Cities of Crimea: the largest, oldest, most beautiful and popular

There are many cities in the Republic of Crimea, large and small. The creation of some settlements is lost in the mists of time, while others are relatively young. They are all different, each is unique in its own way, and each of them has its own story.

There are no cities with a population of one million in Crimea, but there are several fairly large centers that attract everyone's attention. Let's list the largest of them.

A city of federal significance, known all over the world. Base of the Black Sea Fleet of Russia, international trade port. It is also an important economic center of the region.... This is the largest settlement in Crimea in terms of area and number of inhabitants - currently it is home to just over 400 thousand people.

The city was founded in 1783, when the Russian Empire created a new naval unit on the Black Sea - the Black Sea Fleet.

The main administrative center, the second largest city, the capital of the Republic of Crimea. The population is about 335 thousand people. Situated in the southwestern part of the peninsula, landlocked. There is an international airport in Simferopol; it is connected with all other cities by rail and road.

The city also has a rich history. Numerous exhibits are presented in the Central Museum of Taurida, the Crimean Ethnographic and Simferopol Art Museums.

Ranked third in terms of population - 150 thousand people.

During its long history, the city in different years belonged to various state formations, for example, such as the Byzantine Empire, the Khazar Kaganate, the Genoese Republic, the Ottoman Empire. In 1774 it was annexed to Russia.

This resort town on the western coast of Crimea is famous for its magnificent beaches and mild, pleasant climate. During the tourist season the number of visitors is 2-3 times higher than the number of local residents, whose number is slightly more than 106 thousand people.

Quiet provincial life in a small town changed dramatically in the second half of the 19th century. Since 1860, the royal family has come to Livadia, a neighborhood of Yalta, for the summer. Rest in these places is becoming fashionable among the high society and Russian aristocrats, the construction of beautiful palaces, estates, dachas and mansions in a variety of architectural styles begins.

It is also very popular with vacationers. beautiful promenade, where there are many cafes, restaurants and various attractions. The famous hotel (and formerly the hotel) "Tavrida" is also located here. If you count with the suburbs, about 79,000 people permanently live here.

Relatively small town with a population of about 70,000.

A famous artist lived in Feodosia I. K. Aivazovsky... The city's art gallery is named after him. The famous romantic writer Alexander Green also lived here, he is described in the exposition of the literary and memorial museum.

Just like in Yalta, by the end of the 19th century, dachas and mansions were being built in these places, Alushta became attractive for recreation.

In the 50s of the XX century, after the city was rebuilt after the war, a large number of sanatoriums and rest houses were opened in it. To this day, many tourists come to Alushta every year. There are few permanent residents in it, about 30,000 people.

There are many monuments with a rich history on the territory of Crimea. Among the most ancient settlements that have come down to us are several famous ancient Greek cities.

• Panticapaeum, Kerch. Located on the eastern end of the Crimean Peninsula, Kerch can be proud of its very advanced age. The Greek polis appeared in this place more than 2.5 thousand years ago. The historical center is Mount Mithridates. Around 479 BC, the city becomes the capital of the kingdom of the Bosporus. And also there are ruins of several more ancient settlements. During archaeological excavations, a large number of household items, jewelry, coins, fragments of ceramics, dishes and many other evidence of history were found. All this is on display at the Kerch Museum of Antiquities.

• Evpatoria. On the site of modern Evpatoria, several cities were alternately replaced. First, from the 5th century BC. NS. here was the Greek port city of Kerkinitida. At the very end of the 2nd century, it was already ruined by the Scythian tribes who came to the peninsula. For a long period no one lived in this place. And only in the Middle Ages, after the formation of the Crimean Khanate, the city of Kezlev appeared. It was named Yevpatoria when Crimea was annexed to the Russian Empire. On the picturesque narrow streets of the Old Town, there are many ancient buildings and architectural monuments.

• Feodosia. The name of the city was given by Greek settlers in the 6th century BC. e., and it has survived to the present time, which means - "given by God." However, buildings from the times of antiquity are almost gone. A significant part of the buildings belongs to the Middle Ages - these are Christian churches and temples, a mosque and some other structures.

• Yalta. Approximately in the 5th-6th centuries BC, the ships of Greek seafarers landed on the southern coast of Crimea.On the site of present-day Yalta, they founded the settlement of Yalos (translated from Greek it means "coast"). Like the rest of the peninsula, it has repeatedly changed owners: Greeks, Venetians, Genoese, Byzantines, Ottoman Turks. After the Russian-Turkish war, it became part of the Russian Empire.

• Aluston, Alushta. This fortified coastal city was built by the Byzantines during the reign of Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century. After the fall of Byzantium, the fortress belonged to the Khazar Kaganate, was part of the principality of Theodoro, and then was destroyed by the Turks. A small fishing village remains on the site of the city. And only in the second half of the 19th century the revival began.

• Chersonesus Tauride (on the territory of modern Sevastopol). The open-air museum, located in the northwestern part of the Quarantine Bay, is an antique polis built in 422-421 BC. NS. A thousand years later, a large city fell under the rule of the Byzantines, and from the middle of the XIV century, the Genoese became its owners. In 1399, hordes of nomads completely destroyed the settlement and the fortress. Since the 80s of the XX century, excavations of the settlement have been ongoing.

• Simferopol. It was also built on the site of one of the ancient fortresses of the Crimean peninsula. Here was the Scythian Naples, the capital of the Scythian Kingdom. Its ruins can be seen near the city.

The nature of these places can be admired all year round. Beautiful landscapes - the sea with sandy beaches, caves and grottoes, forests, steppes - fascinate with their beauty:

• the picturesque waterfall Dzhur-Dzhur near the city of Alushta is the largest on the peninsula, its height is 15 meters;
• Cape Chameleon in Koktebel, which changes color during the day;
• Valley of ghosts in the vicinity of Alushta, where the outlines of weathered rocks resemble figures of people and animals;
• the famous Ai-Petri peak - the pearl of the mountainous Crimea;
• Balaklava Bay is the decoration of Sevastopol.

And many other natural beauties.

In addition to natural landscapes, there are also many man-made monuments in Crimea.

• In 1912, the German Baron P. Steingel, a wealthy oil industrialist, built the Swallow's Nest castle on the very edge of the steep cliff of Aurora Rock. It amazes tourists to this day.
• There are many beautiful old parks on the territory of the city of Simferopol, which were founded in the 18th-19th centuries. Of these, Vorontsovsky Park is especially famous.
• Nikitsky Botanical Garden, where the best plants from all over the world are collected.
• Karadag nature reserve.
• Luxurious palaces and dachas built on the seaside in the 18th-19th and early 20th centuries.

During the Great Patriotic War, Crimea experienced a difficult occupation, fierce battles were fought over its ports. For courage, heroism and unparalleled exploits of the defenders, the honorary title of Hero City was awarded to several settlements.

• Heroic Sevastopol rightfully bears this title. The expositions of museums tell about it - Defense of Sevastopol, Storm of Sapun-mountains, Mikhailovskaya battery, Naval complex "Balaklava", Malakhov Kurgan, 35th coastal battery.
• Kerch. The front line passed through the city four times. In memory of these events, a memorial was built on Mount Mithridates, to which 423 steps lead - the Obelisk of Glory to the Immortal Heroes and the Eternal Flame burns.
• Feodosia. Deservedly bears the title of the City of Military Glory. You can learn more about what was experienced during the war years in the local museum.

The tourist route should be chosen depending on the purpose of the trip. For example, beach lovers should consider a list of cities and towns located near the sea.

For those wishing to study the history of the peninsula, there are interesting excavation sites of ancient settlements, the ruins of fortresses, as well as museum exhibitions.

Lovers of the kingdom of nature can find the most visited parks, gardens and nature reserves.

About which cities of Crimea are the most beautiful, see the next video.