Photo Gallery

19th century muselet (or muzzler) machine to put wire cage on a bottle of champagne on display in the house-museum of the famous Russian winemaker, Lev Golitsyn, in Novy Svet.

Photo #240 taken on August 12, 2019 on the 2nd day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea within 6 Days”) with my Dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky.

Ancient stone steps to the upper level of the Genoese fortress of Sudak consisting of Consular castle and four neighboring towers connected by walls. The fortress situated on an ancient coral reef – a conical mountain called Kyz-Kulle-Burun was built between 1371 and 1469 by Genoeses as a stronghold of Soldayya (Sudak) colony, about 55 km from ancient Caffa(Feodosiya).

Photo #255 taken on April 30, 2017

Bust of Russian Emperor Alexander III (years of life 1845-1894) at the Massandra Palace in Crimea. During Alexander’s reign (1881-1894) the country was not involved in major wars, so that is why he was called by all people of Russia "The Peacemaker". He was a man of amazing fortitude, beauty, and harmony, courage and devotion to his Fatherland.

The grand opening ceremonial and consecration of the bust took place on the grounds of the former estate of Alexander III in Massandra on June 1st, 2017. The event was timed to such anniversaries as 175 years since the birth of the palace architect Maximilian Mesmacher, 135 years since the founding of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society and 25 years since the beginning of the work of the Massandra Palace as a museum.

Photo #027 taken on August 13, 2019 during visiting Massandra Palace with my Dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky on the 3rd day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea in 6 Days”.

Interior decoration of the Billiard room of Massandra Palace with the beautiful chandelier and fragment of stucco ceiling with Gothic forms. Following 19th century interior rules, the Billiard room was finished in the style of the English Renaissance.

Photo #096 taken on May 02, 2017

Beautiful view from a top of Aurora Cliff of Ai-Todor Cape in Gaspra on the Neo-Gothic castle situated on the steep 40-metre (130 ft) high rock in background of Black Sea and illuminated Yalta Bay in evening twilight. The beautiful castle was constructed by design of the Russian architect Leonid Sherwood in Neo-Gothic style between 1911 and 1912. It became one of the most popular visitor attractions in Crimea and the symbol of Crimea's southern coastline.

Photo #728 taken on May 02, 2017

Eastern facade of Massandra Palace in a cloudy Autumn day. Resembling a French chateau, the palace of Emperor Alexander III is situated 5 km North-East from Yalta in Crimean village Massandra that located on elevated and cliffy cape. The castle originally built in 1881-1900 for Tsar Alexander III, but after his death in 1894, the palace in Massandra was finished in 1900 by his son and the last Russian Tsar, Nicolas II. This castle was used by Romanovs only as a hunting lodge and the royal family never stayed for a night here, but during the Soviet times, Joseph Stalin decided to use it as his dacha in Crimea.

Photo #045 taken on September 14, 2013

The reception rooms and offices of Their Majesties are located on the second floor of Massandra Palace, as well as their bedchamber and bathrooms. Conventionally, the entire floor of the castle can be divided into two halves - male and female, and each of them has a spiral staircase at the left and right sides of the building.

On the picture is shown decorations of ceiling in reception room of Maria Fedorovna. The finest molding of the ceiling is painted that allows to examine its ornament. Artfully mounted in the ceiling lattices of ventilation system was made by the project of Professor Lukashevich. The interior of reception room supplemented with nice bronze chandelier.

Photo #126 taken on September 14, 2013

Behind-the-Scenes: My Dear clients from Hong Kong, Ricky and Esther, taking memory pictures at the curved stonewall with fountains at the eastern facade of Massandra Palace.

Photo #041 taken on August 13, 2019 in Massandra park on the 3rd day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea in 6 Days”.

View of a boat with tourists entering the Blue Bay (Golubaya Buhta) in Novy Svet (New World), where located the famous Tsar beach in Suzdak district in Crimea. The sharp teeth of the cliffs of the mount Karaul-Oba (Tatar: Qaravul Oba, Russian: Karaulnaya) are in the background of the picture. This ancient 341-meter-high coral reef of the Jurassic period (341 m.) has rather a complicated specific structure: plateau-like area with rock walls, crevices, ridges, stone labyrinths are replaced by deep long saddles. The rocky ledges of Karaul-Oba massif is a State complex natural monument and reckoned among many unique natural wonders of Sudak’s surroundings.

Photo #095 taken on May 01, 2017

Bronze bust of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov created by talented Soviet sculptor Julian Mitrofanovich Rukavishnikov on display in a living room of the house-museum “Dacha Chekhova” in Gurzuf.

Photo #079 taken on September 10, 2013

View from a terrace of Dacha Chekhova (Chekhov's summer residence) on the picturesque bay (very often called Bay of Quietness) framed by trees. The small secret dacha of the famous Russian writer is located in Gurzuf, the resort in Southern part of Crimea near Yalta city.

The Adalary twin-rocks can be seen from this bay and appear far away in the background of this picture.

Photo #055 taken on September 10, 2013

The beautiful richly decorated old icon of St. Nicholas, an icon of Our Lady with Child and one other icon framed flowers on the window sill. Interior of the Church of Christ's Resurrection near Baidarsky Pass at Foros settlement. The church was built in 1892 at the most Southern coast of Crimean Peninsula, in the middle between Yalta and Sevastopol.

Photo #716 taken on May 05, 2017

The round table at which at 5 p.m. on February 4, 1945 met the Big Three, Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill in the Great White Hall (former Parade Dining room) of the Livadia Palace. It was the first meeting of the Crimean (Yalta) conference that was held on February 4-11, 1945 between the allies of the anti-Hitler coalition, delegations of the USSR, USA and Great Britain.
The decisions adopted at the Livadia Palace at the round table of negotiations showed the possibility of fruitful cooperation between states with various social systems.

In the photo, on the left is the chair of the head of the USA, Franklin Roosevelt, on the right is the chair of the head of the USSR, Joseph Stalin, and the chair of the head of Great Britain, Winston Churchill, is located on the opposite side of the table in the center.

Currently, the round table as a museum exhibit is located in the parade lobby of the palace.

Photo #206 taken on May 05, 2017

View from the observation platform at Baidarsky Pass on the Church of Christ's Resurrection rising on the abrupt 400-meter (1312 ft) Red Cliff (Krasnaya Skala) above Black sea and Foros settlement covered with fog in spring twilight. The church was built by the design of Russian architect Nikolai Chagin in 1892.

Photo #788 taken on May 05, 2017

Flowering standard pink rose-tree at the picturesque antique patio near the eastern facade of Massandra Palace in the background of the curved stonewall with fountains.

Photo #051 taken on August 13, 2019 during tour of Livadia Palace and Park with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky on the 3rd day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea in 6 Days”.

Direct bottom view of the light and airy crystal chandelier hanging on the ceiling of the Bedroom of Their Imperial Majesties in Livadia Palace.
Work on the decoration of the bedroom was performed by the Moscow furniture factory of K.V. Siebrecht.

Photo #203 taken on August 14, 2019 during tour of Livadia Palace and Park with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky on the 4th day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea in 6 Days”.

Angle view of the decorative Neo-Gothic castle "Swallow's Nest" (Russian: Lastochkino Gnezdo) at twilight. It is the symbol of the south coast of Crimea located in Gaspra, between Yalta and Alupka. The beautiful castle was constructed by design of the Russian architect Leonid Sherwood between 1911 and 1912 on money commissioned by the owner of this land, Baron von Steingel, a Baltic German noble who had made a fortune extracting oil in Baku, acquired the timber cottage and within a year had it replaced with the current building almost within a year.

In 2011, after 3 months of restoration work estimated to cost $150,000 USD, it was opened as a museum. The Swallow's Nest is one of the most popular visitor attractions in the Crimea, becoming the symbol of the Crimea's southern coastline.

Photo #714 taken on May 02, 2017

View from Baidarsky Pass on the Church of Christ's Resurrection raising on the Red Cliff (Krasnaya Skala) over the low clouds at Foros settlement on the Black Sea in a spring season. The magnificent church, that combines Rastrelliesque Baroque, Russian Revival, and Byzantine Revival styles, was built in 1892 by the project of Russian architect Nikolai Chagin on the abrupt 400-meter (1312 ft) cliff. Alexander Kuznetsov, the Moscow merchant and the Russian "tea king" who had his palace built on the seashore, commissioned Nikolai Chagin, the celebrated architect from Wilno, to built the church of Christ's Resurrection in memory of the miraculous rescue of Emperor Alexander III and his family in 1888 train crash in the Borki, on the way to St. Petersburg. The temple is notable for its luxurious exterior and picturesque interior.

Founded and named by medieval Greek merchants, Foros settlement was rediscovered in the late 19th century by Alexander Kuznetsov. It is located at the most Southern coast of Crimean Peninsula, in the middle between Yalta and Sevastopol.

Photo #593 taken on May 05, 2017

View at the peak of Sokol (Falcon) Mountain, 474 meters above the level of Black Sea, peaceful “Zelenaya Buhta" (Green Bay) and the settlement of Novy Svet (New World), down the mountain at sunset.

Photo #254 taken on August 31, 2015

Angle view of white-stone Livadia Palace decorated with colorful bright red, white, vinous and yellow tulips at fountain areas in the springtime. The palace is a beautiful pearl and architectural monument of the Southern coast of Crimea located not far from Yalta city. It was the summer home of the last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II, built in 1911 by Russian architect N.P. Krasnov. In Livadia Palace held Yalta Conference of “Bif Three” in February 1945.
Location: Suburb of Yalta, Crimea, Russia

Photo #065 taken on May 05, 2017

Overview mountains and large vineyards at the southern shore of Crimean Peninsula near a village Uskut, Alushta district.

Photo #087 taken on August 09, 2019

Beautiful landscape at the peak of Mount Ai-Petri (St. Peter) with the view of the Figured Teeth, the 60-80 m high ridges formed during the weathering of heterogeneous reef limestones, and the coast of Black sea where located resort settlements Koreiz (down at the left) and Alupka (down at the right).

Vorontsov Palace and Park, one of the oldest and largest palaces in Crimea, situated in Alupka, at the foot of Ai-Petri Mountain.

Photo #070 taken on May 04, 2017

View of Italian Courtyard with palms and fountain for walk and relation in Livadia Palace, the summer residence of Romanov family outskirts of Yalta, Crimea. Such patios for walks and relaxation were characteristic of Italian Renaissance architecture. It was created by the talent architect N.P. Krasnov in 1909-1911 and still attracts travelers from all over the world.
On February 9, 1945, the participants of the Crimean Conference took pictures in the center of the Italian courtyard. Here was made one of the most famous photographs of the "Big Three" - I.V. Stalin, F. Roosevelt and W. Churchill.

Photo #148 taken on August 14, 2019 during visiting Livadia Palace with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky on the 4th day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea within Six Days”.

Angle bottom view of a chandelier (Greek: panikadilo) hanging from cupola (dome) of the Church of Christ's Resurrection in Foros. The beautiful cupola and vaults of the church decorated with Byzantine ornamentation.

Photo #708 taken on May 05, 2017

The big Sudak pine on the slope of Sokol Mountain (Falcon Mountain) in Novy Svet in the background of the mountain range in Sudak district. The tree is used by people who climb on the mount as an object of wishes and offerings. This type of trees in Sudak was called Stankevich pine by the name of famous Russian botanist who found and described it in 1906.

Photo #384 taken on August 31, 2015

View from Livadia park on the home church of Romanov’s family with a small old style belfry at the side of their palace, the royal summer residence in Crimea, framed by trees in a foggy spring day. The Christian Orthodox Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was constructed in 1864-66 by the project of Russian architect Ippolit Monighetti and connected with Livadia Palace.

Photo #084 taken on May 05, 2017

View of Gurzuf bay framed by trees from an observation deck at the top of a hill on Gurzufskoye highway. The edge of Mount Au-Dag (Bear Mountain), twin-rocks Adalary, Skalny (Rocky) Hotel on the Genoese Rock with a peer of Chekhov’s Dacha at the bottom, old and modern buildings of Gurzuf you can see on this picture. Gurzuf is the popular resort-town (urban-type settlement) located in 11 km East from Yalta city.

Photo #021 taken on August 19, 2019

A small yacht is sailing the Black Sea before the storm on in bay of Gurzuf, south coast of Crimea.

Photo #086 taken on September 15, 2013 from a terrace of a local restaurant “Salambo” located on the beach about 16 m (52 ft) above sea level.

The working fountain in a beautiful park in front of Massandra Palace on a nice sunny morning.

The Palace in Massandra resembling a French chateau was built in 1881-1900 for Tsar Alexander III, but after his death in 1894, it was finished in 1900 by his son and the last Russian Tsar, Nicolas II. The castle is located on elevated and cliffy cape. It was used by Romanovs only as a hunting lodge and the royal family never stayed for a night here, but during the Soviet times, Joseph Stalin decided to use it as his dacha in Crimea.

Photo #174 taken on August 13, 2019 during visiting Massandra Palace with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky on the 3rd day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea in 6 Days”.

Looking on the splendid park with fountain, sculptures, and columns from a window on the second floor at the south-western side of Massandra Palace. This beautiful park was developed in a French style during the reconstruction of the palace, the summer residence of Alexander III in Crimea, by the project of Messmacher in the 1890s. Behind the fountain are growing two giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron Giganteum), the highest mammoth trees in Crimea. They were planted 130 years ago, so in the present time, the trunk girth of these trees is about nine meters, and the height is about forty meters.

Photo #136 taken on August 13, 2019 during the tour of Massandra Palace with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky on the 3rd day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea in 6 Days”.

Golubaya Buhta (Blue Bay) is a captivating area of the Crimean coastline of Novy Svet (New World). On the steep slope of this rocky yet beautiful coastline grows a rare and solitary Stankevich pine tree that is endemic to Sudak (the south Crimean coast).

Also located in Golubaya Buhta (Blue Bay) is the famous Tsraskiy Plyazh (The Tsar’s Beach), so named because this was where Nicholas II enjoyed to swim during his visit to Novy Svet in 1912.

Photo #086 taken on September 02, 2015

Beautiful colorful red and yellow tulips in a flowerbed of a fountain area at Livadia Palace in the springtime.

Photo #063 taken on May 05, 2017

View of a bird flying over the famous figured teeth at the peak the highest point of Ai-Petri mountain, the peak in the Crimean Mountains. The teeth of Ai-Petri consist of four large (60-80 m high) and a number of small ridges on the crest formed during the weathering of heterogeneous reef limestones at 1200 meters above sea level. Beautiful relict pine trees can be seen on the top and between the ridges that growing all around in the Crimean mountains.

Photo #193 taken on May 04, 2017

The decorative Neo-Gothic castle "Swallow's Nest" (Russian: Lastochkino Gnezdo) is the symbol of the south coast of Crimea located between Yalta and Alupka. The beautiful castle was constructed by design of the Russian architect Leonid Sherwood between 1911 and 1912 on money commissioned from the owner of this land, Baron von Steingel, a Baltic German noble who had made a fortune extracting oil in Baku, acquired the timber cottage and within a year had it replaced with the current building almost within a year.

In 2011, after 3 months of restoration work estimated to cost $150,000 USD, it was opened as museum. The Swallow's Nest is one of the most popular visitor attractions in the Crimea, becoming the symbol of the Crimea's southern coastline.

Photo #055 taken on September 12, 2013

View on the famous Golitsyn trail and rocky beach with small cave near settlement Novy Svet (New World) near the cape Kapchik.

Novy Svet (New World) settlement is the well-known resort in Sudak district, the South-eastern part of the Crimean Peninsula, Black Sea, Russian Federation, that boasts its beautiful landscapes, mountains, beaches and factory of sparkling vines established by Prince Lev Golitsyn in 1878.

Photo #150 taken on May 01, 2017

View from the highest point of Ai-Petri mountain, the peak in the Crimean Mountains with the famous figured teeth, on the aerial cableway with a cute yellow car on the way down from the plateau (height about 1200 meters). The bay of Yalta city located on the site of an ancient Greek colony is in the background of the picture.

Photo #209 taken on May 04, 2017

View from Yuzhnoberezhnoye Shosse (South Coast Highway) near Gurzuf on the white clouds hovering over the Black Sea.

Photo #251 taken on September 14, 2013

The Silver Arbor framed by trees on the way from Yalta to the top of Ai-Petri mountain by car. It is an ecological and educational object located the Pendikul mountain at the height of 848 meters above sea level. The arbor was established in 1894 in honor of builders of the road Yalta - Ai-Petri - Bakhchisarai.

In the winter the arbor becomes covered with light hoarfrost, creating an illusion of transfusion in the sunshine a thin layer of silver. From this, the name “Silver Arbor” appeared. From a rotunda of the arbor opens the scenic views on the Yalta amphitheater, Nikitskaya Yayla, Mount Au-Dag, the oak and juniper woods of the cape Martyan and the amazing coast of the Black Sea.

Photo #032 taken on May 04, 2017

The family portrait of Romanovs in the White Hall was presented to Livadia Palace by the Crimean Prosecutor Natalya Poklonskaya on July 12, 2016. Commissioned by the head of the prosecutor's office of Crimea, the historical portrait of Nicholas II with his wife and kids measuring 1.6 by 2 meters was painted within 2 months by Oksana Kairo, the Crimean artist from Yalta.

Photo #094 taken on August 14, 2019, during a tour of Livadia Palace with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther, and Ricky on the 4th day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea in 6 Days”.

Beautiful view at the beginning of hiking tour to the peak of Sokol mount on the Green Bay, Koba-Kaya Mountain (Mount Orel, Eagle), and resort settlement Novy Svet (New World).

Photo #083 taken on August 31, 2015