 50 pieces of furniture, also in the style of Louis XVI. In contrast to this austere room, the boudoir was decorated in a light, playful Pampadour (rococo) style. Here the fireplace was carved in white Carrara marble. The walls, covered with white silk staple fabric, were set off with a gilded baguette. Other large rooms on the ground floor - the front, the study, the living room, the dining room, the bedroom were also distinguished by a beautiful decorative design: there were fireplaces of white Italian and red Crimean marble, walnut panels, Swedish marble stoves, gilding in decoration, oak wood flooring , walnut, maple, door handles - "gilded bronze with crystal colored balls" and other decorative elements.
In addition to the main ceremonial rooms, on the first floor there were also two Camerojungfer rooms, 3 rooms for a suite, an attendant, a footman's room, and a room for servants. On the second floor there were two offices, a living room, 15 small rooms, two valets, bathrooms; on the mezzanine - Her Majesty's wardrobe and the "room for the room girls".
8 large and 12 medium-sized fireplaces made of white Carrara marble and "Crimean porphyry" were installed in the rooms of the palace, the floors of balconies and galleries were lined with colored slabs.
It was the first royal palace on the South Bank. Both in its beautiful architectural forms and in the magnificently executed decorative design of the interiors, it really was royal - everything was at the highest artistic level. In one of the guidebooks of the 1870s. one could read: "While examining the palace, pay attention - to the courtyard and pavilion in Pompeian style with excellent columns of Crimean marble, to the beautiful caryatids supporting balconies facing the sea, to the marble staircase leading to the second floor ... In Oreanda everything deserves attention and detailed review. "
RGIA stores a number of projects for Oreanda, which can be used to learn about some of the buildings on the estate. Almost all projects are copies of Stackenschneider's drawings; the signatures of Eshliman and "architect assistant" Werth confirm their fidelity to the originals. Looking at these drawings, you are convinced that Oreanda was not supposed to have a large economic activity... All buildings were designed only to provide for the daily maintenance of the estate in due order.
In September 1850, the palace, where the last finishing works were going on, was visited by the heir to the throne, Alexander Nikolaevich. His Imperial Highness went down past the greenhouse on the newly constructed road to the palace buildings, where he first examined the plans approved by the Highest, then deigned to inspect the upper and mezzanine floors of the palace, the kitchen with underground passage and the commenced construction of a stable with an outbuilding. Moreover, the Grand Duke Tsarevich drew attention to the difficulty of the work and to the painful faces of most of the workers who were assembled at the buildings.
From the palace buildings, His Imperial Highness deigned to drive past the cascade to the imperial house, and from there through the menagerie and the estate of Count Pototsky Livadia to Yalta, declaring his pleasure to the chief caretaker of the Oreandian estate for the order and cleanliness with which the garden and roads in Oreanda are kept. "
134 years ago, on August 8, 1881, due to an absurd accident in Oreanda, the palace burned down, which was the first royal residence built on the southern coast of Crimea. However, this grandiose structure did not disappear without a trace - the temple created from its remains stands to this day.The first royal on the South Coast
In 1825, Alexander I visited Oreanda. He liked this place so much for its pristine beauty and desolation that the emperor decided to come here on vacation and build a palace here for his wife Elizaveta Alekseevna. But, having caught a cold, Alexander I died unexpectedly, and in May 1826 Oreanda became the imperial estate of Nicholas I. The royal family first visited him in September 1837. By that time, there was already a park called the "Imperial Garden", greenhouses and a vineyard with a wine cellar. During this trip, the tsar presented Oreanda to his wife Alexandra Fedorovna. The royal family stayed with Count Vorontsov in Alupka, but the Empress often traveled to Oreanda planning the construction of the palace. As a result, it was decided to build the palace in the style of Roman villas, and in 1842 construction began. The first building in the palace complex was a white-stone semi-rotunda that crowned one of the cliffs of Oreanda. Eight seven-meter columns, carved from the best quality Kerch stone, adorned the rotunda. Visible from afar, it immediately became the main feature of the royal estate. For the construction of the palace itself, mainly local building material was used: Inkerman and Kerch stone, Miskhor and Oreand marble, some columns and fireplaces (by the way, there were more than 20 in the huge palace) were carved from Crimean red marble, the so-called Crimean porphyry. The main grand staircases and fireplaces in the premises for the empress were made of white Carrara marble. From the road above the estate, this royal palace, the first on the South Bank, seemed like a magic castle - this is how contemporaries perceived it.In 1852 Nicholas I came to Lower Oreanda to receive the palace. This was his last visit here, in 1855 he died. Alexandra Fedorovna died in 1860, having bequeathed the estate to her second son, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, who owned it for over 30 years. He often came to Oreanda, called it an earthly paradise, and after retiring in 1881, he lived here almost constantly. On the night of August 7-8, 1881, a fire destroyed the beautiful palace. According to one of the versions, the fire broke out "due to the careless handling of cigarettes by the children of courtyard employees." There was a hurricane wind that day, and the flames quickly engulfed the entire building - only the stone frame survived. The restoration of the palace required a large sum, which the Grand Duke did not have at his disposal: “I received a beautiful palace from Mother, it is no longer there, I will never be able to restore it. Let the temple of God be built from its remnants. "
Noble simplicity
From the stones left after the fire, the Grand Duke decided to build a temple of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in Oreanda. The prince was well versed in architecture and planned to build a temple in the Georgian-Byzantine style, which, in his opinion, was best suited to the harsh, rocky terrain of Oreanda. Initially, the temple was supposed to be erected on a picturesque rock - it would rise above the whole of Oreanda and would be visible from all sides. But this thought had to be abandoned: located so high, the temple would be inaccessible, besides, there was a wine cellar and a distillery nearby, and it was indecent to build a temple next to such institutions. Therefore, the Grand Duke decided to build a temple not far from his Admiral's house. The temple turned out to be small, cruciform, with one dome. It had a wonderful view of the sea.
Mighty century-old oaks grew around, on the largest of them an original bell tower was made. A platform of two planks was arranged on this peculiar belfry, a wooden staircase with railings led to it. There were five bells, the largest weighed 160 kg, the smallest - 3 kg.
The solemn consecration of the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos took place in 1885. The temple was notable for its rich decoration. The window frames in the drum and the large crosses that adorn the outer walls were made of white Carrara marble. The carved iconostasis is made of walnut, oak, cypress and juniper. Part of the temple was painted by famous Russian artists, part is decorated with mosaic images created by the famous Italian master Antonio Salviati (some of these mosaics have survived to this day). The main advantage of the church, according to the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, was its "graceful and noble simplicity [...] the agreement and nobility of all lines."
The foundation of the temple. April 1885 Photo by F.P. Orlova
The construction of the walls of the temple. April 1885 Photo by F.P. Orlova
Erection of arches and vaults of the temple. June 1885 Photo by F.P. Orlova
Exaltation of the cross on the dome of the temple. August 19, 1885 Photo by F.P. Orlova
Church of the Intercession in Oreanda. 1886 g.
After the revolution, the temple went through many difficult days, it suffered from
In 1837, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna received the Oreanda estate as a gift from her husband Nicholas I and ordered the project of the palace to the Berlin architect Karl-Friedrich Schinkel. The architectural solution proposed in 1839 by K.F. Schinkel aroused the admiration of the royal family, but the project was abandoned due to the high cost.
In 1840, Professor Andrei Ivanovich Stakenschneider was invited to create a new version of the project. "The project of the palace in Oreanda" became one of the best creations of the architect A.I.Shtakenschneider.
The Petersburg architect, while retaining the general idea, style and layout of the ensemble conceived, completely changed its scale. He significantly reduced the size of the future palace and, by moving it from the top of the mountain to one of the mountain terraces, descending to the sea, he softened the "fortress" character of the building. The composition of A.I. Stackenschneider took the plan of a Roman house with an atrium surrounded by Doric porticoes. It became the center around which the ceremonial interiors were grouped. The external architecture of the palace was of a pronounced Renaissance character. In 1842, the emperor approved new project... The construction of the palace lasted 10 years and was fully completed by the fall of 1852. The craftsmen worked under the guidance of architects L.V. Cambiaggio and K.I. Ashliman. All stone works from the beginning to the end of the construction were in charge of the Englishman William Gunt.
Against the backdrop of harsh rocks and dark vegetation, the royal palace seemed to be a "magic castle", it looked light and airy thanks to the whiteness of the Inkerman stone, open galleries and balconies, and the picturesque completion of the roof.
On the night of August 7-8, 1881, a fire destroyed a beautiful piece of architecture of the 19th century, and only 66 years later the ruins of the royal palace were dismantled. After the end of the Great Patriotic War, by order of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) I.V. Stalin began construction of the sanatorium complex "Nizhnyaya Oreanda".
In 1958, on the site where the royal palace was located, according to the project of the architect M.Ya. Ginzburg, the main building of the sanatorium was built (now the building "Imperial"). Since the construction of this building was completed after the death of Ginzburg, when the tendencies of "pomp" and "embellishment" in Soviet architecture intensified from year to year, the project underwent changes in the direction of enriching the external appearance and especially the interiors of the building. The building is built in the form of a luxurious two-tiered "Roman" palace with wide staircases leading to the second tier.
Simultaneously with the Imperial building, a coastal elevator, berths and beach fortifications were built.
After the October Revolution, interest in "Nizhnyaya Oreanda" manifested itself in the late 1930s, when, at the direction of I.V. Stalin in the Crimea, the construction of new resort resorts begins.
One of the leading architects for their construction was M.Ya. Ginzburg.
Ginzburg worked a lot in the Crimea. In 1917-1921 he lived on the peninsula and studied the folk architecture of the Crimean Tatars. Having moved to Moscow, in 1925, Ginzburg and the Vesnin brothers organized the Association of Contemporary Architects, which included leading constructivists.
In the early 1930s. M. Ya.Ginzburg headed a group of designers who worked on a regional planning project South Shore Crimea. The Nizhnyaya Oreanda sanatorium is the first sanatorium on the southern coast of Crimea, built after the end of the Great Patriotic War.
The architect Ginzburg began working on the project back in 1940. But the construction of the first stage of the Nizhnyaya Oreanda sanatorium complex was carried out only in 1948, after his death.
Simultaneously with the luxury building (now "Kremlin"), the administrative building was built, as well as all the infrastructure necessary for the life of the sanatorium.
The Kremlin building was erected in a modest Palladian style with elements of constructivism. In plan, it was a closed rectangle with arched openings on the facades and an atrium courtyard and was designed for only 40 seats. The building is located on a gentle relief with a decrease towards the sea and adjoins a steep descent leading to the coast.
In 1950, also according to the project of M.Ya. Ginzburg, the building of the Medical building of the sanatorium "Nizhnyaya Oreanda" was built. The best spa doctors worked in the elite health resort and the latest medical equipment of that time was installed.
By the end of the 50s of the last century, "Nizhnyaya Oreanda" became a favorite vacation spot for the leaders of the country and the leaders of the Communist Party Soviet Union, outstanding figures of science, culture and art.
Nobel laureates N. Basov and A. Prokhorov, academicians L. Landau and I. Kurchatov, directors N. Sats, I. Pyriev, S. Obraztsov, E. Matveev, actors I. Ilyinsky, R. Plyatt, I. Makarov, singers L. Zykina and M. Bieshu, ballerinas O. Lepeshinskaya, G. Ulanova and M. Plisetskaya, as well as famous politicians, diplomats and many other legendary personalities of the 20th century.
The Church of the Most Holy Mother of God in Oreanda was built in 1885 by order of the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich Romanov.
The temple is made in the Georgian-Byzantine style by the project of the academician of architecture A.A. Avdeev. The church was richly decorated with mosaic images and ornaments by the Italian mosaicist Antonio Salviati. Such famous painters and ornamentalists as Prince G.G. Gagarin, former Vice-President of the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, academicians D.I. Grimm, M.V. Vasiliev.
At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. the temple was considered one of the most beautiful on the southern coast of Crimea. In this blessed place the holy righteous John of Kronstadt served. Since Alexander III, the entire royal family prayed here when they were vacationing on the Southshore.
In 1924, the temple was closed and transferred to the jurisdiction of OHRIS, in order to use it as an excursion object as an architectural monument. In 1928, the temple was supposed to be demolished, but defenders of cultural monuments stood up and the temple survived. In the post-war period, the church was used for mechanical workshops, construction and vegetable warehouses.
In 1992, the temple was returned to the Church. And now we can again see a rare image of the Savior in adolescence, the twelve apostles, the full image of the icon of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos and partially preserved faces of the saints.
The park in Oreanda began to form back in the 30s of the XIX century under the leadership of the English gardener V. Ross. It was broken up in a landscape style. Its layout and new plantings were made in such a way as to preserve the originality of Oreanda, without disturbing its "wild", pristine beauty.
The main layout of the park was carried out during the construction of the palace. In April 1849, the architect Stackenschneider drew up a master plan for the reconstruction of the entire garden and a detailed design of the part of the garden around the palace. As Stackenschneider writes, “the palace was built on such a place where the garden should be planted steeply”, and therefore he proposes “to plan and decorate the area in front of the palace up to 625 sq. soot ", plant 1 thousand different trees and up to 5 thousand shrubs of different varieties.
The new plantings represented the subtropics of various regions throughout the globe... However, making numerous plantings, gardeners organically included specimens of the local Crimean flora in them. Until now, in the center of the park, opposite the main building, a huge eastern plane tree rises. Oriental plane tree (also plane tree, plane tree) is a woody plant, species of the genus Platanus (Platanus), of the Platanaceae family. In nature, the oriental plane tree reaches colossal size and exceptional longevity.
The magnificent Lower Oreanda plane tree is the largest and one of the oldest plane trees on the South Shore. Its age is more than 200 years, its height is 30 m and the trunk circumference is 6.5 m.
This plane tree was carefully guarded throughout the 19th century; no plantings were made around it. As a result, with its mighty branches widely scattered to the sides and dropping to the ground, the plane tree formed a kind of tent.
Under this tree he loved to rest and conduct military reviews in October 1910 and May 1912, the last ruler Russian Empire Nicholas II. Nekrasov, Bunin, Chekhov, Aivazovsky and many other great and famous connoisseurs of the beauty of Lower Oreanda, who have forever inscribed their names in world history, strolled here.
In 1920, after the establishment of Soviet power in the Crimea, Oreanda, like other royal estates, was nationalized. In the summer, under the shade of a sycamore, camps were set up for the builders of the "new world".
Today the oriental plane tree is the real pride of the Lower Oreanda Park. It belongs to the category of natural monuments, is considered unique and has an independent scientific, aesthetic and historical value.
In 1825, Emperor Alexander I, at the invitation of Count M. Vorontsov, made a trip to the Crimea. Passing Oreanda, he was so impressed by its beauty that he decided to establish his estate here.
However, in the same 1825, Alexander I dies, and the estate is inherited by his younger brother Nicholas.
In 1837, Emperor Nicholas I set out on a journey across the Crimea, and on September 17, 1837, the royal family set off for Oreanda. Here is how an eyewitness describes their arrival: “Arriving at the gate leading to Oreanda Park, the emperor stopped his horse and approached the empress and announced that he was giving her Oreanda.
On the same day, they examined the buildings erected according to the designs of the architect F. Elson: a "house with a tower" for guests, a greenhouse, the house of the estate manager, a gardener and a winemaker. By the time of the Imperial visit, a small "imperial" house was also thoroughly repaired, in which Alexander I stayed in 1825 and dined with friends: they covered the roof with tiles, changed the ceiling, and added a gallery to the facade.
After the death of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna on October 20, 1860, Oreanda came into the possession of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich and until 1894 was in the status of a grand ducal, not a royal estate.
1881 turned out to be fatal for Konstantin Nikolaevich.
On March 1, in St. Petersburg, Emperor Alexander II was killed by a bomb explosion of the terrorist Grinevitsky. With him ended the era of liberal reforms that led the country to a constitutional monarchy. Under the new emperor Alexander lll, the grand duke was out of work. He was removed from almost all of his posts.
The prince spent the summer of 1881 in Oreanda. On the night of August 7-8, a dramatic event took place - a palace in Oreanda burned down due to an oversight. After the fire, Konstantin Nikolaevich decided to settle in the "imperial house", in which he lived during the now frequent and long visits to his beloved estate Oreanda. In this regard, the house was renamed "admiral's" - according to the title of its owner.
The facade of the building in the Admiral's House was designed in the style of Tatar folk architecture with lancet windows and a wooden gallery with carvings. In the left half was the room of Konstantin Nikolaevich, and across the vestibule, in the right, was the adjutant's room. Several small rooms at the back of the house were occupied by servants.
Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich lived in this house from 1881 to 1889. In 1889, after a stroke, paralyzed, he was transported to his estate Pavlovsk near St. Petersburg.
In a secluded corner magnificent park"Nizhnyaya Oreanda" with a classic rose garden, well-groomed flower beds, and neat paths is the graceful pavilion "Aivazovsky". It offers a wonderful view of Big Yalta.
Here, where the azure sky merges with the boundless blue, IK Aivazovsky (1817-1900) often painted seascapes.
The remarkable marine painter was connected by close and long-term friendship with the owner of the estate, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich Romanov. As the artist's grandson recalls in his nautical notes “from the distant past”, published in 1948 by the society of Russian officers in America, the Grand Duke and the great artist always copied and a portrait of Konstantin Nikolaevich was constantly on the desk of IK Aivazovsky. The same friendship connected the artist with the retinue of the Grand Duke, therefore Konstantin Nikolaevich signed his telegrams to Aivazovsky: "Your Oreand friends."
Today, the snow-white gazebo, named after the outstanding marine painter, is a favorite place of relaxation and inspiration for philosophers, romantics and lovers. Here, in peace and solitude, contemporary painters and poets continue to create their works of art.
The owners of the Oreandy estate tried to do everything so that both in the English garden and in the forest park one could feel “quiet, gratifying calmness”. By designing landscape park in Oreanda, the architect A. Stackenschneider used natural situations, transforming them into landscape objects.
One of these objects was the Swan Lake, located near the palace at the very foot of the rock, the top of which was decorated with a rotunda.
When you look now at a picturesque corner of the park with ponds surrounded by a bamboo grove, it is difficult to imagine that there was once a swamp on this place. When planning this section of the park, Stackenschneider wrote in his proposals: "There are several springs under the rock (on which the rotunda is installed), and from these the place turned into a swamp, why it is necessary to dig small ponds in those places while preserving large trees." It was proposed to dig the ponds with a depth of 1.5 arshins (for this it was necessary to dig the soil up to 20 cubic meters of soot), "the bottom should be overlaid with small stones, and the banks - with large ones."
Tulip trees and bamboo were planted around the ponds.
White swans were launched into the ponds, which were replenished with touching offspring, majestically sliding along the mirror surface of the ponds.
In 1837, Emperor Nicholas I presented his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, with the estate of Lower Oreanda, which he inherited from his brother, Emperor Alexander I.
In the years 1842-1852. the construction of the first imperial palace complex in the Crimea in Nizhnyaya Oreanda, designed by the architect A. Stakenschneider, takes place.
The first building in the palace complex (1843) was a beautiful white-stone rotunda. She crowned one of the cliffs of Oreanda. The rotunda was made in the "neo-Greek" style and consists of eight seven-meter Doric columns, carved from Kerch piece stone of the best quality with fine detailing of capitals, architraves, cornices. The rotunda immediately became the hallmark of the royal estate. A staircase of several hundred steps led to it from the palace. The rotunda offered wonderful views of Yalta and the South Coast.
After a fire in the palace in 1882, the rotunda became the only architectural object left from the original palace complex. Since the beginning of the 20th century, it has been the most visited place on the southern coast of Crimea.
Emperor Nicholas II, who often visited the rotunda with his family and retinue, was especially fond of walks from Livadia along the Horizontal Path.
Rocks and mountains are a unique decoration of Lower Oreanda. The most spectacular of these mountains is the Krestovaya rock, which in ancient times was called Uryanda, whose area is 7 hectares. The height above sea level is 204 m, of which 176 m is a steep cliff, at the foot of which a juniper grove has grown. On the slopes of the cliff, there are many thickets of strawberries and a juniper-pistachio forest with 500-700-year-old trees.
At the top of the Uryanda cliff, archaeologists have discovered the remains of medieval town, which existed here since the VIII century.
After 1837, the name of the Uryanda rock was changed to Krestovaya. This change was associated with the visit of the Crimea by the family of Emperor Nicholas I, who presented Oreanda to his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
On one of her visits to Oreanda, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, together with the Count and Countess Vorontsov, climbed to the top of the Uryanda cliff, installed a wooden cross there and planted an evergreen laurel bush with her own hands. Subsequently, this cross was replaced by a cast-iron cross with a height of 3.5 m. Since then, the rock began to be called Krestovaya.
In 1955, the first USSR rock climbing championship was held on Krestovaya.
Since 1965, the rock has been a complex natural monument.
From 1861 to 1892 the owner of Oreanda was the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, and there is no doubt that one "of the artist's undertakings" (as it was written in the guidebook) belongs to him.
Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich was born in 1827. His father, Emperor Nicholas I, decided that Constantine should make a career as a naval sailor and for five years entrusted his education to an outstanding sailor and scientist - Admiral Fyodor Litka. In fact, he was the first scion of the House of Romanov to become a professional sailor.
On January 21, 1853, Konstantin Nikolaevich took over the management of the naval ministry and was promoted to vice admiral.
As a man who devoted his life to the sea business, Konstantin Nikolaevich decides to decorate the park in his beloved Oreanda with small reservoirs, which were given the shape of the southern seas that were part of the Russian Empire.
In 1879, on the territory of the park, not far from the Admiral's house, original models of the pools were created, which repeated the contours of the Black, Azov, Caspian and Aral seas.
Evergreens were planted around the reservoirs. By neat and regular haircuts, the gardeners achieved the outlines Crimean mountains and the Caucasian ridge.
The park in Lower Oreanda began to form in the 30s of the XIX century under the leadership of the English gardener Ross, and was laid out in a landscape style. In all plans of that time, the park was called the "English garden".
During the spring of 1837, tree seedlings and flower seedlings were ordered and received from Riga from the large "Karl Wagner Botanical Institution". At that time, several varieties of magnolias, 22 species of dahlias, tuberose, anemones, camellias, pelargoniums, violets, purslane and many other flowers were planted in the park. The main layout of the park was carried out in the 1840s. during the construction of the palace for Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. In 1849, the architect Stackenschneider drew up a master plan for the reconstruction of the entire garden and a detailed design of a part of the garden around the palace and proposed planting 5,000 shrubs of various varieties.
It is split into two huge gray blocks and rises by the sea coast. A grotto is hidden in it, the remainder of a cave in which at the beginning of the 20th century the archaeologist Zhukov discovered the site of a primitive man. The Mast Rock and the grotto are interesting not only as natural and archaeological monuments. At the time when Oreanda belonged to the reigning Romanov family, the imperial flag was hoisted on the Mast Rock on a flagpole 16 m high, its oarlocks have survived to this day.
During the period of the first Russian revolution (1905-1907) in the grotto "under the tsar's nose" there was an underground printing house of the Yalta organization of the RSDLP, which printed proclamations calling for the overthrow of the autocracy.
In Soviet times, Masttovaya Rock and its grotto were involved in the filming of the popular adventure films "Children of Captain Grant", "Treasure Island", "Sea Hunter", etc.
Oreanda has retained its unique beauty and rare silence on the coast. It dominates both a large old park and exposed cliffs that give the area a harsh look. From them, as some researchers believed, came the name of Oreanda - "rocky"
Palace and Museum in Oreanda. K. F. Schinkel's project
Utah Arbatskaya, Konstantin Vikhlyaev
In September 1837, Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna arrived on the southern coast of Crimea. The cortege proceeded through Simferopol to Alupka. As planned, the highest persons visited the Nikitsky Garden, Massandra, visited the owners of the South Coast estates. One day Nicholas I and his wife arrived in Oreanda, where the autocrat announced that he was giving Alexandra Feodorovna this estate. From that time on, it became known as "Her Imperial Majesty's Garden of Oreanda".
The emperor set off on a further journey, and his wife and his retinue stayed in the Crimea for some time. From Alupka Alexandra Feodorovna came to Oreanda twice more, chose a place for the construction of the future palace together with the South Coast architect K.I. On September 30, 1837, the Empress, together with the Vorontsovs and the Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, erected a wooden cross with their own hands and planted a laurel bush on the top of the nearest rock, which after this event received the name Krestovaya. The cross was almost three and a half meters high, and there were glazed openings for candles that were lit on great holidays.
There is no doubt that the abundance of blooming roses in the Oreanda Park impressed the Empress most of all, because roses are her favorite flowers. The Alupka Park also made an indelible impression on the august guest. The garden "surprises" of the gardener Karl Kebach, which he had prepared in advance specially for Alexandra Fedorovna at the direction of Count M. Vorontsov, were pleasantly surprised - the Freyshütz waterfall, above which a bush of white roses "shone" against the sky, and an exquisite pergola entwined roses.
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in the living room of the Cottage. V. Gau. 1834 g.
Throughout her life, Alexandra Feodorovna bore the unofficial name "White Rose" or "White Flower". It was given to her as a child in honor of the heroine of the novel by de La Motte Fouquet "The Magic Ring". Roses - picturesque, silver, porcelain and living - always and everywhere surrounded Alexandra Feodorovna. She was very fond of roses, they were close to her, like living beings. The name of the rose, firmly rooted in the name of the Prussian princess Charlotte, was simultaneously reflected both in ordinary things and surrounding objects, and carried a certain sacred meaning. Count M.S. Vorontsov, of course, knew about the empress's predilections, and therefore really wanted to flatter the distinguished guest.
Returning to St. Petersburg, the Empress enthusiastically took up the arrangement of her new estate in the Crimea. Impressions of the recent days spent among the roses of the south, and the reminiscences they conjured up of the White Rose festival in Potsdam in 1829, led her to the idea of applying for a project for a building in Oreanda to the German architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. After all, he was the main designer of the solemn ceremony of the court procession at the White Rose festival. According to his project, the Church of Alexander Nevsky was also built in the Alexandria Park (Peterhof).
Portrait of K.F. Schinkel. F. Krueger. 1836 g.
Church of Alexander Nevsky. Gothic chapel. Built according to the project
K.F. Schinkel in 1831-1834 Park "Alexandria" (Peterhof). Photo 2011
Charlottenhof Palace in Potsdam. Architect K.F. Schinkel. Photo 2009
Nicholas I also liked Schinkel's architectural work, especially the Charlottenhof Palace in Potsdam, built in a classical style on the model of ancient Roman villas. The Russian emperor was always close to the "neo-Greek" style, in which romance, classics and imperial representativeness were combined, so soon the necessary materials were sent to Germany. The National Gallery of Berlin contains 14 lithographs of the project of the palace in Oreanda, printed from drawings by Schinkel. It can be seen from them that initially the architect used elements of Old Russian architecture in combination with motifs of the Italian Renaissance and Neo-Greek. In the second version, the author creates an image that combines elements of the "neo-Greek", "neopompeian" style and the Renaissance, using the motives of the Arab-Moorish architecture in the project of the imperial palace. The ensemble was supposed to include the Museum of the Crimea and the Caucasus, where the found ancient artifacts will be displayed. The project of the architectural appearance of the future museum resembled the tomb of Tsar Mithridates in Kerch, depicted in watercolors by Carlo Bossoli.
Burial vault of the Tsar's burial mound in the city of Kerch
(The grave of Mithridates near the Kerch hospital). K. Bossoli. 1855 g.
Project of the Museum of Crimea and Caucasian Provinces. K.F.Schinkel. 1838 g.
Project of the Museum of Crimea and Caucasian Provinces. Fragment. K.F.Schinkel. 1838 g.
The project of the palace in Oreanda. View of the atrium. K.F.Schinkel. 1838 g.
The project of the palace in Oreanda. K.F.Schinkel. 1838 g.
The most interesting are those drawings by Schinkel, where he depicts the atrium in a single architectural space with the surrounding landscape. Indeed, any antique villa had to demonstrate the harmony of nature and man, and the German architect, fascinated by the images of Hellas and Ancient Rome, could not help but use these associations, especially on the land of the legendary Iphigenia.
The project of the palace in Oreanda. Indoor garden view. K.F.Schinkel. 1838 g.
When the project was ready and delivered to St. Petersburg on 40 pages, it amazed the customers with its scope and historicism. The palace looked more like the Parthenon than a cozy nest in the Crimea that Alexandra Feodorovna dreamed of. The combination of the Acropolis, the gardens of Semiramis and the Golden House of Nero caused bewilderment and annoyance in Alexandra Feodorovna. She writes to her brother in Berlin: "Why did he not create a more modest opportunity instead of this impossibility, which promises the glory of the heirs of Mithridates, but in which there is no joy to live, and we must grow old before we complete the construction."
Imperial palace in Oreanda. KF Schinkel's project.
Caryatids on the seashore. Fragment of the palace in Oreanda by K.F. Schinkel
As a result, Schinkel received royalties and gifts, but the project remained unfulfilled. The revision of the project was entrusted in 1840 to the architect Andrei Ivanovich Stakenschneider, who had recently returned from a trip to European countries, where he studied architectural monuments in Italy, France, England and Germany. He reduces the size of the palace several times, gives it strict classical forms and uses Schinkel's ideas in many elements, including the use of caryatids. Stackenschneider abandons the construction site on a high cliff, proposed by Schinkel, and designs the palace below, closer to the sea.
Architect A.I. Stackenschneider. I.I. Tikhoobrazov. 1846 g.
State Russian Museum.
Palace in Oreanda. Facade from the sea side. A.I. Stackenschneider. 1841 g.
From the funds of the State Historical Museum in Moscow
However, construction began only in January 1843, and this is a separate chapter in the history of Oreanda.
Literature and sources:
1. Kalinin N., Zemlyanichenko M. The Romanovs and the Crimea. “We all have a longing for Crimea ...”. - Simferopol: Business-Inform, 2004 .-- P. 17.
2. Evdokimov V. Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in Nizhnyaya Oreanda. - Simferopol: N. Orianda, 2008 .-- P. 8.
3. Arbatskaya Y., Vikhlyaev K. The Imperial Rose Garden. - Simferopol: N. Orianda, 2012 .-- 224 p., Ill. - Series "Russian Historical Rosary". - S. 37-38.
4. Sokolov B.M. Russian Prussia, or the Birth of a Romantic Garden // Our Heritage, 2008, no. 87.
5. Linnikova O.V. Stylish features of the manor architecture of the Crimea during the eclectic period in the context of European trends. Dissertation for the degree of candidate of art history. As a manuscript. - M., 2011.
6. Kalinin N.N. Palace in Oreanda. Schinkel and Stackenschneider // III Dmitrievskie readings. History of the South Coast of Crimea: facts, documents, collections, literary criticism, memoirs / Collection of scientific works. - Simferopol: Tavria-Plus, 1999 .-- P. 38.
7. Steffens M. Schinkel. - Koeln, 2003. - S. 85.
