The Vorontsovsky Palace lies at the bottom of Ay-Petri Mountain. It is made of diabase mined near the site.
The Vorontsovsky Palace had been built (if compared with classicism) according to new architectural and construction principles in the spirit of English architecture. Notably, the Palace has elements from different eras.
The elements are arranged in time order starting with the western gates. In other words, as one moves farther from the gates, the building style used is newer.
In the centre of the southern facade is a gala doorway. It is decorated with similar elements of English architecture and Muslim art of buildings from the 16th century. The eastern nature is expressed with a double arch of a blue semicircular niche decorated with stucco ornaments and maiolica balconettes. An Arabic inscription is present which repeats six times the words of Spanish Alhambra — Muhammad I — "There is no God except Allah!". Associating the inscription and the other decor elements, this part of the palace has been called Alhambra since 1844.
The palace was built between 1830 and 1848 as a summer residence for Earl M. S. Vorontsov, a conspicuous statesman of Russia and the Governor-General of the Novorossiysk Region.
The Vorontsovsky Palace was designed by the English architect Edward Blore (1789–1879). The architect did not visit Alupka; however, he was well informed about the landscape. Moreover, the foundations and the first mason work of the deep doorway niche of the central building had already been completed before he started his work (Originally, the palace was supposed to be built to another design by architects Francesco Boffo and Thomas Harrison.).
The palace was mainly constructed by serfs from the Vladimir and Moscow Provinces. In addition, third-generation squaremen and stonemasons who built and made patterned sculpture of white-stone cathedrals were involved in the construction. Everything was hand-made with simple tools.
Construction of the palace was started with the dining building (1830–1834). The central building was erected from 1831 to 1837.
In 1838–1844, the guest building, eastern wings, all palace towers, and the pentagon of outbuildings were constructed as well as the Court of Honour. The library building was last to be built (1842–1846).
The heaviest earthwork was done from 1840 to 1848 with the help of soldiers from the field engineer battalion when the park terraces in front of the southern palace facade were made.
In the summer of 1848, the central stairway leading up to the main entrance was equipped with sculpture lions created in a workshop of Giovanni Bonnani, an Italian sculptor. Construction of the palace was finished when the lion porch was completed in 1848.
Three generations of the Vorontsov family owned the Vorontsovsky Palace before the October Revolution.
Under the Soviet system, the palace was nationalised.
In the middle of 1921, the Vorontsovsky Palace was opened as museum.
In 1941, the Great Patriotic War broke out. The museum exhibits were not evacuated from Alupke before the palace was reached by invaders. The invaders exported many of the art treasures housed at the museum including 537 artworks and graphic works. Unfortunately, only a few pictures have been found after the war and returned to the palace.
From the 4th to 11th February, 1945, the Crimea (Yalta) Conference of the leaders of the three Allied Powers — the USSR, the USA, and Great Britain — took place. The Vorontsovsky Palace was used as a residence for the English delegation.
In 1956, the government decided to once again make the palace a museum.
The Vorontsovsky Palace now houses the unique museum collection. The interior areas are also of much interest: the Small and Blue Living Rooms, the Grand Study, the Dining Room, the Library, and the Winter Garden with its beautiful sculptures. The large park around the palace is one of the best along the South Coast.
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