Vorontsov(Alupka) palace

one of lions on an entrance

from height of bird's flight

Vorontsov palace is situated in the Alupkinsky manor of the governor general of Novorossisk edge of graf Mikhail Vorontsov, the prominent politician of Russia of the 19th century.
It is constructed of diabase which was extracted nearby to palace. Now in a palace is a museum. At the Vorontsov palace there is a park � a monument of landscape gardening art. From December, 1824 to April the 1851st Vorontsov park in Alupka was created by the talented German gardener botanist, the main gardener of the Southern coast of the Crimea, Charles Antonovich Kebakh.
The author of the project was court architect Blor from England to which possesses also ideas of designs of Westminster abbey and the Buckingham palace. Thanks to talent, skill, Blor's experience and Vorontsov's who has got education and education in London taste, the palace represents extreme harmony of the western and east styles.
The real masterpiece of the creative imagination of Blor is the southern facade of a construction issued with improbable east splendor: the two-story arch, an arch in the form of a horseshoe, an excellent carving on plaster in a niche with lotus images. And on a frieze of a niche the inscription the Arab ligature repeating six times saying from the Koran, saying is seen: �Also there is no god, except the Allah�.
Here, about walls of the southern facade of a building, terraces of a pridvortsovy part of magnificent park begin. Its pearl are marble sculptures of lions which are located on the ladder parties. Below at the left the sleeping lion is based upon a very tall pedestal. And on the opposite side the lion as if disturbed by a sound of someone's another's steps, he rises and listens settles down. There is pair of wakening lions a little above, and two awake lions are placed with a niche of the southern entrance, as if stiffened on the guard of the Vorontsov palace.
The northern part of a building differs severity of the style typical more for England of the 16th century. At the tourist the impression as if it was transferred at the time of queen Elizabeth Tudor is made and visited one of country country houses of those times. The fascinating view of the stately and powerful mountain Ah-Petri from here opens.