Photo Gallery

View from the observation area at the peak of Mount Ai-Petri on the Figured Teeth, the 60-80 m high ridges formed during the weathering of heterogeneous reef limestones, in the background of resort settlements Koreiz and Gaspra (far away) at 1200 meters above sea level. In a summer season, a rickety suspension bridge is set to the rock with a cross with the sign “Bless and Save”.

Photo #148 taken on May 04, 2017

View of rocks at the edge of "Limen-Burun", the eastern spur of Cape Ai-Todor and a small rocky island called "Parus" (Sail), standing in front of it in the blue waters of the Black Sea. Limen (Liman) in Greek is a bay, a harbor cape. Here in the bay, there is a berth for pleasure boats and motor ships arriving to the famous castle "Swallow's Nest" in Gaspra. In the photo you can see in the distance the silhouette of the famous Au-Dag Mountain (Mountain Bear), where the Gurzuf resort and the Artek International Children's Camp are located.

Photo #382 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.

View from the top of Aurora Cape on the Neo-Gothic castle “Swallow's Nest” (Russian: “Lastochkino Gnezdo”) under a blue sky with fluffy white clouds in the background of the water of the Black Sea and the bay of Yalta city in Autumn season. The castle is one of the most popular visitor attractions in the Crimea, becoming the symbol of the Crimea's southern coastline. It was constructed by the design of the Russian architect Leonid Sherwood between 1911 and 1912 on the money of Baron von Steingel.

Photo #068 taken on September 12, 2013

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

View of the Palace of Russian Emperor Alexander III in Massandra from local garden on a sunny spring day. Resembling a French chateau, the palace 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 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 as his dacha in Crimea.

Photo #235 taken on May 02, 2017

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

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.

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”.

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

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”.

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

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

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 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

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 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

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

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”.

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”.

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

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

Front view of the Church of Christ's Resurrection in Foros under the moonlight in spring twilight. The church was commissioned by Moscow merchant Alexander Kuznetsov, a Russian "tea king", in memory of the miraculous rescue of Emperor Alexander III and his family in 1888 train crash. It was built in 1892 in Rastrelliesque Baroque, Russian Revival, and Byzantine Revival styles by the project of Nikolai Chagin in on abrupt 400-meter (1312 ft) Red Cliff (Krasnaya Skala) near Baidarsky Pass with a spectacular view of the Black Sea.

Photo #800 taken on May 05, 2017

Interior of Enoteca of Novy Svet Winery, the repository of elite sparkling wines, in one of the old tunnels cut in the monolith of Koba-Kaya Mountain (Mount Orel, Eagle) at the end of 19th – beginning of 20th century. In the tunnel is hanging the yellow banner with the words Vir, Est, Vis (“It was. It is. It will be.”) from the coat of arms of Golitsyn family. Several tunnels were constructed below the sea level, so it helps to maintain permanent temperature of 8-12 degrees necessary for aging. The old tunnel cellars are in perfect condition, and most of them are used by the Novy Svet Winery even today.

Photo #278 taken on August 12, 2019 during Champaigne Factory tour in Novy Svet on the 2nd day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea in 6 Days” with my dear clients from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky.

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

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

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

Beautiful Stankevich pine tree growing on a steep slope of Sokol (Falcon) mountain in background of a valley where located Sudak city. 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.

Photo #149 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”)

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

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

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

Under the huge branches of Sequoiadendron giganteum, evergreen coniferous tree of gigantic size in Massandra park. With branches resembling mammoth tusks, these sequoias also called Mammoth trees. The two giant trees were planted on 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 giant sequoias is about nine meters, and the height is about forty meters.

The first seeds of Sequoiadendron giganteum Nikitsky Botanical Garden (located in few kilometers from Massandra) received in 1840 from the former Russian colony Ross in California. Later, the giant sequoia dedron came to Europe from the South of Crimean peninsula.

Photo #005 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

The decorative castle “Swallow Nest” rising on the Aurora Cliff framed by plants 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 #387 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.

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

Crimean landscape on the road between Koktebel and Shebetovka in the background of the mountains of Karadag Nature Reserve.

Photo #304 taken on September 14, 2013

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

Memory photo of me, Arthur Lookyanov, and my clients and friends from Hong Kong, Esther and Ricky, standing on the peak of Sokol (Falcon) Mountain in Novy Svet (New World). The picture was taken on my camera by our local guide in Sudak after 2,5 hours climbing on the mount.

Photo #202 taken on August 11, 2019 during a hiking tour in Novy Svet on the 1st day of the adventure trip “Discovering Crimea in 6 Days”.

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.

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 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