Tag Archives: Sevastopol

Traveling around Crimea Chapter III

Sevastopol, founded by Catherine the Great

CrimeaThe best beach near Sevastopol can be found in Uchkuevka, this place existed since the Middle Ages as part of the Mangup principality. In 1475 the territory came under Ottoman rule and became part of the Crimean Khanate. In 1783 after the Crimeaannexation of Crimea by Russia it became part of the Russian empire. During this time the city of Sevastopol was founded, not far from there near the ruins of the ancient city of Tauric Chersonesos on the Heraklion peninsula.

CrimeaOn this peninsula there are about 30 protected bays, which makes the place unique. The largest being Sevastopol Bay, extends about eight kilometers deep into the peninsula, known Crimeaby other names for 25 centuries and is unique in its shape, location and for navigation convenience it is protected from winds. It was therefore considered one of the most convenient in the world for the location of the military port. It is for this reason that this harbor was chosen for the establishment of a strategically important Russian fleet. Since the time of Catherine, the Great, the main naval base of the Black Sea Fleet of Russia has been Crimealocated there. By the order of Catherine, the city was called Sevastopol, meaning “imperial city”.

By the way, the most memorable sign in Uchkuevka is Catherine’s Mile, which has been Crimeapreserved in the village since 1787, when, in memory of the visit by the Empress Catherine, Prince Potemkin established white mile-posts every 10 miles, marking the Empress’s journey through the southern borderlands of the empire. Only five such pillars have survived in the whole of Crimea.

CrimeaFrom Uchkuevka our way to Sevastopol passed through the ancient city of Inkerman, founded in the 6th century by the Byzantines, who also built a fortress there called Kalamit for protection against invaders. Later, Christians built temples in the caves near Kalamit, that is why when the Turks conquered it in 1475 they re-named it Inkerman, meaning cave fortress.

After the re-annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, Sevastopol has been restored and all Crimearoads were repaired. Here, as in Russia, the president is revered, which is indicated by the numerous posters and portraits on walls of houses. Many local people say: ‘Anyone who was here in March 2014 will understand us …’

It is almost impossible to find another city in the world with a similar Crimeahistory. In the chronicles of Sevastopol – two great attacks on the city were heroically defended. During the Crimean War in 1853, when the combined army of France, England and Turkey, far superior to the Russian army, sent its fleet to the shores of Sevastopol Bay. The heroic defense of Sevastopol Crimealasted 349 days, the allies could not take this impregnable fortress, but the Russian troops still had to surrender the city for a while. Mark Twain wrote about the city that it looked worse than the ruins of Pompeii, not a single house was left standing. The second heroic defense of CrimeaSevastopol occurred during the Second World War after the invasion of the German army into Crimea. The defense of the city lasted 250 days (October 30, 1941 – July 4, 1942), after which the city had to surrender to the enemy and was eventually freed in 1944.

The largest number of monuments in the Crimea are to be found in Sevastopol, there are more than 2000 of them. The Tauric Chersonese is the oldest of them and perhaps, the most interesting …

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