In the summer, Sudak is a good investment of money and time for everyone. Swim, sunbathe, drink wine, climb mountains, and you never know what else. Feeling the patronizing gaze of a formidable and centuries-old fortress, you can do anything. And I think I will not be far from the truth if I say that everyone who has visited Sudak has also visited the Genoese fortress. The fortress is the avatar of the whole Sudak. Such a majestic and well-preserved building cannot be found either in the Crimea, or in a good part of our friendly Eurasian continent. The grandiose buildings on the Fortress Hill attract both people who are interested, and the main traveling mass with vague preferences and not a pronounced historical orientation. The surviving towers and solid walls evoke images of the medieval grandeur of the city that used to be here and the farming methods of previous eras.
Surrounding yourself with a fence and protecting yourself from the dangerous outside world was the only means of survival in those days. Magical economic tools of today's era, allowing bloodlessly and without human costs to strangle the unloved element of international politics, were not yet known at that time. Dialogues were conducted mainly from a position of strength, which resulted in armed raids or methodical sieges. Therefore, every self-respecting settlement that did not forget about the instincts of self-preservation was spent in full on stone fortifications, idolizing the masters of military architecture. The Genoese fortress impresses with its size, geographical location, layout and ingenious in terms of defense. Unassailable from almost three sides, it had the luxury of focusing its defensive power only on those advancing from the north, leaving all other parts of the world in charge of far-sighted civilian observers.
The fortress remains impregnable to this day! Try it outside of working hours, when the fortress gate leading through the gate fortification of the barbican is closed, get inside. According to local residents there have been options in the past with mountain climbers. But everything usually ended with a crowd of onlookers, cars with flashing lights and emergency rescue work. The territory enclosed in a pile of stone walls has about 30 hectares and was once called the city of Soldaya. According to historians, the fortress was founded by visiting Genoese who decided to stake out the place they liked. But they were not the first here. Judging by the excavations and the “word of honor” of historians, there were Byzantine fortifications before the Genoese, which the Ottomans destroyed because those same Byzantines did not want to be conquered. Somewhere between the first and second, or second and third, there were also Khazars. So, as you can see, the place was lively.
Since I am not an accredited specialist in this field, I will not bother you with a historical summary, chronography and shine with knowledge in the high-profile names of towers and internal structures. To do this, I recommend referring to historical references, guidebooks, maps, or leave a few gaps for local guides to fill in. Let's approach the topic not so diligently and just look around to understand “Is it worth going? ". Inside there is something to see and something to take pictures with. 14 towers surrounding the outer contour are connected by a defensive wall about 2 meters thick. It is forbidden to climb the walls, but you can admire the loopholes. They offer a view of the city and the imaginary enemy. The view, unfortunately, is narrow-minded. Inside, you can admire the remains of cathedrals, barracks and temples of different periods of construction.
Since admiring the remains is not one of the most exciting activities, let's move on to more interesting buildings. In terms of the number of dishes in the "complex lunch", there will also be three places of interest to us here. First of all, this is the Padishah-Jami mosque, located in the eastern wing of the town. This temple with an arcade was rebuilt several times, reflecting the tastes of the new owners. The last project was implemented by Catholic Armenians. That is what we see today. The building looks very solid. Perhaps this is why the Museum of the Sudak Fortress is located here. The exposition is not large, but reflects all stages of the life of the fortress. There is also a souvenir shop here, where they sell not only banal cards and magnets, but also casts from coins, jewelry, beads beloved by the Indians, as well as herbal infusions and local ointments. For every personal defect in health, there is a specific composition.
Going further up the path, we will get to the Consular Castle. Object of study number 2. This is the citadel with its additional fortifications, the 24-meter St. George's tower and the castle itself. The castle has been remarkably well preserved. No wonder domestic directors love to create here. Of the most famous, the film Othello with Sergei Bondarchuk was filmed here. The castle has been perfectly preserved, which can be personally fixed by going inside. We went inside not only to admire the castle, but also to escape from the enemy. In our case, the enemy turned out to be some aboriginal in the form of "under the watchman" with a pair of hungry dogs. The look of the dogs clearly hinted that it was not worth placing yourself between them and the food, and I insistently invited my companions to get away inside. The interior decoration of the castle reminded me of similar castles in Finland. I can't explain the unexpected resemblance even to myself.
Having walked around the castle, we came to the second echelon of defensive walls, from where a magnificent view of Sudak, the sea and scenery from the festival taking place here every year opens. But about the festival later. The third whale of a personal tour of the fortress is the Maiden's Tower. It is located as high as possible, at the highest point of the fortress hill. Based on the sports training of their team and strong gusts of wind from the category of the "roaring forties", the ascent to the tower had to be canceled. Climbing up to it for a person familiar with a skipping rope, and not with a double cheeseburger, will not be difficult. But there were problems with the descent. The perfectly polished stone surface is simply made for riding on the buttocks. The Maiden's Tower served as housing for noble captives so that they would not loiter around the territory of the fortress.
A lot of Crimean legends are associated with the Maiden's Tower, which, if desired, can be recited to your companions. In the end, based on the strategic location, someone always threw himself into the water. Whether our Black Sea dolphins saved him or not, legends do not indicate. After wandering around the tower for a good two hours and taking a lot of photographs, we decided to move towards the exit. In the winter months in February, we were almost alone here. During the summer months, you won't get that chance. Attendance of the tower in the summer rolls over, especially during the "Genoa Helmet". This is the same festival that takes place here every year at the end of July. A crowd of lovers to put on armor and take part in a collective dump and slaughter on blunted swords floods the walls of the fortress. An even larger crowd with less temperament and pronounced masculinity comes to see it all, devouring beer and snacks.
Children dress in full armor and shoot from a bow, and lovers of jewelry, souvenirs and medieval handicrafts shower the masters with specie. Permanent happiness, with bonfires and songs, a river of beer and noise cover Sudak. It is simply necessary to participate in such an entertainment booth. The fortress can be reached from the bus station by minibus. The fortress is located opposite the village of Uyutnoye, a couple of kilometers from the center of Sudak. Near the fortress there is a parking lot, which was deserted in winter, and a closed shop with wines from the Sun Valley. To get to the fortress, when approaching it, you need to turn right and, bypassing the fast food shop, get to the cashier. A ticket last winter cost 30 hryvnia. A visit to the museum is included in the price. The fortress is open from 9.00 to 18.00, with an extended working day until 21.00 in the summer months. sudakoff. at. ua based on materials from my site samtyr. en
Surrounding yourself with a fence and protecting yourself from the dangerous outside world was the only means of survival in those days. Magical economic tools of today's era, allowing bloodlessly and without human costs to strangle the unloved element of international politics, were not yet known at that time. Dialogues were conducted mainly from a position of strength, which resulted in armed raids or methodical sieges. Therefore, every self-respecting settlement that did not forget about the instincts of self-preservation was spent in full on stone fortifications, idolizing the masters of military architecture. The Genoese fortress impresses with its size, geographical location, layout and ingenious in terms of defense. Unassailable from almost three sides, it had the luxury of focusing its defensive power only on those advancing from the north, leaving all other parts of the world in charge of far-sighted civilian observers.
The fortress remains impregnable to this day! Try it outside of working hours, when the fortress gate leading through the gate fortification of the barbican is closed, get inside. According to local residents there have been options in the past with mountain climbers. But everything usually ended with a crowd of onlookers, cars with flashing lights and emergency rescue work. The territory enclosed in a pile of stone walls has about 30 hectares and was once called the city of Soldaya. According to historians, the fortress was founded by visiting Genoese who decided to stake out the place they liked. But they were not the first here. Judging by the excavations and the “word of honor” of historians, there were Byzantine fortifications before the Genoese, which the Ottomans destroyed because those same Byzantines did not want to be conquered. Somewhere between the first and second, or second and third, there were also Khazars. So, as you can see, the place was lively.
Since I am not an accredited specialist in this field, I will not bother you with a historical summary, chronography and shine with knowledge in the high-profile names of towers and internal structures. To do this, I recommend referring to historical references, guidebooks, maps, or leave a few gaps for local guides to fill in. Let's approach the topic not so diligently and just look around to understand “Is it worth going? ". Inside there is something to see and something to take pictures with. 14 towers surrounding the outer contour are connected by a defensive wall about 2 meters thick. It is forbidden to climb the walls, but you can admire the loopholes. They offer a view of the city and the imaginary enemy. The view, unfortunately, is narrow-minded. Inside, you can admire the remains of cathedrals, barracks and temples of different periods of construction.
Since admiring the remains is not one of the most exciting activities, let's move on to more interesting buildings. In terms of the number of dishes in the "complex lunch", there will also be three places of interest to us here. First of all, this is the Padishah-Jami mosque, located in the eastern wing of the town. This temple with an arcade was rebuilt several times, reflecting the tastes of the new owners. The last project was implemented by Catholic Armenians. That is what we see today. The building looks very solid. Perhaps this is why the Museum of the Sudak Fortress is located here. The exposition is not large, but reflects all stages of the life of the fortress. There is also a souvenir shop here, where they sell not only banal cards and magnets, but also casts from coins, jewelry, beads beloved by the Indians, as well as herbal infusions and local ointments. For every personal defect in health, there is a specific composition.
Going further up the path, we will get to the Consular Castle. Object of study number 2. This is the citadel with its additional fortifications, the 24-meter St. George's tower and the castle itself. The castle has been remarkably well preserved. No wonder domestic directors love to create here. Of the most famous, the film Othello with Sergei Bondarchuk was filmed here. The castle has been perfectly preserved, which can be personally fixed by going inside. We went inside not only to admire the castle, but also to escape from the enemy. In our case, the enemy turned out to be some aboriginal in the form of "under the watchman" with a pair of hungry dogs. The look of the dogs clearly hinted that it was not worth placing yourself between them and the food, and I insistently invited my companions to get away inside. The interior decoration of the castle reminded me of similar castles in Finland. I can't explain the unexpected resemblance even to myself.
Having walked around the castle, we came to the second echelon of defensive walls, from where a magnificent view of Sudak, the sea and scenery from the festival taking place here every year opens. But about the festival later. The third whale of a personal tour of the fortress is the Maiden's Tower. It is located as high as possible, at the highest point of the fortress hill. Based on the sports training of their team and strong gusts of wind from the category of the "roaring forties", the ascent to the tower had to be canceled. Climbing up to it for a person familiar with a skipping rope, and not with a double cheeseburger, will not be difficult. But there were problems with the descent. The perfectly polished stone surface is simply made for riding on the buttocks. The Maiden's Tower served as housing for noble captives so that they would not loiter around the territory of the fortress.
A lot of Crimean legends are associated with the Maiden's Tower, which, if desired, can be recited to your companions. In the end, based on the strategic location, someone always threw himself into the water. Whether our Black Sea dolphins saved him or not, legends do not indicate. After wandering around the tower for a good two hours and taking a lot of photographs, we decided to move towards the exit. In the winter months in February, we were almost alone here. During the summer months, you won't get that chance. Attendance of the tower in the summer rolls over, especially during the "Genoa Helmet". This is the same festival that takes place here every year at the end of July. A crowd of lovers to put on armor and take part in a collective dump and slaughter on blunted swords floods the walls of the fortress. An even larger crowd with less temperament and pronounced masculinity comes to see it all, devouring beer and snacks.
Children dress in full armor and shoot from a bow, and lovers of jewelry, souvenirs and medieval handicrafts shower the masters with specie. Permanent happiness, with bonfires and songs, a river of beer and noise cover Sudak. It is simply necessary to participate in such an entertainment booth. The fortress can be reached from the bus station by minibus. The fortress is located opposite the village of Uyutnoye, a couple of kilometers from the center of Sudak. Near the fortress there is a parking lot, which was deserted in winter, and a closed shop with wines from the Sun Valley. To get to the fortress, when approaching it, you need to turn right and, bypassing the fast food shop, get to the cashier. A ticket last winter cost 30 hryvnia. A visit to the museum is included in the price. The fortress is open from 9.00 to 18.00, with an extended working day until 21.00 in the summer months. sudakoff. at. ua based on materials from my site samtyr. en
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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