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Crimea - Massandra

	The Massandra Palace  First | < | 1  2  |  > |  Last The vineyards of Massandra  First | < | 1  2  3  4  |  > |  Last			Massandra The settlement of Massandra lies 3 km to the east of Yalta. The high hills of Nikita mountain pasture protect Massandra from the cold air from the North and the southern winds bring the fresh breath of the Black Sea. The Massandra park is one of the most beautiful parks of the Southern Coast. It was laid in the 1840s by German horticulturist Karl Kebach, the founder of the Alupka park. Nowadays in the Massandra Park on its 40 hectares grow about 200 tree and bush species. There are many southern exotic plants in the park: palms, sequoias, magnolias, cryptomerias, bamboo thickets. The shadowy box pergolas, gigantic balls of cut laurel, rose lanes in bloom till November, they all gladden the eye. The best decoration of the park is a group of six Italian pines with a common umbellate crown. On the glade a mighty 500 years old oak spread its branches like an alive illustration to a fairy tale. The wonderful palace is situated in Massandra. The Massandra Palace was intended for the Russian czar Alexander III and its construction was completed by the end of the 19th century. The general architectural style of the palace is that of French castles of the time of Lois XIII. The palace used to be a summer dacha of the VIPs and now it hosts the museum of arts. Massandra is well known in Ukraine and abroad mainly on account of its winery. The first industrial vineyards in Massandra were planted at the beginning of the 19th century. In 1823 Count Vorontsov became the owner of Massandra. He bought very good sorts of vine and invited the famous viticulturists from France. Massandra became noted as a leading centre for the manufacture of Crimean wines on account of the activity of Prince Lev Golitsyn, a talented viticulturist. He was invited to Massandra in 1889 when Massandra became a tsar estate. He set the Russian viniculture a task - to prove that the national wines were not worse than the best world brands. Thanks to his work the biggest wine cellar designed by engineer Dietrich was built near the waterfall in 1897, the year he forced to leave his post. The development of viticulture and wine-making is connected with the Research Institute "Magarach". The work of "Magarach" collective has been honored with many diplomas and medals at international exhibitions.