Cypress Alley is the main walking area in front of Simeiz Park. Officially it is called Lenin Street, but the name Cypress Alley is more popular with vacationers. It is also called the Alley of the Apollons, because among the fountains there are sculptures of Greek gods.
The cypress alley stretches along the entire Simeiz Park from Villa Xenia to the Yunost Sanatorium, which is located at the foot of Mount Panea. Its length is 230 meters. The alley is located on the upper part of Simeiz Park, and the park itself descends to the sea on a fairly steep slope.
The idea of creating Simeiz Park belongs to the Maltsev brothers, who at the beginning of the 20th century made Simeiz a fashionable resort for middle-class people. They planted junipers, pines, and other southern trees. Sculptures of Greek gods were installed on the upper side of the park. There was no Cypress Alley then.
A summer pavilion was installed at the entrance to the park. The wisteria was planted in front of it, which has now grown to enormous size. It wraps its branches around the pavilion and in spring you can see beautiful blue flowers on it.
In 1917, the Soviet government nationalized private cottages in Simeiz and transferred them to the organization of various sanatoriums. In 1928, a Cypress alley was planted along the entire upper side of Simeiz Park. After almost a century, the pyramidal cypresses have grown to enormous sizes. Now the Cypress Alley is part of the Simeiz Park.
The original sculptures of Greek gods on the Cypress Alley have not been preserved. They disappeared during the WWII, but in Soviet times copies of them were installed here. This was quite atypical for Soviet resorts, where Soviet symbols prevailed.
Nowadays, 3 sculptures of Greek gods also stand in their place, and the sculpture of Artemis was removed. She was standing in front of Villa Xenia, but later was replaced with an installation with the heart "I love Simeiz". In the depths of the cypress alley you can see sculptures of Apollo, Dionysus and Hercules. Cypress Alley is a favorite place for evening walks of vacationers.
