memory-of-the-romanovs:THE MASSANDRA PALACE | Crimea | Russia. The Massandra Palace stands in beau
memory-of-the-romanovs: THE MASSANDRA PALACE | Crimea | Russia. The Massandra Palace stands in beautiful parkland on the outskirts of Yalta. It was designed by French architect Bouchart to emulate the style of some of the castles of the Loire valley. Massandra was originally acquired by Count Potocki in 1783. In the mid-19th century, it passed to Prince Mikhail Vorontsov, whose father had been the governor-general of the region. Enraptured by a picturesque setting, Vorontsov in 1881 engaged a team of French architects to design for him a château in the Louis XIII style. He died the following year and construction work was suspended until 1889, when the messuage was purchased by Alexander III of Russia. The Tsar asked architect Maximilian Messmacher to finish the palace for his own use but he did not live to see it completed in 1900. Nicholas II inherited the palace after his father’s death in 1894, but visited it only once during his 23-year reign. [video, info] -- source link