Sevastopol was founded by an order of the Empress Catherine II of Russia who founded port Sevastopol in 1783 near the Greek settlement Hersoness, that was founded in 529 A.D. In time of Byzantine empire, the town’s name was Herson, or Korsun as Russians called it.
The frigate “Ostorojniy” “Vigilant” was sent to find a place for a port. It’s commander the Captain of II rank Ivan Bersenev sailed around Crimea and chose the best place for a Russian fleet.
Ivan Bersenev and his expedition to explore coast of the Crimean peninsula in the years 1785-1787
The first scientific description of the Crimean Peninsula by Russian navigators of the XVIII century
Sevastopol 2016 Aerial view
Crimea: Road to the Sea
Sevastopol 1916 winter reconstruction
“Sevastopol_3D_history” – Life of the city, 1914
Sevastopol; Victory day parade May 9th 2014
Very nice Sebastopol and Crimean coast videos,
especially the animations from 1914. Very clever.
Katherine
The Krimea Peninsula and Sevastopol are quite beautiful. What many do not know is Sevastopol is not only a city but a good sized region encompassing lands from Foros on the south coast to Kacha on the west coast and east almost to Baxchysarai, the old Tatar Khanate Capitol.
The City itself is evolving rapidly with an influx of, for the reality, carpet baggers from ‘up north’. There was more than one grain of truth in my ‘Rules for Tourists’ post couple months ago. The City is bulging at it’s seams with newcomers and those who fled to this region when the troubles began in Ukraine and Novorossiya. Eventually we will bring some order to that rowdy herd one way or the other.
However, we tolerate them all although there are times when the favorite greeting phrase in this city is ‘Send ’em home!’. New businesses are everywhere with goods we never had before, big and small. We were treated as the redheaded stepchild of Kiev for two decades but things have changed, mostly for the good.
When we had our Russian Spring in February and March of ’14 there was real talk of closing Sevastopol City again as it was in Soviet times and as was Balaklava. My wife well remembers the time when you could not come to this city without permission although that little foible was slowly relaxed towards the end of SSSR. Sadly that plan has quietly fallen by the wayside.
Life in the City and surrounding villages is rather pleasant. This morning, for instance, I rose at 05:00, got my usual 20 liter cup of morning coffee and went outside to sit, watch and listen as the world slowly came alive. Not a sound was to be heard, no cars, no aircraft, not even a mouse sneezing, just blue Sophia stumbling out with me half asleep and snoring at my feet in seconds. As the dawn rises St. Nikolas Church on the hill to our east comes to view with the sun gleaming on the gilt Cross high on the pinnacle of the Church. It is now 06:30 and as I write the roosters are greeting the new day. Shortly I’ll hear the horses up the street a few doors and right about now, 06:30 sharp, the trumpets are sounding at the harbor bases calling the soldiers and sailors to a new day. At 06:45 the bells at St. Nikolas will ring at the start of morning services. Life isn’t bad in our little village on the harbor.
Auslander
Author, Never The Last One
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZGCY8KK
It sounds as though the early morning in Sevastopol is a magical time. I hear from my Moscow correspondent thta they are spending three weeks in Hurzuf, on the coast north of Yalta. They go to the Crimea to escape the birch blossoming season in the Moscow area, as one family member has asthma and the birch blooming fills the air with pollen.
The southeastern coast of Crimea appears to be quite mountainous, and from Google Maps it looks as though the area between Sevastopol and Hurzuf is super-scenic. On Google Maps I can follow the Baxchyseraeskoe (sp?) highway—it looks like an incredible route.
Katherine
The early mornings are grand, not a sound until the first light appears with the birds and domestic animals begin to stir. We call Northside ‘the village’ and at least in our little valley that is what it is although we are in city proper. On the other hand if you go another 400 meters north of us the City ends and the vineyards start. You literally transform from a flats building to the vineyards.
The route south from Sevastopol to the south coast is quite scenic and when the road takes you up the ‘mountains’ you find that they go almost down to the shores on the other side. We married at Church of Foros overlooking the south coast and high above the coast.
We have acquaintances in Yalta but we see them only when they come to our city. The drive to Yalta, while scenic, is a bit long for us now and I don’t particularly like Yalta, too crowded and close.
Baxchi Sarai is but twenty minutes from us on the road to Simferopol. We go every couple weeks to the Tatar market there, the all beef sausage is splendid as are the fresh fruits and vegetables. However, the roads in that town make ours look grand and that takes some doing.
All in all we like it in our little village but we know the day will come when we have to move further out. We are far enough from the beaches on the west coast, about three klicks, that we don’t hear the noise and hubbub in spring and summer but the visitors are steadily encroaching towards us.
Auslander
It looks as though there is quite a lot of unbuilt-upon land or parkland on the eastern end of the Northside.
Katherine