Old postcards Alupka Palace-Museum

The palace at Alupka was built between 1828 and 1848 for Prince Mikhail Vorontsov to designs by the English architect Edward Blore, using diabase quarried nearby, with Mount Ai-Petri rising behind it. The surrounding park was laid out from 1824 to 1851 by the German gardener Carolus Keebach. The building has housed a museum since 1956, which is why the cards in this section are captioned “Alupka Palace Museum”.

There are two sets of vintage postcards, from 1983 and 1988, and they work best side by side. The north front, the state dining room, the Blue Drawing Room and views of Ai-Petri appear in both; the Shuvalov Passage shares a 1983 card with the south-front fountain and is seen from above in 1988.

Otherwise each set has its own subjects. The 1983 cards cover the Swan Lake and its waterfall in the Upper Park, the “Shell” fountain in the Lower Park, the Fountain of Tears and the State Study, the billiard room and the library wing. The 1988 set adds the Round Tower by the West Gate, the East Gate, the South Entrance portal and a Crimean pine in the Sunny Glade.

Collectors comparing editions will find these paired views the most useful part of the Alupka cards.

More sights

Views of Crimea · Petrodvorets · Ostankino · Zeya Hydroelectric Station

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