The Nikitsky Botanical Garden in Crimea

There is the fact that Crimea has been a constant subject of most newspapers and news sites for several years. I wanted to cast aside this silly policy, hatred and hostility. I just wanted to remember what a wonderful place it is! In order to this wonderful peninsula was associated only with positive again!

I visited Crimea twice with my parents when I was a young kid. But that impression does not become worse. I remember a lot and I like to remember those warm and sunny days. I took out all these photographs and prepared a series of reports about Crimea! And I will not tolerate any hatred and anger in the comments. I warn you at once!

I will talk about the Nikitsky Botanical Garden in this article. And I have no idea why it is called Nikitinsky. All the photos are old and were taken on my first compact camera in 2008. So do not swear for the quality of the photos, please =)

 

Emperor Alexander I has signed the decree about establishment the Botanical garden in Crimea in June, 1811. The Kherson military Governor Richelieu interceded about it with the support of Count Mikhail Vorontsov (who extremely close to the Emperor) and famous German botanist Bieberstein.

A little more than after three years there were listed 95 varieties of apple, 58 varieties of pears, 6 berries trees and 15 decorative species of plants in the garden.

Soon the garden was turned into an acclimatization place. All Russia should be grateful for the spread of a huge number of new trees and plants throughout its territory.

The Director of the garden, a scientist and naturalist Christians Steven, was awarded a prize of 2000 rubles for such merits. So he went to a two-year journey around the world, simultaneously studying and selecting trees which suitable for planting in the Nikitsky garden.

His successor – is the former gardener-caretaker Gartis – stayed on a post of the Director for 20 years until the end of his life. During this period he was able to increase more than twice the collection of the arboretum.

 

He opened the school of practical gardening on the lands of the garden and a vineyard here. He created the Magarachsky institution of viticulture and winemaking.

Nicholas Tsebel, who led the garden from 1866 to 1880, paid special attention to viticulture. There was opened Nikitsky School of horticulture and wine-making.

From 1880 to the 20th century, the financing of the garden was significantly reduced that could not affect its work. At this time, there was developing only winemaking.

 

The centenary of the founding of the Botanical garden was celebrated in 1912. A column in the antique style at the entrance to the Lower Park was built exactly then.

There was created a herbarium in 1914, which currently has over 120 000 of leaves.

During the Soviet Union era, the garden began to recover. It was given enough attention then. However, during the German occupation during the Second World War, the enormous number of plants was destroyed. And the valuable herbarium was taken out to German. The Director Koverga was so dedicated to his work that went in search of the herbarium. And a few years later he brought the herbarium back, finding it in private hands near Berlin.

Its area was 996 hectares according to the transition of the territory of the Crimea to Ukraine. It was recognized as the national treasure of Ukraine.

This Botanical garden is one of the most beautiful in Europe for today. You can safely put it on a par with the Batumi Botanical garden. As for its square, it is simply huge.

There are a lot of vegetation, hand-made ponds and several buildings in the garden. For example, here is the gazebo. According to the guide, it was the filming location of one point in the movie «The Adventures of Pinocchio».

Knowing about how the guides like the legends, I watched this movie. But I did not find this gazebo. If you met it in this psychedelic cartoon – throw off the moment for me.

There are many beautiful flowers from which you cannot tear your eyes away. And I want to enjoy their appearance, to inhale this sweet aroma.

Here is the butterfly garden. It is quite tiny and decorated in any how, in comparison to a butterfly garden in Vienna. However, the diversity of butterflies is ten times higher and more interesting here. And they are absolutely fearless here. Many of them sit directly on you.

In general, it is a very beautiful place. It is worth visiting it! The ideal time for it – is, perhaps, October. Then the Chrysanthemum ball opens. The evergreen trees remain green. And the leaves on the ordinary trees are colored in hundreds of shades of red, yellow and green.

 

 

How to get there

You can get to the Nikitsky Botanical Garden by public transport from Yalta by the shuttle bus № 34 or by the trolleybus № 2 from the stop «Clothes market». At the same time you can get there by the shuttle bus № 29 that goes through the city and past the bus station.

There is a trolleybus № 52 from Simferopol to Yalta. You can still get there by any regular bus «Simferopol-Yalta». But it is better to ask the driver: will he stop at the bus stop «Nikitsky Botanical garden»? As at one time the buses stopped only at the bus stations.

In addition, you can get from Sevastopol by public regular bus «Sevastopol-Yalta». And then take the shuttle bus № 29 to Yalta.

By car: coordinates 44.5094,34.2328

Working hours:

In winter (November – April) – from 9:00 to 16:00
In summer (May – October) from 9:00 to 20:00

Ticket prices

The entrance ticket for children (from 7 to 14) – costs 100 rubles.

For adults – costs 200 rubles.

The entrance to the cactus greenhouse and the Park «Primorsky» for children will cost 50 rubles, for adults – 100.

In addition, you can go to the Museum – it costs 25 and 50 rubles, respectively.

As the territory of this Botanical garden is huge, I recommend using the mobile navigation or downloading a map plan for easy orientation.