Alupka ( Ukrainian and

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

: ; ; , Alòpex) is a resort

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

located in the

Crimean peninsula Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrai ...

, a territory of

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

currently annexed by

Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

(see 2014 Crimean crisis). It is located to the west of

Yalta Yalta (: ) is a resort town, resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crime ...

. It is famous for the Vorontsov Palace, designed by English architect

Edward Blore Edward Blore (13 September 1787 – 4 September 1879) was a 19th-century English landscape and architectural artist, architect and antiquary. Early career Blore was born in Derby, the son of the antiquarian writer Thomas Blore. Blore's backg ...

in an extravagant mixture of Scottish baronial and Neo-Moorish styles and built in 1828–1846 for prince

Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov (; ) was a Russian nobleman and field-marshal, renowned for his success in the Napoleonic Wars and most famous for his participation in the Caucasian War from 1844 to 1853. Early life Vorontsov was born on ...

. Alupka and its surrounding area is full of resort hotels on the shore of the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

, where thousands of travelers (particularly from the former

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

) travel every year. Public transport to Alupka includes the bus system (bus routes #26 and #27 from Yalta) and other road vehicles.

Geography

Location

The city is located in the

, a territory of

, currently annexed by

(see 2014 Crimean crisis). It is located to the west of

Climate

Located in the subtropical climate of southern Crimea, Alupka has an average temperature of in January–February and an average temperature of in August. The average rainfall in the city is 400 mm per year, the average humidity is about 69%, and the average number of sunlight per year is 2,150 hours. The swimming season stretches from March until October, with an average water temperature of .

History

Alupka was first founded as a

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

settlement. The name originates from the

word for fox (''Alopex'') . After the Greeks, Alupka came under control of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

. The first written mention of Alupka dates to 960 in a document about the

Byzantine Emperor The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...

Romanos II Romanos II (; 938 – 15 March 963) was Byzantine Emperor from 959 to 963. He succeeded his father Constantine VII at the age of twenty-one and died suddenly and mysteriously four years later. His wife Theophano helped their sons Basil II ...

. Later on, Alupka was controlled by the

Crimean Tatars Crimean Tatars (), or simply Crimeans (), are an Eastern European Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group and nation indigenous to Crimea. Their ethnogenesis lasted thousands of years in Crimea and the northern regions along the coast of the Blac ...

. After 1783 the city came into possession of Grigori Alexandrovich Potemkin,

governor-general Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

of the Novorossiya Krai. In 1798, the city had a population of 211, consisting mainly of farmers. At the end of 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, Alupka was a famous resort. In the middle of 19th century it was more popular than Yalta, mostly because of the work of the Governor of Novorossia at the time, Mikhail Vorontsov, who built a Palace there (some call it a Castle). Alupka is described by a French traveler in 1811 in his letters to a friend (starting at page127) "Voyage de Moscou à Vienne, par Kiow, Odessa, Constantinople, Bucharest et Hermanstadt; ou, Lettres adressées à Jules Griffith Auguste de Lagarde" Jan 1824 · Treuttel et Würtz: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=p1THCvg9rVEC&rdid=book-p1THCvg9rVEC&rdot=1

Attractions

Alupka is not only a

resort town A resort town, resort city or resort destination is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding area. Sometimes ...

, but also an important tourist attraction. Major attractions in the city include: * Vorontsov Palace *Vorontsov's Park, located on the grounds of the Vorontsov Palace *

Ai-Petri Ai-Petri () is a peak in the Crimean Mountains. For administrative purposes it is in the Yalta municipality of Crimea. The name is of Greek origin, and translates as "St. Peter" (). Overview Ai-Petri is one of the windiest places in Crimea. The ...

Mountain

Vorontsovsky Palace and Park

The main attraction of Alupka is the Scottish baronial and Neo-Moorish style Vorontsov's Palace, which was designed by the English architect

built in 1828-1846 for prince

. During the

Yalta Conference The Yalta Conference (), held 4–11 February 1945, was the World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union to discuss the postwar reorganization of Germany and Europe. The three sta ...

, the palace—spared by the Germans during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

— served as the residence of Sir

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

and his English delegation. A large English-style park was designed and built for prince Vorontsov on the territory of the Vorontsov's Palace. The park was constructed from December 1824 to April 1851, and was envisioned, designed, created, and maintained by Chief Botanist of the Southern Shore of the Crimea, Carolus Antonius Keebach. Plant material for the garden was supplied from the Nikita Botanic Garden by its director, Nicolai Anders von Hartwiss. There is also a selection of various Hotels and restaurants. There are many things to do in central Alupka such as look at Ai Petri mountain and even take a cable car there.

Ai-Petri Mountain

Alupka is located at the foot of the 1234 meter

(St Peter) Mount of the Crimean Mountains chain. Since 1987, a three kilometer

Gondola lift A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate suppo ...

, one of the longest in Europe and split into two stages, carries passengers to and from the mountain, providing visitors with excellent views of the surrounding area and the

Demographics

Ethnic composition according to the 2001 Ukrainian census:

Notable people born in Alupka

* Amet-khan Sultan Crimean Tatar flying ace and test pilot * Alexander Khmelik Russian film producer, screenwriter * Evgeni Aldonin Russian footballer * (1920-2003), Ukrainian historian * (born 1953), Ukrainian Admiral and commander of the

Ukrainian Navy The Ukrainian Navy (), is the Navy, maritime force of Ukraine and one of the eight Military branch, service branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The naval forces consist of five components: surface forces, submarine forces, Ukrainian Naval ...

Gallery

File:Alupka Coast.JPG, Alupka: coast File:Alupka-Woronzowpalast-Inneres.JPG, Alupka: A room of the Vorontsov Castle File:Saint Michael church in Alupka - panoramio - Andris Malygin (13).jpg, Saint Michael church in Alupka File:Vorontsov Ai Petri.JPG, Alupkin Park File:Alupka Palace 05.JPG, Vorontsov Palace (Alupka) File:Alupka castle.jpg, Alupka castle File:VorontsovskiPalace.jpg, Vorontsovski castle File:Alupka2.jpg, The Black Sea coast at Alupka

References

External links

Vorontsov's Castle in Alupka
— Pictures of Alupka Palace * — Alupka: Vorontsov's Palace and Park * — Webpage of the Alupka Castle {{Subdivisions of Crimea Seaside resorts in Russia Seaside resorts in Ukraine Cities of district significance in Ukraine Cities in Crimea Yalta Municipality