Attractions of Sevastopol

The picturesque Balaklava Bay is located on the southeastern outskirts of Sevastopol, officially part of the city. Until 1957, Balaklava was a separate settlement.

Known since the 8th century BC as a Taurian settlement. It was first mentioned by Homer as Lamos, the city of the Listryhons. In the 1st century, Roman troops displaced the Taurians and Scythians, and the Greek village of Yambol appeared in the bay. In the 14th century, the Genoese, who captured the coast, built the Chembalo Fortress on the top of Mount Kastron, which dominates the entrance to the bay (the towers and parts of the fortress wall have survived). In 1475, Balaklava Bay was captured by the Turks, who renamed it Balak-Yuve (in Turkish - "fish bag").

After the Crimean War, Balaklava became a remote town, then a small bohemian resort (Lesya Ukrayinka rested here).

In Soviet times, a unique underground submarine repair plant was built in Balaklava Bay. After Ukraine gained Independence, a private Naval Museum Complex "Balaklava" was opened on its basis. Nearby is the underground "Object-221" - an unfinished reserve command post of the Black Sea Fleet.

Cape Aya on the southern coast of Crimea is considered the conditional western border of the SCC.

It is a steep spur of the Main Ridge of the Crimean Mountains (the highest point of the cape is Mount Kokiya-Kala, 558 meters).

The state landscape reserve "Cape Aya" combines such natural attractions as the Batylyman tract, groves of Pizunda pine, tall juniper and Stankevych pine, as well as a coastal aqua complex near Cape Aya.

At the foot of the cape there are caves and the beach "Lost World", which can be reached from Balaklava only by sea.

Fortifications on Mount Kastron above the entrance to Balaklava Bay were built in the 14th century the Genoese who settled here.

On the mountain was the administrative part of the Chembalo fortress - the City of Saint Nicholas (Upper City or Citadel), below was the City of Saint George surrounded by three lines of walls (Lower or Outer City), where ordinary townspeople lived.

In 1475, the city was captured by the Turks, who renamed it Balak-Yuva. They remained the masters of Balaklava for three centuries before the conquest of Crimea by Russia. During the Crimean War, the British garrison was stationed here.

To our time, the Chembalo fortress has survived in ruins, but the silhouette of its towers on the slopes of the fortress has become a business card of Balaklava. Restoration work is underway, and the creation of a museum is planned. Visiting is free.

The water aqueduct over the Chorna River in the village of Khmelnitskoe on the outskirts of Sevastopol was created in the 19th century as part of the city water supply.

Sevastopol has always experienced a lack of fresh water, and to solve this problem, in 1784 it was decided to lay a water main and bring water from a source located 8 kilometers from the city. However, there were not enough funds for such a large-scale construction, and it was completed only in 1837, when it was necessary to provide water to the dry docks in Sevastopol. The final project was developed by Admiral Mykhaylo Lazarev. Water tunnels were dug in the rocks by hand by soldiers, sailors and prisoners. Ceramic water pipes were made by local potters.

During the defense of Sevastopol in 1854-1855, the Lazarev waterworks was destroyed, and they did not begin to restore it. Only fragments have survived. The most interesting of them is the Roman-type arched aqueduct in Khmelnitskoe. Its project was developed by engineer-colonel John Upton. The aqueduct in the form of a bridge over the Chorna River is 104 meters long.