Crimea is a real Mecca for tourists. And they are attracted here not only by the picturesque nature, the sea and the rocky mountains. A huge number of historical and cultural attractions are concentrated on the peninsula. Crimean monuments are cave monasteries, ancient cities, magnificent palaces and military monuments. Every year they are visited by thousands of travelers from different countries and continents.
We will tell you about the most interesting architectural, cultural and historical monuments of Crimea in our article.
Crimea and its treasures
Crimean land is unique in many aspects. Geographically, this is a peninsula (practically an island), connected to the mainland of Europe only by a narrow isthmus. It is washed by the waters of two seas - the Black and Azov. Steppes and semi-deserts dominate in the northern and central parts of the peninsula, while the Crimean Mountains rise smoothly in the southern part to abruptly break off to the sea with a grandiose rocky ledge.
Historically, Crimea is a conglomeration of many cultures and ethnic groups. Representatives of various nationalities live within it: Russians, Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars, Armenians, Greeks, Moldavians, Bulgarians, Gypsies, Jews, Turks and manyother. Each of these ethnic groups brought their architectural and cultural traditions to the peninsula. Their numerous traces can be seen today both in ancient Crimean buildings and in the everyday life of modern Crimeans.
Crimea is a real treasure chest. The entire territory of the peninsula is densely covered with these "treasures" - historical, cultural and architectural monuments. Crimea also gave the world a special school of painting - Cimmerian. Representatives of this school were such talented artists as Ivan Aivazovsky, Adolf Fessler and Maximilian Voloshin.
Top 20 historical and cultural monuments of Crimea
Crimea has absolutely everything a tourist needs: the sea, ideal climate, mountains, forests, parks with exotic plants and, of course, a lot of historical and cultural sites. These are palace and park ensembles, medieval fortresses, the remains of ancient cities, the ruins of ancient buildings, cave monasteries, mounds, mysterious settlements and much more.
Below we list those Crimean monuments that are of the greatest value and are most popular among tourists. So these objects are:
- Vorontsov Palace.
- "Tauric Chersonese".
- Panorama "Defense of Sevastopol".
- Monument to the Scuttled Ships.
- Adzhimushkay quarries.
- Royal barrow in Kerch.
- Livadia Palace.
- Khan's Palace in Bakhchisarai.
- Aivazovsky Art Gallery.
- Sudak fortress.
- Kafa Fortress.
- Eni Fortress-Kale.
- Swallow's Nest Castle.
- The ancient settlement of Kerkinitida.
- Cave city of Chufut-Kale.
- Scythian Naples.
- Massandra Palace.
- Surb-Khach Monastery.
- St. Vladimir's Cathedral in Sevastopol.
- Victory Monument (Sevastopol).
Some of the listed Crimean monuments will be described in more detail later in the article. Among them - one historical, one architectural, one military and one monument of art.
Vorontsovsky Palace and Park Ensemble
This outstanding monument of architectural and park art is located in Alupka on the Black Sea coast. It was created in the middle of the 19th century for Count M. S. Vorontsov with the participation of the best European architects and gardeners.
The palace itself is unique in its own way: its northern facade is made in the style of English Gothic, and the southern one is already decorated in the Moorish style. An unimaginable combination! The hallmark of this ensemble is the southern main staircase, decorated with three pairs of white marble lions.
An integral part of the Vorontsovsky architectural ensemble in Alupka is a 40-hectare park. It contains an amazing botanical collection of exotic plants brought here from Asia, America and Southern Europe.
Tauric Chersonese
The reserve "Tauric Chersonese" was created to preserve the unique ancient landscape on the southwestern coast of Crimea. In the fifth century BC, the ancient Greeks founded near the modern city of Sevastopolpolicy of Chersonese. Thanks to its advantageous geographical position, it very quickly turned into a powerful and prosperous city. In 2013, the ruins of Chersonese received the status of a UNESCO monument.
To this day, the main square of the ancient city, the ancient theater (the only one in the CIS), the foundation of a medieval basilica, the defensive tower of Zenon have survived.
Aivazovsky Art Gallery
Art Gallery. I. K. Aivazovsky is located in Feodosia. This is one of the most important monuments of Crimean art. The gallery presents paintings by different artists, which are united by one theme - the sea. About 12 thousand paintings are collected here. 417 paintings belong to the famous marine painter I. K. Aivazovsky.
Ivan Aivazovsky is a Russian artist of Armenian origin. An outstanding painter and marine painter, whose paintings were admired all over the world. Born and raised in Feodosia, during his long and fruitful life he created over five thousand paintings. The main theme of most of his paintings is the sea.
Monument to the Scuttled Ships
Crimea has always been a tasty morsel for many empires and states. Therefore, almost the entire history of the peninsula is an endless chain of armed conflicts and wars. In the middle of the 19th century, another war broke out in the Crimea. The monument, erected in 1905 in Sevastopol, is the most famous object dedicated to the events of those distant years.
The Monument to the Scuttled Ships was erected in memory of those ships that had to be sunk in order to protect the city of Sevastopol from enemy sea attacks. This happened in 1855 during the so-called First Defense of Sevastopol in the Crimean War. A seven-meter column rises directly into the sea, topped with a bronze figurine of an eagle with a lowered head and spread wings. The pose of the eagle fully conveys all the tragedy and hopelessness of this historical event.
The total height of the monument (including the pedestal) is 16 meters. The name of the author of this monument became known only in 1949. It turned out to be the outstanding Estonian sculptor Amandus Adamson.
