Livadia Palace: history and location

One of the most popular tourist attractions in Crimea, the Livadia Palace, is a center of attraction for residents and guests of the peninsula. Its majestic snow-white walls have seen many historical events and served as the residence of the Russian emperors. Today, evidence of the historical heritage of this place is carefully preserved here. Tours are held in the palace interiors, and the park around is striking in its magnificence.

The first thing that interests the guests of Livadia is where the palace is located in Crimea on the map and how to get to it from Yalta. In fact, when traveling by car, it is easy to plan a route using a navigator. Also, local attractions are easy to find by consulting travel guides or the locals. But the best solution would be preliminary study of all the details that can help the excursionist when visiting the Livadia Palace.

Even the most detailed description does not give a complete picture of all the splendor of this unique cultural heritage. The snow-white complex of stone buildings looks incredibly attractive, and the surrounding park is well-groomed and has a special charm.

The name "Livadia Palace" today means not only the museum itself. On its territory there is the Exaltation of the Cross house church and the Page building. In addition, here is located the Grand Palace itself and the palace complex that belonged to the Minister - Baron Fredericks.

The cultural and historical mission of the Livadia estate is still quite large today. Many significant meetings, conferences, symposia are held here. And on the adjacent territory, they regularly pass shooting of cinematic films and serials.

During the excursion "The Romanovs in Livadia" you can see the interior of the palace complex. It includes the following premises.

The luxurious front hallway is decorated in the spirit of the Renaissance. Stucco moldings, exquisite decor and a spacious fireplace for heating the room - all this from the first steps creates the desired entourage in the interior.

The White Dining Room is a place known to most people for reports and photographs from the Yalta Conference. The interior is decorated with marble from Carrara. In addition, all furnishings are also decorated in a single snow-white color scheme.

Roosevelt's reception was located here during the Yalta Conference. Austere yet elegant, mahogany décor is complemented by walnut paneling and a rare green marble fireplace with lacquered wood paneling. The luxurious Venetian chandelier located in the center of the room deserves special attention.

During the time of the Russian Empire, there was a room for visiting visitors; during the Yalta conference, it was converted into the bedroom of Theodore Roosevelt. The interior is finished in jacob style with French chic. The natural mahogany cladding is complemented by a white marble fireplace. Here in the exhibition you can see unique vases made of Meissen porcelain, exhibited for viewing and stored in the collection of items that belonged to the imperial family.

A place for informal meetings and pleasant pastime. The premises are decorated in the English style typical of the Tudor era. Luxurious ceiling paintings and natural chestnut wood paneling complete the setting. Partially the modern exposition has been preserved from the time of the Yalta Conference, when there was a dining room inside, reserved for the President of the United States and those accompanying him.

The ruler of Russia worked here, and although the original appearance of the premises has undergone changes, you can still see traces of its former splendor here. A unique product is carefully kept in the exposition - hand-woven carpet depicting Emperor Nicholas II with his wife and son. In addition, the main features of the Art Nouveau style with its severity and laconicism have been preserved, including a unique fireplace with a gray-green dionite stone cladding. The walls are paneled with natural maple wood panels.

The private chambers of the first couple of the empire are designed in a laconic color scheme, with snow-white walls. Inside there is an exposition in the form of objects of icon painting, engravings, photographs related to the circumstances of the life of Nicholas II and his family.

In addition to a sumptuous collection of books, arranged on mahogany shelves, its interiors amaze with the magnificence of paintings hung on the walls. The hall itself looks emphasized strictly and concisely, without excessive pretentiousness and unnecessary decorations.

Well-preserved interior allows you to get a complete picture of how exactly how this place of family meals looked like during the reign of the Romanov dynasty. In the Livadia Palace, this room is decorated with panels made of natural yew. The small dining room displays an exposition related to everyday amateur photographs of the royal family, as well as traditional dishes that were present on the tables of sovereigns more than a century ago.

She acted in the Livadia Palace as a study where the heiresses of the imperial family studied. There is an exposition with watercolors exhibited by the architect and artist Krasnov, who erected the building. Visitors can also see drawings of the children of the last Russian emperor, as well as their letters. Also here you can see a group family photo, created specifically for the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty.

Few of its original appearance has been preserved in the interior. In particular, you can see a bookcase made of unique stained maple, as well as picturesque canvases dedicated to floral themes.

The room is decorated in the spirit of art nouveau, a spectacular oval mirror and a fireplace with ceramic cladding are available for viewing. In addition, the interior features a portrait of Alexandra Feodorovna with children.

There is also a lot to see outside the palace walls. Suffice it to mention the Italian courtyard, around which a colonnade has been created in the refined Tuscan style. In the central part there is a magnificent fountain with marble facing. The architects planned this corner as a place for walking in the morning and afternoon. It is noteworthy that The light-flooded space of the courtyard is familiar to every lover of history - the legendary group photographs of the Yalta conference participants were taken here.

The light well, called the Arab courtyard, on the territory of the Livadia Palace was not created for promenades. The walls of its inner part are decorated with original majolica with recognizable bright ethnic ornaments. The construction of the wall fountain "Maria" is also located here.

Modern history has given the territory of the Livadia Palace its signs. Today, here you can see monuments dedicated to different eras and historical figures. So, in the park is located monument to Alexander III, and at the main entrance there is a stone bronze bust of Emperor Nicholas II. Also, the palace and park ensemble harmoniously merged and monument to Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill by sculptor Tsareteli.

The Church of the Exaltation of the Cross is a magnificent building with snow-white walls, which was built in the traditional Byzantine style. But the original appearance was not completely preserved. During the Soviet period, the building was used as a warehouse, a club, and was part of the sanatorium buildings. The historic marble cladding and the sumptuous altarpiece have disappeared without a trace. However, even after the restoration, the church is incredibly popular among the parishioners.

The territory of the complex with the terrain course starting on it - "By the sun path" after visiting the palace interiors, it allows you to plunge into the atmosphere of the magnificent nature of the Crimean coast. There are oak and hornbeam groves, viewing platforms and places for recreation.

The unique palace and park complex of Livadia owes its appearance to the luck of Lev Potocki, who managed to get at his disposal land on the slope of Mount Mogabi with a unique view of the sea. It was from his heirs that in 1861 the estate was bought by representatives of the imperial court by decree of Alexander II. The estate was acquired for the Empress Maria Alexandrovna, who suffered from lung disease, who needed the healing sea air, walks in coniferous forests and mountain trails.

For the royal family, the former landlord's house was rebuilt, the resulting building was called the Great Palace. Nearby, the same architect, Ippolit Monighetti, built another building in a pronounced Arabic style. So there was The Small Palace is the residence of the heir to the imperial family.

But one of the creations of the architect Monighetti still retained its recognizable features. This is the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross, a miniature building of which became the place of the funeral service for Alexander III. Interesting facts about her deserve special attention:

• the building was erected in 1863 and has only one dome;
• inside the square walls there was a luxurious white marble iconostasis, images of saints with large-scale panels, cast gates with a bronze chandelier and real relics - holy relics from Georgia, Palestine and other countries;
• the temple served for prayer to three generations of the imperial family - from Alexander II to Nicholas II;
• Alexander III died in Livadia, and here his heir assumed the Russian throne;
• a prayer service for the emperor who passed away into the world was served in the home church by John of Kronstadt, now canonized;
• the church has a corridor connecting it with the emperor's chambers;
• the restored building was opened to parishioners in 1991.

After the floods in Livadia, the imperial family needed a renovated summer residence. On this occasion, the local architect Krasnov created a project inspired by the views of Turin and Florence, approved by the customer without complaints in 1909. The White Palace made of natural stone was named Livadia and was founded in April 1910. The builders met the record deadlines set by the customer - the building has grown on the territory of the park complex in a record 17 months.

A significant milestone in the history of the Livadia Palace after the Revolution was the Yalta Conference, during which the heads of the three allied powers - Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill, discussed the further order of action in Europe and signed a number of important historical documents. Some of the event's meetings were held here. Representatives of the US delegation were accommodated in Livadia, in addition, the most important and significant meetings were held here, joint photographs of the participants of this event were taken, and the White Hall at the time of the Yalta conference turned into a place for a negotiating table.

The location of the legendary Livadia Palace is the Republic of Crimea. It is located at a distance of 3 km from the city of Yalta, in the urban-type settlement Livadia. It is easy to find it on the map by landmarks known not only to the local population. It is located on the same street as the famous Organ Hall, the village also has the Kichkine Palace, and nearby are a glade of fairy tales and the Uchan-Su waterfall. The address of the museum complex itself: st. Baturin, 44a.

The easiest way to get to your destination is to go there from Yalta from the local bus station. Route public transport makes it possible to get to the palace museum in a short time. It is worth using buses No. 11, 108, 100. It is necessary to stay in the cabin until the end of the route - the Livadia stop. Route taxis No. 32, 27, 11, 5 also go to this stop.

Once on the territory adjacent to the palace, it is enough to turn into the park alleys and move on foot. It takes about 5 minutes of leisurely walking to get to the main entrance. If you have to leave Simferopol, you can take a bus or trolleybus running from the railway station in the direction of the Yalta bus station.

Interesting facts related to the life of the imperial family, exhibitions and excursions inside and outside the Livadia Palace are held during the high holiday season throughout almost the entire daylight hours - from 10 to 18 hours. From November to March the ticket offices are open from 10 am to 4 pm. Among the constantly operating routes.

• Main sightseeing tour. Allows you to visit both the outer territory - the park complex, and part of the palace halls open for tourists.
• Thematic exposition on the theme of the Yalta conference. It has been operating since 1974, since 1993 the entire first floor has been open to the public. The exposition includes a billiard room, an Arabian courtyard, an office, the White Hall and a lobby.
• Exposition dedicated to the life of the Romanovs in Livadia... It is located on the second floor of the museum complex and includes 5 rooms related to the personal chambers of the imperial family - a bedroom, offices of the Romanov couple, a classroom for their daughters.
• Visit to the Tsar's solarium. One of the newest excursion programs of the Livadia Palace. It includes a visit to the roof of a magnificent building, previously inaccessible to tourists. The ascent is via a spiral staircase.

When planning a trip to the Livadia Palace, it is worth considering that there are weekends in the museum complex. They are set for Monday and Wednesday. For lovers of hikers, it is recommended to visit the walking Tsarskoy trail - terrenkura, a journey along which will allow you to enjoy magnificent views of the local nature for 7 km. Once upon a time, this route was preferred by representatives of the imperial family.

A visit to the sightseeing tour through the territory of the Livadia Palace costs 400 rubles for its guests. For privileged categories of citizens, there is a discount of 150 rubles - you can confirm the right to it only if you have a corresponding document. Participants of the Second World War, preschoolers and schoolchildren under 16 years old will not have to pay for visiting excursion routes.

An adult ticket to the permanent exhibition associated with the 300th anniversary of the imperial house will cost 200 rubles. The second main exhibition is most closely related to hunting preferences. Her visit does not have to be paid additionally after purchasing an entrance ticket.

There are a number of rules to follow when visiting the palace. The use of mobile phones, photo / video filming without the consent of the administration is excluded. Baby strollers, bulky luggage and loved ones will also have to be left at home or at the hotel. But for groups of visitors with limited mobility, an accessible environment has been created in the halls, there are ramps.

Despite the popularity of the Livadia Palace, reviews about it are rather contradictory. The guests note the great experience of the guides, the attentive attitude to the questions arising from the visitors. But not everything is perfect. The building itself is not in the best condition and needs restoration of the facade. Plus, excess advertising often promises more than tourists actually get.

Nevertheless, the general impression of the Livadia Palace and the surrounding park is rather positive. In the summer season, its territory is fragrant with the aromas of roses and flowering shrubs, and the splendor of the inner chambers amazes even the most sophisticated sightseers.

In the next video you will find additional information about the Livadia Palace.