Simeiz (“Sign”) is located by the southern slopes of the main range of Crimean Mountains at the base of Mount Koshka, 18 kilometers (12 miles) west from Yalta.

There are prehistoric dolmens nearby; Simeiz (“Sign”) lies in the locality where at one time there were Tauri settlements and fortifications. (далее…)

Oreanda.

If you walk from Livadia palace along the «Sunny path” (former «Tsar’s path») a haif- rofunda. Below stretches a very old park in the midst of which lies the cluster of buildings of the Nizhnyaya Oreanda Sanatorium.

In the 1820’s the Romanovs acquired Oreanda (“Border”) and in 1852 a luxurious palace was built here for the Grand Duke Constantine. But the palace was burnt down in 1882.

The park was laid out while the palace was being built; the contours of its small ponds reproduce the outlines of the Sea of Azov, the Black, the Caspian and the Aral Seas.

On the elevation to the left of the sanatorium stands a grey church, which was built from the stones of the burnt down palace. This church is mentioned in Chekhov’s story «The Lady with the Dog». (далее…)

The first written reference to Alupka dates back to the year 960 A.D. The name is supposed to derive from the Greek word «alepu» which means «a fox». The settlement is situated on the mountainous terrain and is unplanned. Homes were built along the mountain paths, which now are the streets. (далее…)

Miskhor (“Half Town”) is a resort situated between Yalta and Alupka. The first known inhabitants in these parts were the Tauri, then Romans built a fortress on Cape Ai-Todor.

The tour of Miskhor ends at the dock where the pleasure boats are moored. Here on a small rock one can see the bronze figure of a mermaid with a baby in her arms, while on shore next to a fountain stands a young girl with jug. These sculptures created by the famous sculptor Amandus Adamson in 1893. He was inspired by the romantic legend about the beautiful Girl Arzy who was kidnapped for the harem. In a year she threw herself into the waters with her baby boy in arms. That same evening a mermaid holding a baby appeared on the sea shore near Miskhor and the fountain began its marry babbling again… (далее…)

Gurzuf («mountain valley»)  is a picturesque Crimean scenery which is situated 16 kilometers to the east of Yalta.

The first written reference about Gurzuf occurs in the writings of the Byzantine writer Procopius (500-562) who lived at the time of the emperor Justinian I (483-565). Procopius writes about the construction of a Byzantine fortress «in the district of Gurzovit». (далее…)

Yalta («Coast») stretches along the coast of a sea bay on the slope of the Main Ridge of the Crimean Mountains. In ancient times the Greek settlement of Jalita existed on this territory. In the Middle Ages there was the Byzantine and Genoese settlement, they named it as Kaulita.

In 1837 it was turned into a district city which began to be developed according to the 1843 plan.

At the end of the 19th century Yalta has a rapid growth, and the development of valleys of the Derekoika and the Uchan-Su Rivers.

Now it is a significant resort and cultural centre whose boundaries widened thanks to multistory housing developments on the adjoining slopes. (далее…)

Alushta is an ancient town on the Crimea’s Southern Coast. Alushta inherited its name from the Byzantine fortress of Aluston, which was built here  in the 6th century A.D.Byzantine emperor Justinian I (483-565) who also rebuilt the church of St. Sophia at Constantinople. In the present-day you can look round the remains of the Byzantine fortress, its defense tower and part of a wall. Alushta attracts tourists by its unusual climate, pleasant beaches and picturesque surroundings. (далее…)

The name of Lesia Ukrayinka went down in historv of the Ukrainian literature equally with the names of т Shevchenko and I. Franko.  Lesia Ukrainka’s poems were written in the Crimea. Lesia Ukrayinka lived in Yalta, Yevpatoria, Saki Balaclava and visited Bakhchisarai. 

For the first time she came to Yalta in 1888 when she was 17. In Yalta she created a series of poems «Travelling to the Sea» and «The Crimean Memoirs».

In January 1897 Lesia Ukrayinka again came to Yalta. The young poetess writes her first dramatic work «Iphigenia in Tauris».

In 1907-1908 Lesia Ukrayinka the third time came to the Crimea. She lived in Balaclava, Yalta and Yevpatoria.            Read more… (далее…)