Southern Pearl.  Part 1

The bountiful beauty of the Crimean Peninsula

By Zenia Kish

Given its magnificent beaches, warm waters, healing sanatoriums and entertainment complexes, Ukraine’s southern Crimean peninsula seems like the perfect place for a relaxing summertime escape. But even a cursory glance at local sights and the magnificent architecture will sweep any visitor up into the fascinating local history of foreign conquests and vast trading empires. With so much to do, it becomes difficult to schedule time for idleness on the beach.

A Cultural Cross-Road

Crimea was first noted in the annals of history 150,000 years ago when Neanderthals settled into the natural beachfront caves and grottoes. Since then it has had a long list of residents including the Cimmerians, Scythians, Tauris, Hellenes, Romans, Khazars, Goths, Genoese, Mongols, Turks and Slavs. The cultural remnants–cave cities, ancient Greek amphitheaters, Genoese fortresses, Turkish palaces–have made Crimea into an archaeological museum.
The power struggles in the peninsula had an impact not only on the surrounding territory but on greater European civilization as well. When an epidemic broke out among the troops of Khan Djanibek of the Mongolian Horde, who were attacking the Genoese fortress at Caffa (modern day Feodosia), the Mongolians catapulted the infected bodies over the fortress walls. The inhabitants of Caffa fled for Genoa and took with them the seed of the Black Plague that would race on through Europe to claim 25 million lives.
In turn, Europe has exported its politics to Crimea, and many local place names have assumed a nearly mythical familiarity in Western culture. The toponyms of Balaclava, the Battle of the Alma, Inkerman and Sevastopol were made common currency during the epoch-making Crimean War. The treaty sealing the end of the Second World War was negotiated at the Yalta Conference, on the grounds of the former tsar’s palace. And, in 1991, the world became acquainted with another corner of the region when the former President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev was placed under house arrest in his dacha in Foros, Crimea, in a coup that led directly to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Sevastapol and Chersonese: Ancient Outpost

 The expanding Greek empire stretched out across the Black Sea, 2,500 years ago, to a sheltered bay on the cape of modern day Sevastopol. The nearby wealthy Greek polis of Chersonese (“peninsula”)  was well situated to ply the international trade route with local wine, fish and merchandise. Chersonese was the envy of its neighbours: the Greeks had to construct fortifications against ongoing Scythian, Roman, Tatar, and Genoese raids.
This protracted struggle for regional dominance has dotted an extended stretch of coast with remarkable ruins. One can roam through the Greek amphitheatre, from the third century BC, where day-long performances and, later, gladiator fights took place. Local troupes still perform in the open-air theatre during the summer. Other relics from ancient times include ten-foot thick defense walls, the remains of basilicas and the central square.
Perhaps the most important site in the complex is one that has not survived, but is commemorated by the recently restored, candy-striped cathedral of St. Volodymyr. It was erected on the spot where the great Prince Volodymyr was supposedly baptized in 988AD; he subsequently returned to Kyiv and ordered his people to accept the Christian rite, which transformed the Kyiv Rus Empire and gave birth to Eastern Christianity.

Balaklava: By the Sea

When Odysseus of Homer’s epic stumbled upon the bloodthirsty Listrigons, he could hardly have imagined the drama that history had still to bequeath to the sheltered bay of Balaklava. This well-protected inlet is shrouded by steep mountain walls that peer down upon the still, beautiful bay filled with yachts. Bordered by a cafe-fringed promenade, Balaklava is a quaint tourist stopover that, nonetheless, evinces the vestiges of wars that have studded the town’s 3,000-year history.
Crimea’s multicultural legacy is written over Balaklava like a palimpsest. In the 14th century, Genoan tradesmen built a fortress there named Chembalo, whose crumbled stone walls and towers arc high over the town, offering the intrepid climber a stunning vantage point over the harbour and the sea coast beyond. The Turks occupied the fortress in 1475 and renamed the site Balaklava from the Turkish balyk-yuve meaning “fish pond.” The Greeks later reclaimed the spot as a military outpost. When Catherine II came to Sevastopol in 1787, she was greeted by a detachment of Amazons – the warrior Greek women of Balaklava.
The city’s name is associated with the famous Charge of the Light Brigade, which devastated British forces during their Crimean War campaign. The battle marked the first time that journalists attended the theatre of war. Their photos and gritty reports roused the public to protest. Also, in Crimea, Florence Nightingale initiated a new nursing paradigm that revolutionized the treatment of soldiers, and the Victoria Cross, the British Empire’s highest military honour, was first awarded for valorous acts in the Crimean War. Each Victoria Cross is minted from Russian guns captured in the Crimean conflict. Even the name, Balaklava, has lent its name to the protective face masks invented here.
For a reasonable sum, one can hire a boat for a tour of the inlet and view two Second World War submarine bays built right into the rock face where they are shielded from aerial view. Bring along a bottle of champagne to toast the dolphins, who will guide you out of the craggy opening, and ask the captain to make a stop at one of the remarkable secluded beaches that are accessible only by water.