Massandra

The settlement of Massandra lies 3 km to the East of Yalta. The high hills protect Massandra from the cold air. The Massandra Park is one of the most beautiful parks of the Southern Coast. It was laid in the 1840s by the German horticulturist Karl Kebach, the founder of the Alupka Park. The park was laid out by the peasants brought by Count Vorontsov from all the provinces of Russia. Nowadays in the Massandra Park grow about 200 tree and bush species.

The park was planned in the English style with paths and picturesque groups of trees. The nature itself helped to create interesting landscape views.

There are many southern exotic plants in the park: palms, sequoias, magnolias, and bamboo. The rose lanes are in bloom till November. The best decoration of the park is a group of six Italian pines with a common crown. On the glade a mighty 500 years old oak spread its branches like an alive illustration to a fairy tale. And everywhere are beautiful man-made pools.

The cultural park gradually passes to the natural forest.

Massandra is well-known in Ukraine and abroad for its winery. The first industrial vineyards in Massandra were planted at the beginning of the 19^th century. In 1823 Count Vorontsov became the owner of Massandra (originally Marsanda). He bought very good sorts of vine and invited the famous viticulturists from France.

Massandra became noted as a leading centre for the manufacture of Crimean wines thanks to Prince Lev Sergeyevich Golitsyn. The biggest wine cellar was built near the waterfall in 1897. The development of wine-making is connected with the Research Institute “Magarach”. The work of the Magarach collective has been honoured with many international diplomas and medals. Specialists of Magarach have created original brands of wine Black Doctor and Ruby. The White Muscat of the Red Stone brand was awarded 2 first prize trophies “Grand Prix”. It was the only wine in the world, which had received so high estimation.

The wine cellar holds one million decalitres of 33 different kinds of wine. Massandra owns a unique wine museum with a collection of 700 types of wine. Some of wines are 200 years old.