Ghost resort: history and photos of abandoned dachas of Alupka

Our author Yulia Kuznetsova went to Alupka and brought us an exciting story of dachas from there. Read and view photos of abandoned architectural monuments.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Alupka received the status of a city only in 1938, before that it was a village, but a very atypical village. Already in 1904, the streets were illuminated with kerosene lanterns, a drain sewer worked, which not every city could boast of in those years, garbage was constantly being taken out, and ten years later electricity was provided to illuminate the Vorontsov Palace and large estates. According to the directory of the Tauride province, in 1915 there lived 239 people of assigned residents and 3367 — “outsiders”. These visitors created the chamber atmosphere of a small resort at the beginning of the century.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Crimea. Sea view from a mountain cliff, 1947-1950. Author: N. Popov; source: https://russiainphoto.ru /

The main thing that attracted vacationers was Vorontsov Park, which was open to the public. Charity concerts were held here to raise funds to help tuberculosis patients in need. The most popular were theater evenings dedicated to the full phase of the Moon and its reflection in the sea. This tradition was established under Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov. Vorontsov owned not only a palace with a park, but also most of the territory of the village. In the second half of the XIX century, the family began to lease land for a long-term lease. It is not surprising that the most populated street, along which the most respectable cottages and hotels were located, was named Vorontsovskaya.

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The southern facade of the Vorontsov Palace and the grand staircase, 1905-1910. Source: an open letter issued by the photo studio of I. Semenov in Yalta.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Alupka. View from the upper Park, 1905-1915. Source: pastvu.com

Now it is Frunze Street, it is partially pedestrian, with asphalt reared from landslides. In its impassable part there are about a dozen abandoned pre-revolutionary buildings of varying degrees of preservation. In Soviet times, dachas became buildings first of the anti-tuberculosis sanatorium “Ildyz”, then of the health resort named after the X anniversary of October and until recently of the sanatorium “Sunny“. But it hasn’t been functioning for five years, the street is almost deserted, and until the new owners show up, you can wander around the ghost resort.

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Vorontsovskaya Street, 1910-1915. Author: P. A. Stanyukovich.

The Resurrection Cottage

The first abandoned building is a three—storey Renaissance-style house built in 1896, owned by merchant Pavel Stefanovich Voskresensky. In the travel notes of the naval officer Alexander Petrovich Lukin, the house of the Resurrection is described as arranged with all the comfort of European buildings. “The rooms are large and high, very decently furnished and with terraces… The prices are not particularly expensive, two rather large rooms with a terrace on the sea cost 80 rubles a month.” The last years of the XIX century generally became the finest hour of Alupka. Only in 1898 Maxim Gorky, Konstantin Stanislavsky, Konstantin Balmont, Mirra Lokhvitskaya, Ivan Bunin, Valery Bryusov, Zinaida Gippius and Dmitry Merezhkovsky visited the town, Fyodor Chaliapin and Sergei Rachmaninoff gave a concert. Many vacationers settled in the same apartments from year to year. Surely someone from the color of the intelligentsia of the Silver Age lived at the Resurrection dacha.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Resurrection Cottage, 2021.

The building has completely preserved its spatial composition, decorative elements of facades, authentic doors, window sashes, balcony railings. Inside, despite numerous alterations, stucco details, stair railings, fragments of Metlakh tiles remained. The northern facade overlooks the well-groomed half of the garden, in the center of which the former fountain has turned into a small pond with water lilies. This area was chosen by contemporary artists for art exhibitions on Saturdays.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Voskresensky’s dacha, 1910-1915. Source: A. Ch. Vertinsky, V. L. Filippov. “Greetings from Alupka”, 2017.

The southern part of the territory is overgrown with weeds, and the terraces facing the sea have turned black with time. At the beginning of the last century, a gate led directly from the dacha to Vorontsov Park, but over time the park “retreated”, and now another sanatorium has wedged between the gate and the park. In addition to the house, a bakery was located on the infield. At first, lard was used to make candles, and later — for the production of soap and margarine, which were supplied to the surrounding hotels. Two of them — “Telepchi” and “France” — were just next door. “Telepchi“ has now become the hotel ”Alupka“, and it is difficult to see the former beauty in it, and “France” has retained its original appearance and is empty.

Hotel “France”

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Hotel “France”, 2021.

In places, signs from a century ago appear from under the plaster on its facade. During its pre-revolutionary life, the hotel has changed three owners. The first tenant was the Frenchman Yakov (Jacques) Yakovlevich Rosse. Travelers staying here in 1865 admired the furniture and dishes put here by the prince, and were outraged by the arrangements established by the tenant, calling him a groom, “left over from the tail of the French army.” Only three people served the hotel and the restaurant with her: Rosset’s wife and sister and a French footman who “takes flies out of cream with five fingers” and “lost his handkerchiefs during the siege of Sevastopol.”

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Hotel “France”, 2021.

The hotel received its current name later. In the photo of 1898, the inscription “French Republic” is visible on the building. In 1903, Elizaveta Andreevna Vorontsova-Dashkova leased the hotel for twenty years to Pavel Vladimirovich Kopystynsky, who carried out sewerage in the building, installed a balcony for each room, and made major repairs. Guest reviews changed to admiring ones: “the service is aristocratic, luxurious tablecloths, crystal tableware.” Rooms from one ruble per day and from twenty-five per month. Food from the “first-class” restaurant could be ordered with delivery. Unlike a modern service, it was delivered with a full serving. On the ground floor there were six shops, including Pavel Vladimirovich’s own stationery store, where postcards with views of the resort were mainly sold. It appears on most of Alupka’s old postcards: “American Store”. Edition of P. V. Kopystynsky”.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Alupka. A donkey at the entrance to the hotel “France”. Positive stereo plate — above the gate inscription “Entrance to the hotel “France”. Author: N. V. Zhukov, pastvu.com .

In 1917, the hotel was bought into the ownership of some imprudent person. In Soviet times, the building became the building of one sanatorium, then another, was the base of the society of proletarian tourism and excursions. The balconies were dismantled in the 1970s, but their native grilles still adorn the facade. The interior was redeveloped, but the main staircase remained untouched. Kopystynsky’s postcards, which were scattered all over the country, became an important historical evidence of the life of the pre-revolutionary Alupka, since most of the archives were destroyed during the revolution and the war. Almost no building can establish the exact date of construction and the architect.

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Hotel “France”. Edition by P. V. Kopystynsky. American store. Alupka. 1912. Source: A. Ch. Vertinsky, V. L. Filippov, “Greetings from Alupka”, 2017, pastvu.com

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Hotel “France”, 2021.

Apollonov ‘s dacha

The hotel “France” itself is depicted on postcards, and the dacha on the opposite side, which belonged first to the local priest Fonogorsky, and then to Vasily Vasilyevich Apollonov, one of the richest Orel merchants and patrons. In Orel he had the best deli with “colonial goods” from all over the world. The building of the deli in the neo-Renaissance style stands to this day.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Dacha of V. V. Apolonov, 1905-1910. Edition by P. V. Kopystynsky. American store. Alupka. 1912. Source: A. Ch. Vertinsky, V. L. Filippov, “Greetings from Alupka”, 2017, pastvu.com

In 1918, Vasily Vasilyevich fled from the revolution to the Crimea, where two years later, despite his venerable age (66 years), he was shot along with his son and son-in-law. Due to the slope, the villa is located above the street, a miniature two-step staircase with a sculpture of cupids leads to the landing in front of the house. Although the building itself is made of stone, thanks to the open verandas along the entire facade, whitewashed walls and an abundance of wooden carvings on the pediment and overhangs of the roof, it leaves a feeling of lacy lightness. It is a rare case when the terraces were not glazed at a later period. There are ten rooms inside, some of which were rented out. The only two-storey garage in the city was located on the homestead territory. Later it was converted into living quarters for vacationers. The forged fence grating has been preserved.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Apollonov’s dacha, 2021.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Apollonov’s dacha, 2021.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Apollonov’s dacha, 2021.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Apollonov’s dacha, 2021.

Telepchi Cottage

Next door to the Apollonovs was the villa of the wealthiest indigenous resident of Alupka of Tatar origin, Boris Alexandrovich Telepchi. Locals still talk with emotion about his reverent attitude towards his Russian wife Elizabeth Feodorovna. For her sake, he converted to Christianity, and when she died of tuberculosis, he allocated part of his lands for a church cemetery, named Elizabethan, and equipped an X-ray room for the sanatorium of A. A. Bobrov.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Dacha Telepchi, 2021.

The two-storey house was built in the Oriental style: a slit valance formed keel arches on the terraces of the second floor, the roof was crowned with a dome. In Soviet times, the building was less fortunate than Apollonov’s dacha: the verandas were glazed, only the lattice of the parapet was preserved, and the oriental flavor was pretty tarnished. But the territory is chaotically overgrown with trees, and because of the riot of greenery, the modern glazing of the second floor is almost invisible, and the first one is still charming: the facade is lined with a mosaic of gray limestone, the side staircase leading to the second floor is strewn with last year’s leaves, does not work, but the old fountain with a bowl-sink is well preserved.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Dacha Telepchi, 2021.

The attention of the official authorities did not reach Alupka before. More than a hundred years ago, residents solved problems on their own. In 1898, the “Society for the Improvement of Alupka” was established, of which both Telepchi and his closest neighbors Lutovinov were members. By the efforts of the society, the Shaankai water supply was laid, the Bobrov sanatorium was built, “insufficiently intelligent tuberculosis patients” were kept.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Dacha Telepchi, 2021.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Dacha Telepchi, 1915-1917. Source: A. Ch. Vertinsky, V. L. Filippov, “Greetings from Alupka”, 2017, pastvu.com

Lutovinovs ‘ dacha

The Lutovinovs were among the first to “come“. Their first building, as well as the first Orthodox church, was destroyed by a landslide. But this circumstance did not stop the family, and a new house was erected. It is known that the new boarding house was owned by four sisters — Varvara, Nadezhda, Alexandra and Ekaterina Alexandrovna Lutovinov, Oryol noblewomen, maternal relatives of Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev.

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Lutovinovs’ dacha. Edition of Devichinsky’s store. Source: A. Ch. Vertinsky, V. L. Filippov, “Greetings from Alupka”, 2017, pastvu.com

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Lutovinovs Boarding House, 2021.

The house is of complex construction, sometimes two-, sometimes three-storied, with basements, built of gray Gasprinsky stone in combination with carved wooden elements. The common open veranda on the northern facade was insulated and glazed in Soviet times. The boarding house’s storage room is closed with native iron shutters, and they say that the lock has not been unlocked since the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Lutovinovs Boarding House, 2021.

The most colorful eastern facade has retained almost all of its wooden elements and has only slightly warped from the tree that has grown into it. But on the southern side, nature took full revenge on culture. The base of the fence separating the Lutovinovs’ estate from the neighboring Olgino boarding house is barely discernible, and the nearest building is completely drowned in vegetation, weeds occupied the balconies and terraces.

Olga Smurova’s Boarding house

Olga Smurova’s boarding house, or “Olgino”, consisted of four buildings, and the main one remained in excellent condition. The exterior of the building has hardly changed. The original doors, window frames, parquet, internal wrought-iron staircase and stained glass windows have been preserved here. The caretaker of the former sanatorium lives in the third, neighboring building of the boarding house. You can arrange a tour of the main building with him. Inside, everything is painfully redone for the needs of vacationers: additional floors, domestic tiles.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Olga Smurova’s boarding house, 1900-1917. Source: pastvu.com

In 2018, a horror film was shot in the building, and what the caretakers did not touch was repainted by cinematographers. And at the beginning of the century it was a “first-class furnished” boarding house. From the memoirs of a traveler in 1905: “I’m going to Smurova, as if to my home. They feed for slaughter, the room is clean, the balcony is right on the sea, the garden is huge, electric bells and the church is close.”

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Olga Smurova’s boarding house, 2021.

“Olgino” belonged to the wife of a St. Petersburg merchant and the headman of St. Isaac’s Cathedral, Olga Nikolaevna Smurova. He was lucky to die before the revolution, Olga Nikolaevna was repressed in 1920. And Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze settled in the main house of her boarding house, as evidenced by a memorial plaque and a bust in front of the entrance. In the post-Soviet period, both the plaque and the bust disappeared, the memory of the stay of the commander of the Southern Front remained only in the name of the street, which was renamed Frunze Street from Vorontsovskaya.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Olga Smurova’s boarding house, 2021.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Olga Smurova’s boarding house, 2021.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Olga Smurova’s boarding house, 2021.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Olga Smurova’s boarding house, 2021.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Olga Smurova’s boarding house, 2021.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Olga Smurova’s boarding house, 2021.

The three-storey building where the lonely watchman lives, built in 1882, was originally a boarding house “Moscow” and belonged to Anna Petrovna Pogodina, daughter-in-law of the historian, publicist and traveler Mikhail Petrovich Pogodin. The architect is unknown, but the round corner tower of the cottage resembles the sanatorium “Gurzufsky”, a former hotel owned by Peter Gubonin. It was built by Platon Konstantinovich Terebenev in the same years. It can be assumed that he built this house as well. In 1898, Olga Smurova bought it, and the house became part of her boarding house.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

The second building of Olga Smurova boarding house, 2021.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

The second building of Olga Smurova boarding house, 2021.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

The second building of Olga Smurova boarding house, 2021.

Sanatorium “Foothill”

The second major landowners after the Vorontsovs in Alupka were the Princes Trubetskoy. They owned the western part of the village. Unlike Elizaveta Andreevna Vorontsova-Dashkova, the Trubetskys did not provide a lease, but paved a road connecting their land with the Sevastopol highway, conducted communications, divided the property into one hundred parts and sold it. For ten years, a small resort has appeared here, competing in beauty and well-being with the city center.

Mostly doctors who worked in the Bobrov sanatorium settled on the former Trubetskoy lands. Now this area rivals the abandonment of Frunze Street. Part of the dachas was merged into a hospital, which still operates today. And part of it was the sanatorium “Foothill”, which ceased to function even earlier than the sanatorium “Sunny”.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Sanatorium “Foothill”, 2021.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Building 7 of the sanatorium “Foothill”, 2021.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Building 7 of the sanatorium “Foothill”, 2021.

Lev Plechko ‘s dacha

One of the dachas of Dr. Lev Plechko, the son-in-law of Mikhail Petrovich Pogodin, is best viewed among the thickets. It is made in the style of South-coast Art Nouveau. Each of the facades has a separate entrance. Despite the design concept common to the whole building, each facade is unique, and it is difficult to determine which of them was the main one. What was the internal structure is well described in the 1913 sale announcement: “On the southern coast of the Crimea (Alupka-Sara), a manor cottage in two floors with full furnishings, dishes, etc. is being sold or rented. There are six rooms on each floor. The rooms are high, bright, 12 balconies, bathroom, water supply, all amenities, kitchens, services. Complete absence of stuffiness and dust, wonderful view of the sea and mountains, 20 minutes walk from Vorontsov Park. When giving your own Park. Under the dacha of the land (own) more than a tithe. The cottage is new (built in 1910), the patients do not give up. It is rented out entirely or by floors, and also sold on preferential terms. Address: Crimea, Alupka-Sara, Lev Plechko’s dacha”.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Lev Plechko’s dacha, 2021.

The cottage was never sold, but became the building of the antituberculous sanatorium “Foothill”. The arcades of the southern facade were laid, the inner galleries were used as enclosed utility rooms, the domes over the risalites and the balcony on the western facade were lost, and metal canopies were made over the terraces. But despite these changes, the house continues to leave a feeling of airy lightness and a desire to settle in it.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Lev Plechko’s dacha, 2021.

Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

Lev Plechko’s dacha, 2021.

Sanatorium “Alupka”

The children’s tuberculosis sanatorium “Alupka”, the former sanatorium “Miner”, the former Central Committee of coal miners, has also been well preserved. The sanatorium occupied a very large territory, combining about twenty buildings. Some of its buildings were located above the Sevastopol highway, and some went deep into the Vorontsov Park. At various times, Lenin’s sister Anna Ilyinichna and mother Maria Alexandrovna, Gorky, lived on the territory of the sanatorium. The main building next to the statue of Lenin is a building from the 1950s. The second house is Boris Mikhailovich Ovchinnikov’s dacha.

    Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

    Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

    Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

1 / 6ChevronChevron

The architecture of the past even knows how to age beautifully, embodying the Taoist concept of wabi-sabi — “beautiful in the unsaid”, “acceptance of transience”. The abandoned sanatoriums of Alupka fully correspond to this worldview: overgrown areas hide unexpected views, buildings, fountains, benches. And the weeds themselves are thickets of lilac or rosehip. It is surprisingly pleasant, looking through the flowers at the fragments of the past, to feel like a cultured person.

    Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

    Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

    Курорт-призрак: история и фотографии заброшенных дач Алупки

1/8chevronchevronterritorium of the sanatorium Foothill, 2021. .

Photo: Yulia Kuznetsova

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