The resort of Gurzuf is located on the Southern coast of Crimea, 22 km south of Alushta and 17 km north of Yalta. At the end of the 19th century, Gurzuf was a more popular resort than Yalta, but later lost this race. There are many natural and historical attractions, including the Pushkin Museum and Chekhov`s House. The seashore in Gurzuf is rocky, but there is a large beach and a magnificent embankment. The rocks make the landscapes of Gurzuf very picturesque.
The city is located on the Gurzuf hill, which rises 63 meters above the level of the Black Sea. For centuries, a Tatar community has lived in Gurzuf. On one of the hills, in 1880 there was the Hagia Sophia mosque. It looked smart among the rocks of Gurzuf. In 1927, the mosque withstood a powerful earthquake, but in 1930 the Bolsheviks destroyed it.
Of great interest in the Old Town of Gurzuf are the narrow streets paved with stone. The buildings of the Tatar village have been preserved here. On the one hand, the chaotic 19th-century building on the rocky shore allows to feel the history of the resort. However, this can cause positive emotions only when the city authorities monitor the condition of pavements and houses (restore it), and there is no web of urban communications hanging on poles above the streets.
There is a large Gurzuf Park in Gurzuf. It is closed to the public, as it is located on the territory of the sanatorium "Gurzufsky". The Park can only be visited with an excursion, which is held once a day, at 12 o`clock. The Pushkin Museum is located in the park, but there is free access to it. The Pushkin Museum is located in the house of Armand de Richelieu.
History of Gurzuf
The house of the first governor of Novorossiya, Armand de Richelieu, is the first European house on the southern coast of Crimea. In Crimea there were other houses and large cities built by Genoese or Turks in the Middle Ages. However, a new era began with Armand de Richelieu and his house in Gurzuf, when Crimea became a favorite resort destination in the Russian Empire.
Armand de Richelieu was born in France in 1766. In his homeland, he served as Prime Minister of France in 1815-1818, but from 1790 to 1815 Richelieu served in Russia. In 1803, Emperor Alexander I appointed him mayor of Odessa. He is loved and honored in this city. There he is considered the founder of Odessa (although the city was founded 5 years earlier) and he is called Duke de Richelieu. There is a monument to him above the Potemkin Stairs in Odessa.
In 1805, Armand de Richelieu was appointed governor of Novorossiya (all new lands on the shores of the Black and Azov Seas). He built a two-storied Greek-style house with a large attic in Gurzuf in 1808. Richelieu was very busy with affairs in Novorossiya, so he could not live in his house in Gurzuf, but he allowed others to spend their holidays there.
The most famous visitor of Gurzuf was Alexander Pushkin, who together with the Rayevsky family visited the Crimea in 1820. Alexander Pushkin went to Chisinau to serve in the office of the new lands of Bessarabia. On the way, he fell ill with pneumonia, so he decided to go to the Crimea to improve his health. Initially, he arrived in Feodosia, but spent most of his time in Gurzuf. Together with the Rayevskys, they lived in the house of Armand de Richelieu and traveled all over the Crimea. Now the Pushkin Museum has been created in the Richelieu House.
After Richelieu`s death, the owners of his estate were Mikhail Vorontsov and Ivan Findukley. In the early 1880s, the rich merchant Peter Gubonin acquired land in Gurzuf. He built 7 hotels in Gurzuf and expanded the park. With the advent of such hotels, ordinary people began to come to the Crimea on vacation, and not only the nobles who had estates here. At the beginning of the 20th century, Gurzuf was the largest and most fashionable resort in the Crimea.
Sights of Gurzuf
The old town of Gurzuf with its narrow streets can be considered a landmark. Hundreds of thousands of tourists come to the Pushkin Museum and Chekhov`s House every year. In addition, there is also a House-museum of the artist Korovin in Gurzuf.
About a third of Gurzuf is occupied by the Artek children`s camp. Children from all over the country come here all year round. The territory of the camp is closed, but you can visit it with an excursion. Near the entrance to Artek is the Suuk-Su Palace. It houses the exposition of the Artek Museum. The Gurzuf Embankment runs along the shore from the old town to the Artek camp. It is lined with pink and white marble tiles and shimmers very beautifully in the sun. Its length is 2 kilometers. There is a beach at the foot of the embankment.
There are famous natural attractions in Gurzuf. Near the shore are the twin rocks of Adalary (height 35 and 48 meters). There are always boats on the shore of Gurzuf that will take you to the Adalary. During this trip you will see from the water the beautiful Chaliapin Rock, as well as Pushkin Rock with a grotto. From the north, a large mountain Ayu-Dag (Bear) rises above Gurzuf. Its height reaches 577 meters. Trails for tourists are laid around the mountain and to its top.
In the Middle Ages, the Genoese Fortress of Gerzuvity was located on the rock of Genevez-Kaya. Practically nothing has been preserved from it, only fragments of masonry in some places. The Genoese Tunnel has been preserved on the north side. Unfortunately, in Soviet times, one of the Artek camp building was built on the site of the Genoese fortress, so now access to the Genoese fortress is closed.
In the Crimean Mountains, you can climb the Gurzuf Yayla plateau. There, on the edge of the Shagan-Kaya Mountain, there is a Pavilion of Winds. It offers a beautiful view of the surroundings of Gurzuf. Some tourists also go to the Red Stone, to the foot of the Roman-Kosh Mountain, to the Nikitsky cleft and to other places in the Crimean Mountains.
