Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi

Medieval Akkerman Fortress on the banks of the Dniester estuary in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi - one of the largest and best preserved in Ukraine.

Built on the site of the ancient city of Thira (archeological excavations are underway). Until the 10th century, there were probably fortifications of Slavic tribes of Tiverts and Ulychi.

The building of the Akkerman citadel belongs to the Genoese period of XIII-XIV centuries. The main fortifications of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi fortress were built during the Moldavian rule (XV century). The total length of the walls is 2 km. Height of walls and towers from 5 to 15 m. 26 of 34 towers have survived.

In 1484 the Akkerman fortress came under the rule of Turkey, a mosque was built (the minaret is preserved). In 1789 the town of Akkerman was taken without a fight by the Don Cossacks of Matviy Platov together with the Buz Cossacks sent by Prince Potomkin-Tavriysky.

At present, the Akkerman Fortress architectural complex is managed by the Fortress utility company. An exposition of instruments of torture was opened on the territory, siege weapons were displayed in the yard. Music festivals and historical fencing championships are held.

The ruins of the ancient city of Thira were excavated by archaeologists near the walls of the Akkerman fortress.

The ancient city on the shore of the estuary at the mouth of the Tiras (Dniester) river was founded in the 6th century BC by immigrants from Greek Miletus, and in the 3rd century BC it reached its greatest prosperity. The main occupations of the inhabitants of Thira were agriculture, viticulture, handicrafts, fishing, and trade with the indigenous population of Transnistria. The city minted its own silver coin. From the beginning of the 2nd century AD, the city of Thira was part of the Roman Empire.

It was destroyed by the Goths in the second half of the 3rd century. A settlement of the Slavic tribes of Tiberians and Ulychi soon arose on the ruins, then a Genoese fortress.

Archaeological excavations have been carried out since 1900 and are still ongoing.

The Armenian Church of the Assumption of the Virgin (Surb Astvatsatsin) has been preserved since the Middle Ages, when a large Armenian community lived in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi.

The temple has a squat shape, because the Muslim authorities forbade the construction of Christian churches higher than mosques. Over the centuries, the Armenian Church was repeatedly rebuilt and expanded. Ancient paintings and medieval marble slabs (khachkars) with carved inscriptions have been preserved on the walls, the earliest of which dates back to the 10th century.

The Armenian Church operated until 1940. Until recently, it was the base of an archaeological expedition. In 2013, the church was returned to the Armenian community.

On the territory there is a Sarmatian crypt of the 3rd century AD, made of stone slabs, found on the eastern outskirts of the city.

The main exposition of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Museum of Local Lore is housed in a one-story building in the Empire style, built in the XIX century for the merchant and mayor Mykhaylo Femilidi.

In several halls visitors can get acquainted with the ancient and medieval history of the Northern Black Sea Coast, the history of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi of the XIX and early XX centuries, the nature of the region.

Presented are finds from the burial complex of the Chernyakhiv culture, original household items and art from Ancient Greece, a numismatic collection, samples of edged weapons, flintlock pistols, authentic handwritten materials of 19th-century Swiss colonists, a unique collection of embroidered towels, etc.

In the next building there is an ethnographic museum, which introduces the traditions of the peoples of the region.

The Holy Ascension Cathedral is the main Orthodox shrine and the largest temple in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi.

Construction on the site of the old Turkish cemetery was carried out from 1815 to 1820 with donations from local residents. Initially, the church had the shape of a ship, but in 1830, three porticos with 4 columns were added, and the cathedral took on the shape of a cross, characteristic of Russian classicism. In 1971, the walls and dome of the cathedral were painted by the family of the artist Piskarev with a group of Moscow artists.

A part of the relics of Saint Ioann of Suchavsky is preserved in the Ascension Cathedral.

A 40-meter-high belfry adjoined the cathedral, which collapsed in 2004 (restoration is underway).

A chapel was built on the territory in honor of the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Christ.