RU-3666442 Vorontsov (or Alupka) Palace in Crimea

The Vorontsov Palace (Воронцовский дворец) or the Alupka Palace is an historic palace situated at the foot of the Crimean Mountains near the town of Alupka in Crimea. The Vorontsov Palace is one of the oldest and largest palaces in Crimea and is one of the most popular tourist attractions on Crimea's southern coast.

 

The palace was built between 1828 and 1848 for Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov for use as his personal summer residence at a cost of 9 million silver rubles. It was designed in a loose interpretation of the English Renaissance revival style. The building is a hybrid of several architectural styles, but faithful to none. Among those styles are elements of Scottish Baronial, Mughal architecture and Gothic Revival architecture.

 

This postcard came from Violetta (15 May 2015) Postcrossing.

RU-3121035 Koktebel, a resort townlet in Crimea

Koktebel (Russian: Коктебéль) is an urban-type settlement and a popular resort townlet in South-Eastern Crimea. Koktebel is situated on the shore of the Black Sea and has a population of about 3,000.

In summer, Koktebel fills up with tourists from Russia and Ukraine. Koktebel is well known for its jazz festival that usually takes place in the middle of September. It is also famous for its brandy.

This postcard comes from Vera (17 November 2014) Postcrossing (no ID written!)

Church of Christ’s Resurrection at Foros, Crimea

The Church of Christ's Resurrection is a popular tourist attraction on the outskirts of Yalta in the Crimea, known primarily for its scenic location, overlooking the Black Sea littoral from a 400-metre cliff near Baidarsky Pass.

The church overlooks the village of Foros.  Its architectural style has been described as a blend of Rastrelliesque Baroque, Russian Revival, and Byzantine Revival.

The church was consecrated on 4 October 1892 but in 1924, the Soviet authorities ordered the church to be closed and exiled its priest to Siberia.  They also pulled down the gilt crosses from the domes, remelted the bells and painted over the original frescoes. The building was used as a warehouse and later a snackbar for tourists until 1969 and stood empty throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It was returned to the Orthodox Church and finally in 2004, the Church of Christ’s Resurrection was fully reconstructed: new copper domes with new shiny gilt crosses were installed, colorful stained-glass windows were inserted, the mosaic floor was restored and pictorial decoration was recreated inside the church.

 

This postcard came from Tanya (10 November 2014) DS Postcrossing.  It was posted with 2 beautiful Russian stamps.