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The Nikitsky Botanical garden
Map of the Nikitsky Botanical garden
Established in 1812 by order of Tsar Alexander I, the botanical gardens at Nikita are among the oldest in the country. Perched on a slope above the sea just a 10 minute minibus ride from Yalta, they are well worth a visit, beautifully but carefully laid out by botanist K.K.Steven so as not to disturb some of the original species.
Here you can see a 1000 year old juniper and a 500 year old oak tree, both native to Crimea, as well as many of almost 15,000 species collected from all quarters of the globe.
Interestingly, this is one of the few places in Crimea where you can see olive trees. Apparently olive cultivation did not develop here, in contrast with the mediterranean countries, because the olive was designated as bourgeois and un-proletarian after the 1917 revolution.
For some reason fig and almond trees were not labelled in the same way, so fresh home-grown figs and almonds are on sale everywhere in Crimea - but not olives. Specimens were, however, allowed in the botanical gardens!
The Nikitsky gardens are a perfect place to meditate and put the finishing touches to your personal philosphy of life, the universe and just about everything. They stay open late in the evenings in summer, and a stroll in the gardens after a hot day on the beach or sightseeing is a pretty good way to unwind. There's a restaurant and fruit-tasting too.
As well as being a place of beauty and peace, the gardens have a practical side - half of the peaches and apricots grown in Ukraine are from varieties selected from the Nikitsky garden's huge collection, and seeds are also exported to Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria. The gardens' Scientific Centre exchanges seeds and information with 600 institutions worldwide.
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