Photo Gallery

The relief of the rocky coast of a small bay of Anton Chekhov in Gurzuf against the background of the famous twin rocks “Adalary”. In this bay, the famous Russian writer bought a small Tatar house (saklya) in late 1899, which became the place of his creative solitude. In a letter to his brother at the beginning of 1900, Anton Pavlovich describes his purchase: "A small bay with a beautiful view, its own cliffs, swimming, fishing, etc., etc."

The twin cliffs Adalary is a visiting card of not only Gurzuf resort, the Southern coast of Crimea, but also the whole Crimea. The rocks are located some distance from the sea in front of the Artek International Children's Center (the former famous pioneer camp in the USSR). On one of the cliffs, there is a tricolor, the national flag of Russia.

Photo #288 taken on August 13, 2019 during the tour of Dacha Chekhova in Gurzuf with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky on the 3rd day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea in 6 Days”.

Beautiful Crimean landscape with the exceptional Stankevich pine growing on a slope of Sokol (Falcon) Mountain in Novy Svet (New World) in the background of the mountain range.

Such pine trees are very rare in nature, but they are endemic to the Sudak district on the southern coast of the Crimea peninsula. First described by the Russian botanist V.N. Stankevich, the pines were named in his honor by the academic V. N. Sukachev in 1906. They are also known as “Sudak Pines”- after the region in which the trees were found.

Photo #348 taken on August 31, 2015

Old cast-iron 19th-century Russian naval cannon in the background of fortifications on the Fortress Mount Dzhenevez-Kaya (Crimean Tat. Cenevez Qaya). It is the gun from a sunken Russian frigate, which was shot down by two English battleships in 1854 during the Crimean War. The naval cannon was installed on the grounds of the Genoese fortress in Sudak on the site of the ruined "Cyril barracks" built by order of Prince Grigory Potemkin.

Photo #016 taken on August 11, 2019 during tour of Sudak Fortress with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky on the 1st day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea in 6 Days”.

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

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”.

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

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 the observation platform at Alupkinskoye highway on the decorative castle “Swallow Nest” rising on the Aurora Cliff in the background of the blue waters of the Black Sea. The small, neo-Gothic decorative castle was built in Gaspra (13 km from Yalta by car) in 1911-1912 closer in style to various German Gothic castle follies, such as Lichtenstein Castle, specifically to catch visitors' attention with its fairy tale appearance. It is the most famous landmark and symbol of Crimea.

Photo #432 taken on August 14, 2019 in Gaspra on the 4th day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea in 6 Days” with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky.

Beautiful Crimean landscape at sunset with a lonely standing tree on the mountain plateau of Burunchak near the Maryam-Dere (St. Maria) gully (not far from the Holy Dormition Cave Monastery) in Bakhchisaray.

Photo #925 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

Overview white-stone Livadia Palace from the amazing park. 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, constructed in 1911 by the design of Russian architect N.P. Krasnov.

Photo #051 taken on May 05, 2017

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”.

Sculpture of the woman-sphinx with a ball at the facade of Massandra Palace, a suburb of 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 #227 taken on May 02, 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 a tourist path of Golitsyn on the Sokol (Falcon) Mountain framed by a pine tree and a rock at the bottom of Oryol (Eagle) Mountain at Novy Svet (New World) settlement after sunset, before it was get dark. The popular village-resort is located on the coast of the Zelenaya Buhta (Green Bay) between these mountains.

Photo #388 taken on April 30, 2017

The old Russian Moskvich (Izh) 412 car with old Soviet license plate with “KR” letters (related to Krym (Rus), Crimea (Eng)) on a curve of the South Coast Highway near Blue Bay (Goluboy Zaliv), Yalta region, on the way from Alupka to Foros, the most southern of the Crimean settlements.

Photo #098 taken on September 12, 2013

The bronze composition dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the meeting of the leaders of the anti-Hitler coalition countries, Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, weighing about 10 tons, was created by the prominent Russian sculptor and architect Zurab Tsereteli.

The monument was established on February 5, 2015 with the support of the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Crimea - Novoselskaya A.V. and the Head of Administration of Yalta - Rostenko A.O.

The "Big Three" - British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, US President Franklin Roosevelt and Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR Joseph Stalin - met in the royal palace in Livadia from February 4 to 11, 1945 at the Yalta Conference in Crimea. It was the World War II meeting of the allied leaders for the purpose of discussing Europe's postwar reorganization.

Photo #825 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

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

My car Honda CR-V in the background of the village of Vesyoloye (Eng translation: Cheerful, Fun) located in the valley of the Kutlak River on the southeastern slope of the Main Ridge of the Crimean Mountains. A quick stop at an observation platform overlooking landscapes in 10 kilometers East from Sudak, even closer to the village of Novy Svet (New World).

Photo #425 taken on May 06, 2017

Decorative castle Swallow's Nest (Lastochkino Gnezdo) castle on a rock over the Black Sea in spring twilight. The small castle resembling a medieval knight's castle situated on the steep 40-metre (130 ft) high Aurora Cliff of Ai-Todor Cape in Gaspra near Great Yalta. 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 #731 taken on May 02, 2017

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”.

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”.

Breathtaking view from the peak of Sokol (Falcon) Mountain, which lies 474 metres above the peaceful “Zelenaya Buhta" (Green Bay) and the settlement of Novy Svet (New World), Crimea. This tranquil bay with its crystal clear water is protected on both sides by imposing mountains.

Photo #426 taken on September 31, 2015

Magnificient interior of the Church of Christ's Resurrection in Foros with the view from the middle of the church on the carved oak iconostasis (icon screen) with the gilded the Beautiful Gates (Holy Doors) in the center and shining church chandelier (Greek: Panikadilo) hanging from its cupola (dome). The walls of the church decorated with Byzantine ornamentation.

Photo #692 taken on May 05, 2017

Overlooking the beach of settlement Novy Svet (New World) from Sokol Mountain at the height about 350 meters. The settlement is located about 6 km West from Sudak at picturesque Zelenaya Buhta (Green Bay). This tranquil bay with its crystal clear water is protected from wind on both sides by imposing mountains.

Photo #253 taken on August 31, 2015

Looking up through the branches of a Sequoiadendron giganteum in Massandra park. Its branches resembling mammoth tusks, that is why this type of sequoias called Mammoth tree. This giant tree was planted at the western facade of the Massandra Palace 130 years ago during the reconstruction of the residence of Emperor Alexander III according to the project of the famous architect Messmacher in the 1890s. In the present time, the trunk girth of the sequoiadendron is about nine meters, and the height is about forty meters.

Photo #172 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”.

Amazing, picturesque mountain landscape of the central part of Crimea at Lake Devichye (Eng: Maiden; locals call it Lake Mangup) with a view of the village of Khoja-Sale located at the foot of Mangup Mountain. The ruins of Mangup-Kale, an ancient cave city, have been preserved not far from this place. The Devichye (Maiden) at the foot of Mount Mangup, surrounded by sheer cliffs, is very young. It was created by man 40 years ago. Mangup lake was formed thanks to the purposeful construction work that was carried out here in 1982-1984. The excavated pit was gradually filled with water coming from the springs that opened during excavation. So there was a reservoir, which began to exist independently and turned into a real natural object.

Photo #123 taken on August 17, 2019

This exceptional Stankevich pine grows on a steep slope, almost at the peak (about 410 metres above sea level) of Sokol (Falcon) mountain in Novy Svet (New World). Such pine trees are very rare in nature, but they are endemic to the Sudak district on the southern coast of the Crimea peninsula. First described by the Russian botanist V.N. Stankevich, the pines were named by the academic V. N. Sukachev in 1906 in his honor. They are also known as “Sudak Pines”- after the region in which they are found. The pine tree in this photograph is about 200 years old.

Photo #222 taken on August 31, 2015

Overview Yalta Bay, Yalta city and its surroundings on the shore of Black Sea from Silver Arbor, the amazing observation spot located on the way to the peak of Mount Ai-Petri. Below the arbor is a waterfall Uchan-Su and magnificent centuries-old pine forest at the foot of the hill Pendikyul. The locks of love left by just married couples on the small fence protecting this observation deck. The Silver Arbor 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.

Photo #035 taken on May 04, 2017

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”.

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

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.

Sculpture of a 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 #226 taken on May 02, 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

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 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