Features of the Dulber Palace in Crimea

There are several palaces on the territory of Crimea that deserve the attention of tourists and architects. Among them, one of the brightest representatives of Moorish architecture is Dyulber.

The Dulber Palace, designed by Nikolai Krasnov in Koreiz, near Yalta in the Crimea, is one of the brightest sights of our time. The palace of the Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich in translation from the Crimean Tatar means "beautiful". The architect explained his idea as follows - "the palace should be visible in the surrounding area." And he managed to fully bring it to life.

The structure is an asymmetrical architectural ensemble with battlements and silvery domes. There are over 100 rooms inside. This palace was built between 1895 and 1897. The project was developed by a Yalta architect, some of the elements and decor of the palace were chosen independently by the Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich. He brought much that he saw from his long travels in Egypt, Syria and the countries of the Mediterranean and Maghreb. Sculptural stone elements and mosaic compositions stand out on the walls in white.

There he made sketches of local architecture, and it was they that were later used as sketches in the construction of the palace. An impressive territory was required for the construction. After the implementation of this project, the architect was commissioned to build another palace.

During the Second World War, the Dulber Palace was damaged, and in 1946 it was rebuilt by German and Romanian prisoners of war. In the post-war period, the highest party leaders of the USSR and other socialist countries were received there. Today, the palace is more of a luxury spa complex where you can relax and rejuvenate. Dyulber is an example of elite architecture of the 19th century. "Beautiful ... magnificent ... stealing hearts" - these words can convey the feelings that you experience at the sight of this man-made miracle with silvery domes from an oriental fairy tale. After the revolution, members of the Russian royal family were held captive in Dulber. This palace became their last residence in Russia, from where they left their homeland.

If you don’t know where to start looking for the palace, you can easily get lost on the territory of Crimea. You can get from Yalta without your own car by bus number 102. It is he who goes directly to the village of Koreiz. Public transport stops at the bus stop of the same name. As a reference point, some tourists use the Chair Park, which is located at 19 Alupkinskoye Highway, Koreiz village. The former manor house is now a well-known sanatorium. The distance to Yalta is only 12 kilometers.

The first thing that catches your eye is the entrance to the main lobby, which is decorated according to the same principle as in the Cairo tomb mosque. If you have at least some knowledge of Arabic, you can read the inscription above the entrance, which means: "May Allah bless those who come here."

This is how this place welcomes tourists, which immediately gives a feeling of special comfort. When looking at the general architecture, I want to immediately note arched windows, a wide variety of decorative elements in silver color. It is impossible not to notice beautiful ornaments that fit perfectly into a little romantic style. Even from a distance, the building, the walls of which are snow-white, can be easily seen.

As for the decoration of the walls and the adjoining courtyard, everything is dominated by blue, white and blue shades. The yard, by the way, is very spacious and tiled for convenience. The numerous battlements on the walls speak of the Arab influence in architecture. In addition, there are many small details in the painting. Floral ornament predominates in stone carving, there are attractive mosaics, and balconies and numerous arches are made in openwork technique.

The sanatorium appeared here only in 1922, the second building was built much later - in 1938, but they tried to preserve the style. It should be noted that no expensive elements were used in the architecture of this building. Faience, which is presented here here, are panels created by industrial means. At the time of construction, they were a real innovation. The compositions were made from the following components:

• petrolatum;
• gypsum;
• dyes.

So the architect managed to replace expensive materials with cheap ones, which made it possible to significantly save on construction. There are also less pleasant facts about the construction of the palace. Some sources contain information that the architect was not immediately paid for the work, because then there were big financial problems. Peter Nikolaevich was offered to sell the building of the palace. Then it was estimated at 600 thousand rubles.

Despite such difficulties, it was decided to sell half of the Znamenka estate and invest in improving the productivity of the brick factory. Only after that did the architect have the necessary money to complete the project. After 20 years, the castle was strengthened, machine-gun nests and guards were installed.From here the royal family had to flee in 1919, but if not for the garrison, then it is not known whether they survived at all.

The park in its vicinity is a real miniature botanical garden with hills, plane trees, sequoias, pistachios, cedars, cypresses and dozens of other plants brought from all over the world. There is a lot of space for a pleasant pastime. Not only exotic plants are scattered throughout the territory, but also small recreation areas with benches around artificial ponds have been created.

The total area occupied by the park together with the palace is 6 hectares. It is not easy to get around such spaces in one day, so tourists devote much more time to exploring the sights.

Walking through the park, you can enjoy the shade and coolness that large sequoias, oaks and other tall trees provide. Tropical palms and cypresses coexist with them. Gradually, the road goes to the sea, you can meet statues and ancient fountains on the way to the water, for vacationers there are small gazebos that are braided with plants, which makes them look incredibly beautiful. There are lily ponds nearby, where colorful fish live. Children like this place as much as adults, because there is a special atmosphere inside.

Today, here you can usefully spend time within the walls of a modern sanatorium. Excursions are available exclusively in the courtyard and park areas; guests are accommodated in the rest of the area. Unfortunately, the furniture and personal office of Pyotr Nikolaevich have not survived in the main building, so only the exterior here reminds of everything. The territory of the palace is accessible through the main entrance, you can safely walk around, but only without creating unnecessary noise, so as not to disturb the guests.

A few years ago it was possible to go on an excursion here with a person who could tell a lot of interesting things about this place. Now this project has been closed and another has started, within the framework of which it is possible to explore the territory of the palace on your own. Tourists are allowed to swim and sunbathe on the local beach, but not to enter the premises.

At the entrance to the territory, there is a map showing the objects that are located on a large territory. You can see that today there are several bars, including a phytobar and a solarium. There is also a small embankment, where there are always a lot of people in the evening. Children's and sports grounds are also marked on the map, which makes it easy to assess their location in relation to other objects.

If you want, you can use the working VIP solarium or go to the summer cinema. There are also greenhouses where plants are grown for landscaping the park. Parking for light vehicles is marked on the map. The administration has provided a first-aid post at the facility, where you can contact if necessary. There is a pier where small boats and boats arrive.

In the next video, you can walk through the territory of the Dulber Palace in Crimea.