Hancocks at Kyiv

In the 19th century the Yalta area was closely associated with royalty.

VORONTSOV ALUPKA PALACE

The palace was commissioned to be used as a summer residence for the Governor-General of Novorossiya who resided in Odessa, Prince M S Vorontsov (1782-1856). Construction on the palace began in 1830 and continued until 1848. Vorontsov never lived there. Because he was raised and educated in England, he had it built in English style. Churchill felt at home when he stayed there for the Yalta Conference. The Vorontsov Palace is one of the oldest and largest residential palaces in all of Crimea, and because it is also the most well preserved and furnished, it is one of the most popular tourist attractions.

This is a diagram of the entire palace complex grounds, which is now a museum.

Several towers and a part of the defense wall remained from a more ancient castle.

The first room to be constructed was the dining room, built from 1830-1834.

The billiard room at the back was added 10 years later.

We walked through the conservatory

The garden was set up in 1838 and the creeping ficus has remained from old times. Many of the sculpted busts are of Vorontsovs made in Paris in the 1820's.

I began thinking I was walking through a "Clue" game board!

Next was the Blue Living Room

Notice the flowers and leaves are applied stucco ornaments. The fireplace is carved Carrera marble.

This is the corner of the Chinese Room which was occupied by Winston Churchill with the British delegation when the Yalta Conference was held in 1945.

These are photos of the exterior.

Three pairs of marble lions (covered from the weather) flank the sides of the central staircase leading down into the gardens that are terraced to the Black Sea.

The library wing was constructed last.

The park area behind the castle is more natural and includes numerous rocks and this lovely swan pond.

LIVADIA PALACE

The Livadia estate southwest of Yalta became a summer residence of the Russian Imperial family in the 1860's after the Crimean War. They had a large palace, a small palace, and a church built there. The residence was frequented by Alexander II (his wife had tuberculosis), while his successor Alexander III used to live (and died) in the smaller palace. It was perhaps the latter circumstance that led his son Nicholas to have both palaces torn down and replaced with a larger structure. (The chapel where Alexander III's funeral service was held and where Nicholas II took his oath and his bride adopted Orthodoxy still exists.)

Constructed during 17 months in 1910-1911, this palace was used by the last Russian Imperial family in the autumns of 1911 and 1913, and the springs of 1912 and 1914.

We entered around the right side into the vestibule with the large "White Hall" to the right. Grand receptions, banquets, and balls were held here. Indirect lighting (partially shown) accentuated the ceiling stucco. The Tsar's eldest daughter, Olga, had her 16th birthday anniversary celebration here.

The room is set with the round table used for the war time meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union, represented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and General Secretary Joseph Stalin, respectively, for the purpose of discussing Europe's post-war reorganization held February 4–11, 1945.

The next room was the state reception room. The photo displayed shows Stalin and Roosevelt sitting together talking. This room was Roosevelt's study during the conference.

This was the state study of Nicholas II. It was used as Roosevelt's bedroom.

Next was the billiard room but it is now set with the table used for signing the official documents at the end of the conference meetings.

Just outside this room and the grand hall is this lovely Italian courtyard where photos

were taken of the conference participants.

This little Arabian courtyard is actually a ventilation and light well for the rooms but nicely decorated with oriental tiles and a marble fountain on the unseen wall.

Upstairs were rooms for the family, now used to display paintings and memorabilia.

MASSANDRA PALACE

Northeast of Yalta is an estate that became the property of Prince Vorontsov, son of the builder of the palace in Alupka. In 1881 he started building a chateau-type palace, but then died the following year. Alexander III purchased the property and resumed the construction in 1889 for his own use but he did not live to see it completed in 1900. Nicholas II's family came there on outings from Livadia but never stayed there.

Much smaller than the previous palaces, it still was elegantly done. These are the outside courtyard walls (behind the photographer in the previous photo).

And these are the utility buildings!

The interior is likewise smaller but lovely.

Above is one of the china closets built in the dining room. Below is the entry vestibule (to the right of the windows/doors) and entry hall.

Above is a beautiful built-in cherry bookcase; below an intricate ceiling of sculptured plaster.

Two different sitting rooms

The upper floor consisted of mostly bedrooms. But in them were displayed artwork from Soviet times. During the Soviet years, the palace was employed by Joseph Stalin as his dacha. We quite enjoyed these paintings and sculptures of Russian common people.

The grounds seem to be more practical gardens than ornamental, though it is hard to tell under the snow. This is a well-known wine producing area.

The narrow strip of sea coast on the south side of the Crimean peninsula has the warmest weather in all of Ukraine with a Mediterranean climate. But they do get snow occasionally, and that was our weather in January, 2012! This is the view from the road as we came into the greater Yalta area.

The coast land rises from the sea shore quite steeply to a parallel mountain range about 2000 feet high. The main highway ranges along the foothills and the small cities are below with small narrow streets and sloping properties. Those who don’t want to lounge on the beach (when it is sunny and warm!) are happy to hike in the mountains!

This is the tourist "icon" for the Crimea--the "Swallow's Nest". It was built in 1912 by a German oil baron as a gift to his mistress. Construction was stopped by war, it was ruined by an earthquake in 1927, and rebuilt in the 1970’s. We hopped off the bus to take photos. We didn’t walk down because there are just more souvenir shops and an expensive Italian restaurant in the building. I bought a couple of items in a roadside souvenir shop and we had some soup in a nice restaurant while waiting for the next bus!

This mountain is said to look like a bear taking a drink from the Black Sea! (The angle of the photo could have been better to see the "head" properly)

In the 19th century, Yalta became a fashionable resort for the Russian aristocracy and gentry. In 1898 Anton Chekhov bought a plot of land on the outskirts of Yalta and built a villa there, into which he moved with his mother and sister the following year. He planted trees and flowers in his large garden area, kept dogs and tame cranes, and received guests such as Leo Tolstoy and Maxim Gorky. Yalta is the setting for Chekhov's short story, "The Lady with the Dog", and such prominent plays as The Three Sisters were written in Yalta, which he loved. This is a model of the property. We saw the area all in snow!

Rachmaninoff was a friend and guest and played on this piano!

This is one of the cozy guest sitting/bedrooms.

This is Checkov's study with his desk (under glass) at the left. There is an alcove behind it where he sat so there were no drafts to chill him (he was suffering with tuberculosis). The fireplace is directly across from his writing desk.

Checkov was a trained doctor and these are some of his medical books. Chekhov practiced as a doctor throughout most of his literary career though he made little money from it and treated the poor free: "Medicine is my lawful wife", he once said, "and literature is my mistress." Actually, he made his money as a writer of short stories and plays.

Yalta is a seaport.

Here are men spending a snowy day trying to catch fish!

Others were undecorating the holiday tree!

We enjoyed a visit to the nearby Nikita Botanical Gardens that were established in 1812!

Much of the snow had melted and flowers were trying to survive, having bloomed in mild weather before the winter storm. There was even the sweet smell of blossoms in some places.