Alupka is located near the foot of Mount Ai-Petri on the southern coast of the Crimean Peninsula. Now it is a seaside climatic resort. The city is located 17 kilometers from Yalta.
The first mention of Alupka dates back to 960 (the time of the Khazar domination in Crimea). The history of Alupka testifies that the first name was somewhat different from the modern version - Alubika. Further, the history of Alupka is brief.
In the 14-15th century, the main outpost of the Genoese Lupica was located in this area. From the end of the fifteenth century to the middle of the 17th century, Alupka was part of the crown possessions of the Ottoman sultans. After the annexation of the Crimean peninsula to Russia, Prince G. Potemkin owned Alupka.
Prince Vorontsov
Since 1823, the village passed into the possession of Prince Vorontsov. Here he built a palace that has survived to this day. Today the Vorontsov Palace is a popular tourist destination and the main attraction of the city.
As of 1886, the population of the village was a little less than three hundred people. The village of Alupka at that time consisted of forty-four households. On the territory of the village there was a mosque, four bakeries and two shops.
Alupka resort
World famous artists worked in the beautiful landscapes of Alupka: Ivan Shishkin; Vasily Surikov; Konstantin Bogaevsky; Nikolay Samokish. One of the tallest rocks with an observation deck is named after the seascape I. Aivazovsky.
Not so long ago, at the beginning of the twentieth century, Alupka became a resort. In the twenties and thirties, resort establishments were actively built, the infrastructure of the city developed. After the Civil War, more than twenty health resorts were opened on the coast of Alupka. In this resort town at different times such celebrities as F. Chaliapin, I. Bunin, M. Gorky rested and underwent treatment. Frequent guests of the resort were S. Rachmaninov, V. Bryusov, Lesya Ukrainka and other cultural and political figures.
Alupka received the status of a city in 1938. In 1972, a landscape park was opened near Alupka, in which more than two hundred forms and varieties of shrubs and trees were collected. This park is a monument of gardening art.
Today Alupka is a popular resort town; many tourists come here for rest and treatment.
