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Ay-Petri Mountains, Crimea
Ay-Petri is the region of mountains that separates the southern part from the central part of the Crimea and stretches from Guzurf to Baidory Gates. Although not very high, these Crimean mountains are very spectacular, with formations of jagged white and shiny limestone. Roman Kosh mountain peak is actually a remains of an ancient giant coral reef, formed millions of years ago, when the region was under water. Ay-Petri name comes from Greek and means "Sacred Rock". Ay-Petri mountain is a famous tourist attraction, a perfect place for winter ski trips or summer trips.
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The Ghost Valley, Crimea
The most beautiful mountain in the Crimea - Demerdzhi - is located east of Alushta.
The slopes are covered by natural stone sculptures, having the shapes of towers and columns that resulted from the erosion of centuries.
The nature has created here fantastic forms in stone! One of these sculptures is called the Catherine's Profile.
There are other rocks that took the form of pyramids, obelisks, and others are downright frightening, hence the name of the Valley of the Ghosts ...
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The Tatar Hans Palace, Bakhchisaray, Crimea
The palace is situated on the left side of the Churuksu river and occupies an area of 4 ha. The Han Palace, located in the city of Bakhchisaray, was built in 1532 by Sahib I Giray, as the main seat of the Giray dynasty that led the Crimea between 1428 and 1783. The palace is a real town in miniature. Today, there are left two mosques, a cemetery with two mausoleums, a harem, a gate with two towers, 14 fountains and bathrooms. The Palace is the only remaining piece of the Crimean Tatar architecture, being a monument of universal value.
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Uchang-Su Falls, Crimea
Uchang-Su is the most beautiful waterfall in the Crimea, 98 meters high.
The water deafening noise is heard very far away, and the jets of the water disappear in the dense fog formed in the fall.
The Greeks called it Kremasto-Nero, the Turks had it called Uchang-Su (water flying), and the Russians had simply called it Yalta.
Moreover, the waterfall is located 4 km away from Yalta, near the spring of Vodopadnaya River, which has its origin in the glaciers on the southern crest of Ay-Petry Mountains; the river flows into the Black Sea near the Hotel Oreanda in Yalta.
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The Red Cave, Alushta, Crimea
Kizil-Koba is one of the most picturesque places in the Crimea. Located at the foot of the Chatyr-Dag Mountain, with an area of 63,544 square meters, the Red Cave is the largest of all the 300 Crimean caves. The Red cave is full of stalactites, stalagmites, shiny coral columns. An underground river, Su-Uchkhan, runs through the cave. Because many of the cave rooms are accessible only by water, tourists can choose to do scuba diving.
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The Swallow's Nest Castle, Crimea
An architectural symbol of Crimea, the Swallow's Nest Castle is a decorative castle located on the south coast of Crimea, near the city of Yalta. Built in 1911-1912 by the architect Leonid Sherwood, the castle is located up on the Aurora Peak, 40 meters high, on the Ai-Todor Mountain. The sdesign is majestic. Before it, the place was a wooden cottage belonging to a Russian general. In 1911, Baron von Steinheil (a german nobleman who bought the the old wooden house, built the current castle. The Swallow's Nest Castle was restored in 1968. Later, in 1975, inside the castle was opened an Italian restaurant. Due to its historical and architectural importance, the castle was used as a film location for many Russian movies and even in a movie with Jackie Chan!
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Balaklava Submarine Base
A place that can rarely be visited elsewhere is the former secret Soviet submarine base, which was active until 1993.
The base was built to be indestructible and survive an atomic war. Almost the entire population of Balaklava worked on this basis.
Their relatives or friends were not allowed to visit the town of Balaklava without good reason.
In 1996, the last Russians left the base, which was open to the public worldwide.
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The Livadia Palace, Yalta, Crimea
The Livadia Palace, one of the great architectural monuments of the Crimea, known as the Grand Palace or the White Palace is the main attraction for many tourists. The palace was founded as a summer residence of the last Russian Tzar Nicholas II. After coming back from Italy, being fascinated by the architecture of Renaissance palaces there, the Emperor hired the architect N. Krasna, the most fashionable architect of that period, to prepare plans for a new palace. Krasnov created it in the Neo-Renaissance italian-style, combined with elements from different styles (Gothic, Byzantine and Arab). An important event took place during the Second World War which is closely linked to the palace: the famous Yalta Conference of Stalin, W. Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt. President Roosevelt stayed here for the entire period of the conference.
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The Sudak Fortress, Crimea
Imagine the cloudy, full of waves Black Sea and on the other hand, the city of Sudak, sleeping peacefully in the swelter of July. This particular view can be admired from the fortress above the town, built by the Genoese after their troops had captured the town from the Tartars in the 14th century. Built high on a 150 meters hill, the fort dominates the entire area. From south to east, the only way of access was by sea, and it was even more difficult from the land. Besides this fact, the fortress was an important trading center, located on the Long Walk of Silk. Sudak remained under the Genoese for 100 years until 1475, when the Crimea was invaded and conquered by the Ottoman Empire. The Fort was abandoned until the Russian Empire invaded and conquered Crimea.
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Nikita Botanical Garden, Yalta, Crimea
In 1812, near the town Nikita, which is 6 km away from Yalta, a botanical garden was open, which was later assigned the name "Nikita". The Russian botanist Christian Steven was the founder and the first director of the gardens. Its picturesque terraces down to the sea are considered to be the most beautiful in Europe, its parks are a true outdoor museum, containing over 18,000 species of plants from the Mediterranean, the south-east Asia and South America. Nikita Gardens are both a center for scientific research, and a great tourist attraction. Nikita Gardens include the largest herbarium in Europe, the oldest library in Crimea and a scientific museum. The complex includes two hotels that were recently restored.
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The Church of Foros, Crimea
While walking through the parks or the alleys in the city streets of Foros, tourists will discover with astonishment the Foros Church, a building built above the city, with a view to the Black Sea. The church is built on the Red Rock, a rock 400 yards high. The church was built by a tea merchant, Kuznetsov, as a sign of gratitude to God for the salvation of the Emperor Alexander III and his family from a train accident. Another legend says that here, the place where the church is located, the horses who foolishly ran were stopped, after dragging the daughter of a rich merchant along a mountain road. To mark the miraculous escape of the merchant's daughter in that place there was built this church.
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The House Museum of Anton Chekhov, Yalta, Crimea
Chekhov came for the first time in the Crimea in 1888 just to satisfy his passion for travel. In 1898, on the basis of medical advice, he chose Crimea to build a house to work and rest. The writer's house (known as the White Dasha, "dasha" means a country cottage) has attracted many artists and musicians as Ivan Bunin, Gorky, Alexander Kuprin, K. Stanislavsky, pianist Sergei Rahmaninov and Fyodor Shaliapin. The house is located in a beautiful garden which Chekhov himself built it. After his death in 1904, his sister inherited the house and tried to keep it in the same way that Chekhov left it. Later, after the revolution, the house was taken over by the Russian Government and turned into a museum. Amazingly, the house has a very modernist aspect. Here Chekhov wrote his famous play "Three Sisters". Usually, the writer was working in his study at a small table near the bed. The rooms are kept in their original form, with furniture from the early 19th century, the piano on which Rahmaninov played, the old Ericsson phone.
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The Grand Canyon, Crimea
The river that runs through the canyon is one of the largest in the Crimea and it formed small beautiful waterfalls.
The water temperature in the canyon does not exceed 5 C degrees.
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The Alupka Palace, Crimea
The Alupka Palace, known as the Palace of Vorontsov for locals, is the most exotic "garden palace" on the coast of Crimea, about 16 km from Yalta. It's hard to imagine an architectural monument more romantic than the Alupka Palace, built by Count MS Vorontsov, the former Governor of Novorossiysk territory (New Russia). The palace which was designed by the english architect Edward Blore, the architect who conceived the designs of some parts of the Buckingham Palace and the St. James Palace and many other important buildings in England and Scotland. Edward Blore conceived Alupka palace without even visiting the place. The palace has an unusual mixture of architectural styles; the north facade of the palace is built in English Gothic style, in contrast to the southern part of the facade, built in Moroccan style. From the west, the palace resembles a medieval European castle. This bold and unusual design and original architecture (such as the lions carved from marble placed on the stairs of the Palace) make a unique place out of the Alupka Palac. A must see for anyone who gets in Crimea!
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