Photo Gallery

Mind-blowing icon of Our Lady of Kazan from the church of St. Nicholas of Wonderworker of Myra in Malorechenskoye village (near Alushta) created by talented artist Vladimir Denshchikov using his own technique of “netting-macramé-collage”. Only linen is used in the process and each painstaking handwork takes for almost six months (and some even longer). Just imagine, the thickness of this is no more than 2 mm, and all the narrow parts are without tools and machines. Each of many great works of the master of the new type of iconography consists of more than 8 million knots.

Beautiful view from Baidarsky Pass on the Church of Christ's Resurrection in Foros, a settlement founded and named by medieval Greek merchants. Located almost in the middle between Yalta and Sevastopol, Foros was rediscovered in the late 19th century by Alexander Kuznetsov, Moscow merchant, a Russian "tea king" who had his palace built on the sea shore. Kuznetsov commissioned Nikolai Chagin, a 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 magnificent church that combines Rastrelliesque Baroque, Russian Revival, and Byzantine Revival styles was built by design of Nikolai Chagin in 1892 on abrupt 400-metre (1312 ft) Red Cliff (Krasnaya Skala) near Baidarsky Pass with spectacular view of the Black Sea. The temple is notable for its luxurious exterior and picturesque interior. The murals created by famous artists Makovsky and Korzukhin, mosaic work performed by Italian studio of Antonio Salvatti. In 1924, after Soviet revolution, Foros church was closed, crosses thrown down, murals painted over, a priest sent to Siberia. Until 1969 it was used as restaurant for tourists who were going to Baidarsky Pass. In Soviet times Foros settlement located on the southern point of Crimea, Ukraine, became popular place for dachas of Soviet generals and leaders (nearby located famous summer residence of Mikhail Gorbachev). The Resurrection cathedral overlooking the village of Foros is a popular tourist attraction and architectural monument of 19th century. It was returned to the Orthodox Church in 1990s after crash of USSR. It went through four restoration campaigns under the auspices of Leonid Kuchma, ex-president of Ukraine. In present days, the church became also a popular wedding location.

Photo #335 taken on September 10, 2013

Light and airy crystal chandelier hanging on the ceiling of the Bedroom of Their Imperial Majesties.

Work on the decoration of the bedroom was performed by the Moscow furniture factory of K.V. Siebrecht.

Photo #200 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”.

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

Angle view of the interior of the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty in Massandra Palace made by the tradition of classicism. Molded elements with gilding are successfully implemented in the strict ceiling design (master M. A. Zhilkin). The useful area of the cabinet was increased due to a niche at the northern facade of the palace. Niche, doors, panels are made of walnut, in harmony with the fireplace, lined with gray marble (at the right). Items of furniture and arts and crafts are typical for palace interiors at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries.

A sculpture of the horse of the German master Slodenbek (Berlin, beginning of the XX century) is placed on a round table with a carved table stand (the work of Russian masters of the late XIX century) in the middle of the cabinet. Armchairs around the table by Russian masters of the first third of the 19th century in the Empire style are ornamented with gilded woodcarvings in the form of laurel wreaths, garlands, stylized military armor. In the depths of the niche is a marble bust of Emperor Alexander II (1818-1881), the sovereign reformer, made by an unknown sculptor in the early 60s of XIX century.

Photo #084 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”.

Crimean landscape with the view of a waving road in the South-West of the plateau leading to the highest point of Ai-Petri, the peak in the Crimean Mountains with the famous figured teeth. 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. Ai-Petri is one of the windiest places in Crimea. The wind blows for 125 days a year, reaching a speed of 50 m/s (110 mph).

Photo #061 taken on May 04, 2017

Illuminated at nighttime the Church of Christ's Resurrection stands under moonlight on 400-metre (1312 ft) cliff near Baidarsky Pass in Foros settlement, the southernmost resort in the Crimea.

Photo #727 taken on September 12, 2013

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

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

View from a second floor of the Massandra Palace on a part of the curved retaining wall with fountains decorated with colums and arches at the parade entrance gate into the Royal estate. The wall, columns and fountains were built when the estate belonged to Prince Vorontsov, the Governer of Novorossiya. The entrance gate was "guarded" by lions - sculptural castings (made in the workshops of the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg) from the work of the famous French animal sculptor A.L. Bari (1796-1875). The entire retaining wall was decorated with majolica plates, red irrigation tiles. Six fountains with satyr and naiad macarons were mounted in it (these masks were replaced with masks of lions in Stalin times). By its architectural and artistic decision, this retaining wall organically entered the general palace and park ensemble.

Photo #120 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”.

The view details of the architecture of a neo-gothic castle "Swallow's Nest" (Russian: Lastochkino Gnezdo) in Gaspra from a back side. It looks like the decorative castle is sailing to the Black sea.

Swallow's Nest is the symbol of the south coast of Crimea located between Yalta and Alupka. The beautiful castle was constructed on a rock 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 #032 taken on September 12, 2013

Walking along the famous trail Golitsyn to the cape Kapchik near Novy Svet (New World) settlement, the well-known resort in the South-eastern part of the Crimean Peninsula, Black Sea, Russian Federation.

Photo #040 taken on May 01, 2017

Walking between rocks along the famous trail Golitsyn to the cape Kapchik and the mount Karaul-Oba (Karaulnaya), the ancient 341-meter-high coral reef of the Jurassic period., located near Novy Svet (New World) settlement.
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 #160 taken on May 01, 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

Large yellow cable car cabin moving down from a station at the top of Ai-Petri (St. Peter) Mountain. Buildings at the edge of Yalta city are visible don’t the mountain (1200 meters above sea level) in the background of the picture.

Photo #038 taken on May 04, 2017

Monument to the Crimean partisans, "Memorial sign in honor of the Crimean partisans who died during the Great Patriotic War" is a memorial complex inscribed in the terrain at the junction of the road from the Worker’s Corner (now the Professor's Corner) to the Alushta-Yalta highway 35K-002 on the 5th kilometer from Alushta city.

The memorial complex was solemnly opened on November 4, 1981. The date is dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the creation of the partisan movement in the Crimea and the formation of the Alushta partisan detachment. The monument is a central composition and side panels made in bas-relief technique. In front of the composition there is a two-level platform with steps. The figures are carved from artificial stone. The faces of the fighters and commanders of the partisan detachment protrude from the central monolithic block - they face the slopes of the Main Ridge of the Crimean Mountains, where the partisans of the Alushta detachment fought. The side panels depict fight scenes.

Sculptor F. I. Aleshchenkov, architect I. T. Semenyaka. It is an object of cultural heritage of regional significance.

View from hotel Romantik on the ancient walls and towers built between 1371 and 1469 by Genoese as a stronghold of Soldayya (Sudak) colony. A silver dome of the Temple with Arcade can be seen behind the fortress walls.

Photo #113 taken on August 11, 2019 during hiking tour on the peak of Sokol mountain with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky (1st day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea within 6 Days”)

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

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

The view from a third-story window of Consular Castle of Genoese of fortification walls stretching along a mountain on the Black Sea coast. This 14th-century castle is located in the eastern part of the citadel of Genoese Soldaia, the former name of Sudak fortress given by the Venetians in the 13th century. The fortress was ceded to Genoese control by the Venetians in 1365. The Genoese Fortress and Consular Castle in Sudak (Soldaia) in the eastern part of Crimea (Crimean Peninsula) is a splendid example of Italian architecture.

Photo #314 taken on August 27, 2015 in Sudak Fortress, Travelling around Crimea.

Interior view of the Christian Orthodox Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Home Church of Romanovs in Livadia. The church constructed in 1864-66 by the project of Russian architect Ippolit Monighetti and connected with Livadia Palace is decorated with elegant marble pillars and beautiful vaults painted in bright blue and gold colors with icons.

Photo #110 taken on May 05, 2017

View on the White Marble Fountain surrounded by blooming tulips flowerbed in the park in front of Livadia Palace in the fog. The area of Livadia park is known for its rich history, and the local amazing nature has always inspired artists and poets, writers and composers. Travelers from all over the world come here to admire the beautiful park surrounding the palace, breathe the clean and healing sea air.

Photo #145 taken on May 05, 2017

Sculpture of a woman-sphinx with a ball at the facade of Massandra Palace located on the Southern coast of Crimea
Front angle view of a sculpture of the woman-sphinx with a ball at Southern facade of Massandra Palace near Yalta, Crimea. The palace was built at the end of 19th century in the style of Louis XIII of France (French chateaux of the Renaissance) and belonged to Russian Emperor Alexander III.

Photo #060 taken on May 02, 2017

A small waterfall in the Grand Canyon filling the deep natural bath Kara-gol formed by Auzun-Uzen river (stream). The river flows at the bottom of the Canyon with multitude of blocks and boulders, forms over hundred of 2-3 meter deep erosive cauldrons and gullies that look like porcelain sinks. These are so called baths. Kara-gol is the largest natural font, located on the road from Yalta to the peak of Ai-Petri. Even in extreme heat, the water temperature in the font nicknamed “Bath of Youth” does not exceed 11-12 degrees. Kara-gol has an average diameter of about 5 meters, or rather, the bath is almost rectangular, 3 by 6 meters and a depth of 6 meters. From a ledge, 3 meters high, jets of a very pretty waterfall flow into it. The parameters of the "bath" completely allow those who wish to dive from a towering stone ledge without fear of injury. But the waterfall is just the appearance of filling the font. In fact, water enters the small mountain lake from a spring that does not dry during the hottest time, and is 150 meters higher from the ground.

Photo #693 taken on May 04, 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

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

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 Golitsyn trail at the rocky seashore near Novy Svet (New World) settlement on the Cape Kapchik that resembles a head with long neck of a huge dinosaur drinking water from the Black Sea, in the old times, called the Russian Sea.

Photo #162 taken on May 01, 2017

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”.

Crimean seascape with a nice seagull flying over Gurzuf Bay (town settlement near Yalta) under impressive white clouds over the Black sea.

Photo #103 taken on September 15, 2013

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”.

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.

My picture in the background of Gurzuf bay, the pier “Dacha Chekhova” (Chekhov’s Dacha) and rocks where it is located the summer house (dacha) of the famous Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. In 1900 Chekhov purchased here a small tatar saklya (house) with a small piece of the shore where he wrote his famous plays “Three Sisters” and “Cherry Orchard”.

Photo #164 taken on September 10, 2013 from a restaurant terrace of restaurant “Salambo” where opens a panoramic view over the entire bay of Gurzuf.

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

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

Interior view from the entrance of the Christian Orthodox Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Livadia with bright blue and red colors of the paintings on its vaults and attractively carved marble iconostasis with icons decorated with fresh flowers in the spring season. The church was constructed in 1864-66 by the project of Russian architect Ippolit Monighetti and connected with Livadia Palace, the former residence of Russian Tsars. It became a home church of Romanov family.

Photo #104 taken on May 05, 2017

View from a hill on a pleasure boat returning back to a peer in the Gurzuf bay and seagulls flying over the Black sea.

Photo #304 taken on September 14, 2013

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 #058 taken on September 12, 2013

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

Overview beautiful sunset over Crimean Mountains from the peak of Sokol (Falcon) mountain (about 470 meters from a sea level) at Novy Svet, few kilometers from Sudak, the Sothern shore of Crimean Peninsula.

Photo #208 taken on August 11, 2019 during hiking tour on the peak of Sokol mountain with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky (1st day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea within 6 Days”)