The palaces in Yalta itself are usually unknown. Of course, it is impossible to call these beautiful architectural structures completely unknown - historians, architects and ... realtors know them - since these buildings are put up for sale, but the usual prices for these objects are so fantastic that they rarely find their buyers.
What surprised many of these palace houses, built by famous (and not so famous) architects, is their location.
IN ancient cities mansions are usually located along rivers, but Yalta surprises with the fact that at the same Derekoyka visitors see only Soviet five-story buildings, and in order to find something more beautiful, you need to climb higher, into the mountains ...
And then I remembered the report read last year at the conference, here, in Yalta. It told that the first naval minister of Russia, vice-admiral and count Nikolai Mordvinov was nevertheless a tyrant, and believed that "since they gave me this land, I will not give it to anyone." The entire territory from the current bus station to the Lenin monument belonged to him. It was planted with gardens and exotic trees, but despite the requests of the Yalta "mayor's office" to allocate land at least for a road, the count refused. So I had to instead old road to build new ones by the river, at high altitudes, along the hills surrounding the city by the sea.
This is how Pochtovaya Street (Sverdlova) appeared, along which they entered the city, it became popular, and new mansions appeared here, now mainly belonging to the Ministry of Defense. One of them - House of architect Wegener - a beautiful, albeit rather abandoned mansion above Mordvinovsky Park, almost at the end of the current Sverdlov Street.
Photo by Elina Pristupa
This unusual building more than a hundred years ago was built for himself by the famous St. Petersburg architect Oskar Emilievich Wegener, known as the manager of the construction of the palace of Alexander III in Massandra, as well as the palace of Count Mordvinov in Yalta and many famous buildings in Yalta.
The building has preserved white marble sculptures that can decorate a real palace.
Photo by Elina Pristupa
On the balcony you can see clearly the Masonic coat of arms depicting a triangle, compasses, ruler and protractor.
Photo by Elina Pristupa
Glass windows are also unusual here. The mansion, which has a clear historical and architectural value, is now badly neglected; families live in it, who have installed double-glazed windows in several windows, thus disfiguring the old look of the mansion. But even in spite of this, in general, in the former Wegener's estate, ancient window frames, doors, parquet floors, carved wood panels, fireplaces and tiles have been preserved.
Photo by Elina Pristupa
What is surprising: Yalta residents do not seem to notice in what beautiful houses, surrounded by wonderful parks, they live. Here's another house like this - mansion of princess Baryatinskaya "Uch-Cham" (Three pines), on the same Sverdlov street.
Photo by Elina Pristupa
The building belonged to the princess until 1918. And it was built at the end of the 19th century. Although the surname of the architect is unknown, it is believed by the time of construction, by its style and materials that the mansion of Princess Baryatinskaya was built by the same architect Wegener.
Maria Baryatinskaya was well known to the people of Yalta for her charitable and social activities, she devoted all of herself to helping the sick and needy. In the winter of 1918, she was arrested and spent several weeks in custody. In 1920, she left Crimea forever and died in America in 1937. This mansion of the princess was used for military sanatoriums, and in 1951 it was restored and reconstructed. Just recently it became known that it was acquired by a certain owner and organized a hotel here.
Photo by Elina Pristupa
Not wanting to build up his gardens below, Count Mordvinov himself built his palace in this area. It was built in the spirit of the Renaissance and resembles classic Mediterranean villas.
And Nikolai Semenovich Mordvinov received the land in 1794 from Empress Catherine II "For zealous service to the Fatherland." He named the estate "Good Wasteland", its construction was started in 1898 according to the project of the St. Petersburg architect F. Nagel. And the work was supervised by the same architect Wegener.
And already the palace itself appeared here in 1901 - 1903, already under the great-grandson of Mordvinov, Alexander Alexandrovich II. In 1927, the Mordvinovs' house became the rest house of the People's Commissariat of Naval Affairs and also passed to the Ministry of Defense of the USSR.
It is reported that in the late 2010s this palace of the Mordvinovs was put up for sale, and this object is considered the most expensive real estate sold in Crimea - they want more than $ 22 million for it ...
And Yalta began with a very small village of a dozen houses in the area of \u200b\u200bthe monument to Lenin - it was the so-called "Greek settlement", and many of the current districts of the city were distant villages - Ai-Vasil, Autka, Dereka, etc. Here is the famous and visible from all sides church of St. John Chrysostom.
But higher, on the mountain, is a lesser known Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which was built in 1916 according to the project of the architect Maximov for the "Alexandria sanatorium for the ranks of the fleet." The temple was built in the Old Russian (Byzantine) style. Such a “two-story” temple is the Vladimir Cathedral in Chersonesos. For a long time there was a collection of ancient Russian icons in the church.
Photo by Elina Pristupa
If in the center of Yalta, on the Embankment, the palaces are not visible, then it is worth going into small courtyards - and you can find beautiful old buildings. In one of them, in the former hospital of Dr. S.N. Vasiliev, is now located yalta Center for Children and Youth Creativity.
The building has not been repaired for a long time, according to the stories of Yalta residents, all the time someone wanted to take it away from the children, but it is used for its intended purpose. The mansion is crowned by two griffins - these symbols of the Crimea, "strong as lions, and free as eagles."
Another famous building of the city by the sea - palace of the Emir of Bukhara, who was, by the way, "an honorary citizen of Yalta." The emir had two palaces here, and you can't really get into the first and the second (the first is still under the jurisdiction of the Black Sea Fleet, although attempts are being made to make it a historical and architectural object).
The second one (the emir's dacha) is located on the territory of the sanatorium "Uzbekistan" and is considered the property of this Central Asian republic. The two buildings were connected by a very long and winding road, which in tsarist times was called the street of the same Emir of Bukhara. (Now Shcherbak Street). A description of the lower palace is available in many resources, and very little is known about the emir's dacha.
The building was built in oriental colors. It is surrounded by a beautiful park area, consisting of ancient and huge cypresses, palms, mammoth trees. At present, the territory of the sanatorium is declared a monument of garden and park art and is protected by the state. Sad events in the life of Yalta were also associated with this dacha - white officers were tried here, after which they were led to execution in the mountains above Yalta, to Frolov-Bagreev's dacha, in a place that is now notoriously known as Bagreevka.
A beautiful and rather abandoned old mansion of the architect Wegener in Mordvinovsky Park, almost at the end of the current Sverdlov Street in Yalta on the territory of the Ministry of Defense sanatorium, building of the sanatorium number 11.
This very original building was built for himself more than a hundred years ago by the famous St. Petersburg architect Oskar Emilievich Wegener - the head of the construction of the Alexander III palace in Massandra, the palace of Count Mordvinov in Yalta, the author of the project of the Metropol hotel and other Yalta buildings.
The small building surprises with two preserved white marble sculptures installed on it, which can decorate a real palace. Quite a rare decoration in Yalta architecture. The architect placed two of his monograms on the facade, with the German letters "O" and "W". The balcony was decorated with a metal coat of arms depicting a triangle, compasses, ruler and protractor. Keyhole-shaped window openings are bizarre. Looking at the facade, one can be sure that the architect had an undeniable sense of humor: the human head is visible in the architectural details¹.
As beautiful as the mansion is, it is so neglected, although it has a clear historical and architectural value. After the events of 1917, the building was handed over for housing to several families, who made a number of reconstructions in it. Nevertheless, even in spite of this, in general, the former Wegener's estate has retained its former appearance both outside and inside: old window frames, right down to latches, doors, parquet flooring, wood panels, ceilings with beams made of noble wood species, fireplaces , tiles, wood and stone carvings, etc.
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A descendant of the Meltzer family, Fyodor Fyodorovich was a merchant of the first guild, and also became the successor of a furniture factory inherited from his father Friedrich Johann Meltzer. Fyodor Fyodorovich skillfully managed the factory and achieved quite high results for his brainchild: the factory was popular with many people of that time, including influential ones. All products manufactured at the furniture factory can be called very refined, high quality and very graceful.
The factory also accepted orders for restoration work. Fyodor Fyodorovich was helped to manage the factory by his brothers: Ernest and Roman. In turn, Ernest, being a military engineer, helped Fyodor Fedorovich to move the factory from one city to another. Roman was responsible for the decoration of furniture sketches. He had his own place in the art workshop, where he created all his masterpieces.
The history of the house in Yalta
The mansion of Fyodor Fyodorovich is one of the architectural monuments built in Yalta at the beginning of the 20th century. It is located at the address: Yalta, 43 Sverdlov Street. The first construction works began there in 1914. The engineer I.M. Kefeli. After the revolutions (February and October), the house is transferred to state use. Later, it will be used as a sanatorium for the military. From the 41st to the 44th year, the Gestapo was located in the house.
The architecture of the house of Fyodor Fedorovich Maltsev in Yalta
This two-storey building looks like a small castle. The entire castle is made in the style of the Renaissance. Beautiful narrowed windows, which can be seen from Sverdlov Street, are made in the Gothic style.
The entire facade of F.F. Meltzer is executed in the Art Nouveau style with rococo elements. A patterned composition of concrete was laid in front of the main entrance; this area served as a kind of resting place for those who see off or meet guests by the owners of the estate. A heavy wrought-iron fence depressing and delighting at the same time - at the entrance it resembles an old medieval castle, taking away all visitors in the era of that time.
Now the building is in a rather dilapidated state, but nevertheless the architecture of this room has been preserved quite well and upon closer examination you can see all the grandeur of this building.
The entire estate was previously leased to the sanatorium of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Due to the deplorable state of the building, excursions were not conducted here.
Yalta is lost and modern. Photo excursion. December 19th, 2010
PART ONE
As an introduction
By the beginning of the twentieth century, Yalta from a Greek fishing village, which it was in the first half of the nineteenth century, turned into a real Russian Riviera. Here in a picturesque landscape mountain range to have a villa was a matter of prestige, and, of course, only very rich people could afford such a luxury, who did not skimp on an expensive project or rich decoration. On the green mountain slopes, under the guidance of the best architects, estates of incredible beauty were built. Oriental motifs, represented by "ethnic modernity *" and pseudo-Moorish style, were especially popular here. To a lesser extent, the neo-Greek style was in demand, as such, Art Nouveau, classical and baroque.
Considering the remains of the estates, most of which are in a terrible state, one is surprised by the masterly work of stone and wood craftsmen. Wonderful architectural and artistic solutions please (with bitterness you realize that today it is hardly possible to restore these unique monuments, because there are no masters capable of repeating delicate manual work, and if there are, then it will cost a lot of money.)
The indifference of the Yalta residents themselves and the city authorities to the priceless decaying monuments of architecture, and the inaction to the incredible ugliness that is being built today, endlessly saddens.
* * *
Yalta embankment is perhaps the main attraction of the Pearl South Shore Crimea. It acquired its modern appearance in 1955, when, according to the project of the famous Crimean architect I. Tatiev, its restoration was started: the bank was fortified, pedestrian zones were paved, basalt and cast-iron fences were installed, and original lanterns were installed.
View of the Embankment from Polikurovsky Hill
The Embankment opens with Lenin Square, with the statue of the same name in the center, by P. Yatsino, A. Fomin. And although Vladimir Ilyich came out not bad, his coat looks rather ridiculous in the summer sun ... The building of the Yalta City Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (in the background) is the work of the already mentioned architect Irakly Tatiev, who with blood won the portico and 12 columns from the "persecutors of architectural excesses". 
Yalta Embankment is illuminated by beautiful Stalinist-Empire lanterns made of milky glass painted with antimony oxide. This splendor, like nothing else, emphasizes the pretentiousness of the main street of the resort town. 
In the center of the Embankment, a breakwater juts out into the sea above which the Golden Fleece restaurant soars. The very idea of \u200b\u200ba Greek galley is not bad at all, and organically ties in with the legend of the toponym Yalta (exhausted by the storm and a long journey, the Greeks, having seen the long-awaited coast, cried out: Yialos! Yialos! What did the coast mean. However, this legend is false, because in the ancient Greek language the word "yalos "did not exist. And the city, most likely, received its name from the name of the Turkic commander Jalit). But the implementation of this idea from cheap oilcloth and diode hoses clearly does not correspond to the pretentiousness of the place, and the prices requested in the institution.
These edelweiss umbrellas, established in the 60s, are not very bad either. They look especially beautiful at night, in the lower illumination, installed during the "October" restoration of the Embankment in 2002. 
View of the embankment after a grandiose restoration in 2002. 
During this restoration, the embankment was covered with slabs of red and gray granite. Facades of buildings were restored, landscaping was carried out, and small architectural forms were installed. It was also planned to prohibit all remote trade, although it was not possible to cope with this to the end, and in the season the Embankment quite looks like a spontaneous eastern market.
On September 26, 2009, Metropolitan Lazar of Simferopol and Crimea consecrated a chapel in honor of the Cathedral of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, which was also rebuilt during the general restoration of the Embankment. 
The first, wooden chapel not far from this place was erected on August 15, 1881 in memory of the Russian Emperor Alexander II. In the original version, the chapel stood on wooden piles, but then due to repeated destruction sea \u200b\u200bsurf a stone foundation was laid under it. 
The fate of the chapel on the Embankment was dramatic. Having stood on the Embankment for more than half a century, in 1932 it was closed, and then dismantled "as unnecessary."
Villa "Sofia" 
Villa "Sofia". Around this building of a tenement house, built according to the project of N.P. Krasnov in 1897, a scandal broke out at one time. The residents of Yalta were extremely outraged by the purchase of the destroyed and demolished building (in which the polyclinic was located) by the notorious singer Sofia Rotaru, with whose personal funds the building was restored, and today it operates as an elite hotel.
In front of the main entrance to the villa is a terrifying composition based on Chekhov's "Lady with a Dog", consisting of a log-shaped woman, an amorphous dog, and a man with chicken thighs.
By composition, clumsy execution and plasticity, this small architectural form is capable of killing a blue whale.
For most of those idly strolling along the Embankment, it ends with a four-star hotel "Oreanda", which is located not far from the place where the Uchan-Su river flows into the sea. The hotel, built in 1907, was immediately recognized as one of the best in the Yalta district.
In 1918, during the revolutionary events in Yalta, the hotel was used as a refuge and a defensive post for the Crimean opponents of the Bolshevik regime. After the establishment of Soviet power in Crimea, the hotel building was nationalized, but it was used for its intended purpose. The "Crimea" guidebook advertised the "Oreanda" hotel in Yalta, for 50 rooms from two to ten rubles a day. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War (1941), the hotel housed a military hospital. IN post-war period the hotel "Oreanda" was transformed into a sanatorium, where soldiers and officers wounded during the war continued treatment. In the late 1950s, after a major overhaul, Oreanda acquired the status of a hotel again.
In the early 1970s, it was decided to reconstruct the hotel, with the condition of complete preservation of the historical appearance. The second renovation was undertaken in 2001.
A lot of wonderful buildings are concealed in themselves and the gateways of the Embankment.
For example, this utility room is lovingly decorated with carved wooden cornices.
In general, the south coast manor architecture is inconceivable without carved wooden details. Surprising is the virtuosity with which the openwork facades are made. Unfortunately, most of them are in disrepair and disfigured condition.
The Museum of Lesya Ukrainka, opened in 1991 on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the poetess in the estate of the merchant Leshchinska, where Larisa Kosach-Kvitk lived for some time, is especially beautiful for its magnificent carvings. 
It was here that the outstanding Ukrainian poetess wrote the cycle of poetry "Crimean Memories", "Crimean Echoes", the story "Over the Sea" and the dramatic scene "Iphigenia in Taurida"
However, my favorite estate in this area of \u200b\u200bYalta is a small mansion built by P. N. Krasnov, which once belonged to the outstanding Russian theologian, philosopher and economist Sergei Bulgakov. It is built, as, in fact, the L.Ukrainka Museum in the style of "ethnic" "Bakhchisarai Art Nouveau". 
The history of this ethnic modernity is very peculiar, begun by the court architect of Alexander II, Ippolit Anatolyevich Monighetti (1819-78), who was inspired by the motives of the Bakhchisarai palace of the khans, and having reworked them, created the first Livadian palace (from which today only the palace church of the Exaltation of the Cross remains Lord). All the beauty of this new architectural style in turn, was appreciated by the leading architect of Yalta, the favorite of the yard, Nikolai Petrovich Krasnov, who erected more than a dozen buildings in a similar style, setting a fashionable vector for other architects of the peninsula. 
Unfortunately, today the original appearance of Bulgakov's estate is disfigured. The polygonal masonry of Gasprinsky limestone is plastered in places, covered with a "fur coat" in places, the facade is crowned with air conditioners. The entrance was also changed, which initially opened from the second floor, where the stairs led (which is behind the gate on the left). 
The initial project of Bulgakov's house.
Not far away is the Yalta Children's Art House, located in a building that housed a private gynecological boarding clinic before the revolution. 
A huge two-storey building was built in the neo-Greek style; from the interior decoration, alas, only the entrance hall and the stair railings have been partially preserved. 
TO BE CONTINUED...
Summer Yalta is associated with the sea, hot days and beaches. /website/
This year's summer in Crimea is unlike any previous one. Cool winds, frequent rains, sometimes torrential, cloudy and cool water forced vacationers to look for other sources of inspiration besides the beach pastime.
There are a lot of interesting corners in Yalta, created for exploring in more detail and in depth. As for an interesting conversation, we are looking for a multifaceted interlocutor, so for a traveler-researcher, the possibility of cognition matters environment, way of life, way of life, traditions.
Attractiveness in terms of architecture, history and aesthetic satisfaction is hidden in the streets of Yalta with old houses, castles, palaces.
One of the most interesting hiking trails in Yalta - this is a street connecting the village of Massandra with the Yalta embankment. It was one of the first streets of the city, which began from the postal Simferopol tract, so its first name was Pochtovaya, then Simferopol. Later, the street was renamed Kutuzovskaya, now its name is Sverdlova.
Her liveliness attracted famous people at the end of the 19th century: counts, generals, merchants built their houses and castles. Famous architects, including Nikolai Krasnov and Oscar Wegener, took part in the design of the buildings. Some of these mansions have survived to this day, defining the unique look of Yalta.
The estate "Uch-Cham", translated as "Three pines", was built in the neo-Romanesque style. Architectural ensemble united by a picturesque arch. The mansion belonged to Princess Maria Baryatinskaya, who loved to arrange charity balls and social events in the estate. Emperor Nicholas II and his family were among her guests.
A movie is being shot in the Uch-Cham mansion. Photo: Alla Lavrinenko / The Epoch Times
Going down Sverdlov Street, one cannot fail to notice an impressive park, the estate of Count Nikolai Mordvinov, the first naval minister of Russia.
Flowering trees in the park of Count Mordvinov. Photo: Alla Lavrinenko / The Epoch Times
The count named his estate "Good Wasteland". On the territory of the estate, vineyards, gardens, a park were laid, which was opened to the public.
The palace on the territory of the estate was built by the great-grandson of Count Mordvinov. The building is made in the Renaissance style from gray sandstone and Crimean greenish sandstone. The building has survived to this day in its original form.
Count Mordvinov's palace. Photo: Alla Lavrinenko / The Epoch Times
The manor park is decorated with century-old sequoias, cedars, palms and a fountain with antique sculptures.
Count Mordvinov's palace, fountain with antique sculpture. Photo: Alla Lavrinenko / The Epoch Times
Flowers in the park of Count Mordvinov. Photo: Alla Lavrinenko / The Epoch Times
Down the street there are old residential houses with turrets, unique masonry, arched windows, and wooden carvings.
A wonderful view of the mountains surrounding Yalta and the houses climbing the slopes suddenly opens up through the buildings.
In a few minutes the route leads to the embankment, decorated with blooming magnolias. After an exciting walk, you can reward yourself with a cup of coffee in one of the many cafes or swim in the gentle sea.
Yalta embankment. Photo: Alla Lavrinenko / The Epoch Times
Magnolia blooms on the embankment. Photo: Alla Lavrinenko / The Epoch Times
