Where to go and what to see in Feodosia (Crimea)?

Feodosiya belongs to the group of the largest resorts of Crimea, and this is even contrary to the fact that it is located in the southeast - where the subtropics no longer reach. There are many reasons for this - the ancient history of the city has ancient monuments, and modern rather large sizes make it possible to intensively build modern infrastructure.

The proximity of the city to the newly built Crimean bridge is also of some importance, which is why those who come from the continent in personal cars prefer to stop here. In addition, in the eastern segment of the Crimean peninsula it is one of the largest and most interesting cities where vacationers from smaller neighboring resorts come with day trips.

Theodosius is located on the shore of the Theodosian Gulf, in the southeastern part of Crimea, 136 kilometers from Simferopol and 99 kilometers from Kerch, located at the exit of the Crimean bridge. There are no real mountains nearby - their last spurs are located in the south-west and cover the city only partially, although picturesqueness is added to the city environs.

Due to the lack of reliable protection from the north winds Feodosia no longer belongs to the subtropical southern coast of Crimea, which positively affects the prices of basic tourist services here: no palm trees - no extra charges. At the same time, the climatic difference with neighboring Alushta or Yalta is noticeable to a greater extent in winter, but in summer it is also hot and sunny, like the neighbors, because tourists Theodosia do not disdain.

As befits most major Crimean cities, Theodosius is an ancient city with a rich centuries-old history. This is evidenced even by its name, which from the ancient Greek language can be translated as "given by God." Of course, this was not called by the Crimean Tatars and the Slavs, this is her original name, under which she was once founded by the Greeks themselves.

The history of this city by God begins 2.5 thousand years ago, when the Greeks arrived from Miletus, located in Asia Minor. On the Crimean peninsula, the arriving Hellenes founded a policy, and two centuries later, in 355 BC, it was included in the large state of this region - the Bosporus kingdom.

The times of the great resettlement of peoples great damage the Crimean peninsula, and Theodosius repeatedly suffered during this period. In the 4th century AD, it was destroyed by the Huns, in the 5th century it became the property of Byzantium, in the 6th century it was repelled by the Khazars, and some time later it returned to Constantinople again. All these ups and downs could not but affect the appearance of the city. Today we know all this only by the results of excavations and studies of ancient written sources, but there are no visual monuments of architecture of that era here.

Because of this, the city fell into decay and individual evidence, for example, of the 9th century, claims that there was nothing at all in the place of the present Theodosius. However, most sources say that there was still a small settlement on this site, and it fell under the influence of the Golden Horde in the 13th century. Under Mongol-Tatar rule, it remained literally a few decades - in 1266 it was bought by the Genoese, who are associated with, perhaps, the most striking pages in the history of the city, which is now called Kafa.

The aliens from the Apennine Peninsula specialized in maritime trade and praised the quality of the Gulf of Feodosia as a port bay. For some two centuries, a small fishing village has grown to the capital of the Genoese colonies in the Northern Black Sea region, the number of local people has almost reached modern levels, which was very much at that time. There was even built a theater and a mint, whose coins were accepted everywhere in the region.

During the XIV century, the kafa was repeatedly besieged by the Golden Horde khans, but the Genoese throughout all the time managed to find a peaceful way to resolve conflicts. In 1475, the Ottoman Turks came to the peninsula, and the Genoese couldn’t reach an agreement with those - the city passed to the new owners.

Under the Turks, Kefa (as they called the city in their own way) remained a major port and trade center of the region, but still gradually decreased. Its main profile remained the sale of slaves, who were captured by the Crimean Tatars in their raids on the territory of modern Ukraine, but the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks did not like it, and in 1616 they even defeated the city itself. Another previously popular product - wine - was banned for production and consumption by Muslims, and although Christians even within the Ottoman Empire did not prohibit all this, trade volumes, of course, fell.

Meanwhile, the Russian Empire was gaining strength in the north, while the Ottoman Empire in the south was gradually dying away.In 1771, the Russians first took Theodosia, and at the end of the Russo-Turkish war of 1774 they did not take it to themselves, but demanded that the city be reassigned to the Crimean Khanate. Just a decade later, this whole state, together with Kafa, became part of Russia.

In the century before last, they tried to develop the city, but to no avail: the greatest success of those times was the fact that an outstanding personality lived here - the famous artist-painter Ivan Aivazovsky. Only at the very end of the 19th century did the railway reach the city, and then a port was opened here, which finally led to industrial development and growth.

In many ways, Feodosia today relies on the tourism business, and although the city can offer many interesting things in terms of excursions and attractions, the main influx of guests comes here precisely for a beach holiday. For this reason, our We’ll start our overview of interesting places with local beaches and highlight some of them worth visiting.

Crimea is famous for the fact that its beaches are mostly pebble, and in this regard, Theodosius is very different for the better, since sand still prevails here. The fact that the city is not included in the subtropic belt somewhat reduces the popularity of these places, because there is a little more free space here, but a little less investment, so get ready that the beach areas are not always perfectly beautiful and well-groomed.

If you certainly want to get to the main city beach, then you may expect a slight disappointment, since it is just made from the usual Crimean pebbles. Local people call it “Pebbles”. It is good not only for its central location, but also for the fact that the infrastructure here is presented in the best possible way throughout the city. Nearby there is a beautiful promenade, which has a huge number of cafes and other places for tourists.

On the sides of the Kameshki beaches are already half made of pebbles and sand, but the rest here is, frankly, an amateur. The fact is that the coastline is completely untidy - it is constantly interrupted by some fences, breakwaters and concrete blocks. Nobody really watches the state of the coast, and the water is full of sticking out reinforcement and other unpleasant “surprises”.

Who wants the beach to be both sparsely populated, clean and spacious, should go beyond Feodosia to the north. Here the coast is already made of sand and not every tourist gets here, while the breakwaters spoiling the landscape remain in the city limits. This ten-kilometer strip is called Golden beach. But be prepared that all is not all that gold that glitters: of the amenities nearby there is only a highway, but there is practically no infrastructure for vacationers.

The two beaches described above are quite widely known, and most often you will be advised either one or the second. "Pebbles", as we understand it, are suitable for those who have a basic infrastructure, and the Golden Beach - for lovers of privacy, even to the detriment of minimal amenities.

From the rest of the strip it will be difficult for a visitor to distinguish something worthwhile, but we will still throw up a few options that claim to be considered.

• "Cote d'Azur". A relatively small beach, whose length does not exceed 200 meters, is located near the Komsomol Park. It is made of sand and differs not only in general well-groomed, but also in the presence of all the necessary infrastructure - there is even a cafe where your vegetables and fruits will be washed for a fee, as well as lockers for storing things. From the center it is most convenient to get here by bus.

• "Northern beaches". They are located closer to the border of the city, along the Black Sea embankment. The well-groomed sandy beaches here are connected with the fact that most of them relate to local hotels and resorts, but you can almost always get to them without any restrictions. The farther north, the fewer vacationers will be, but the infrastructure will not decrease until you reach the city limits.

• Beach at Cape Chumka. If you want the most complete wildness, it makes sense to go here - to the far outskirts, for the Genoese fortress. Honestly, it is difficult to call this place a full-fledged beach - here it is only 30 meters wide, and a bunch of sharp stones both on the shore and in the water. There are practically no people here, respectively, neither here, nor anywhere nearby, there is no infrastructure either. Another thing is that local stones are considered compressed volcanic ash - they can be broken without any tools and soaked in water to a state of dirt.

In the resort town, there is often no reason to look at the number of local residents - its capabilities are designed for a huge flow of tourists during the peak season, which means that the entire infrastructure looks as if the town is at least three times larger. For this reason, even the local Feodosia parks are of some interest, especially if you arrived on vacation with children. Naturally, excursions to such places do not lead, but you can get here on your own.

It is worth highlighting at least three parks of Feodosia.

• Komsomol. Perhaps the best solution on the scale of Feodosia, because there is absolutely everything that vacationers may like. It is located in close proximity to the Cote d'Azur beach mentioned above, which means that you can visit it before or after swimming, and even during breaks. For children, not only playgrounds and attractions are provided here, but also pony rides, while adults are also not completely offended - the picturesque ruins of an ancient settlement are located nearby.

• Anniversary. This option claims to be the central in the city - at least in terms of attractions, it is clearly the leader. The park located on Gorky Street is quite far from the beaches, so you will have to visit it separately, but here you can see purely Theodosian symbols - for example, a fragment of the Genoese fortress, the Fountain of Good Genius or the Alley of Heroes. Naturally, the "children's" infrastructure is also represented - there are playgrounds and the same horses.

• Sailor. This park is small in size, it is very quiet and cozy - there are no special entertainments, but here you can find privacy. It is located in the place where the streets of Lenin and Armyanskaya converge. Today, complete peace reigns here, but for many centuries this place was the focus of grief and suffering in Feodosia, because it was here that the famous slave market of Kafa was located.

Unlike many small resorts of Crimea, characterized by the ugliness of the architectural appearance, Feodosia can be called a beauty - she is well-groomed and has a number of beautiful buildings and simply monuments. You can even just walk around the city center to see the main attractions.

So, from Gorky Street begins The Heroes Alley, which is located monument to the Knights of the deep sea, that is, submariners from Feodosia who died in the service.At the end of the alley you can see a stella with a submarine engraved on it. There, on Gorky Street, one of towers of the Genoese fortress - Constantine, representing a very interesting exhibit.

Morskaya Street will delight people walking old Armenian fountain built back in the middle ages. Even from afar, it looks monumental and much more impressive than most of its modern counterparts, and yet its description will not be complete, if not to mention the finest carvings that have survived to our time.

Aivazovsky Avenue is most interesting for local sanatoriums, but there is no need to rush to disappointingly wave it off - at least two buildings here last a good hundred years and are a real architectural masterpiece. For example, in Eastern Europe, you do not often find the Spanish-Moorish style, but cottage "Victoria" made in it.

Adjacent to her cottage "Milos" Venus of Milos owes its name. She not only has a copy of the famous statue, but is also generally framed in the best ancient traditions. In addition, the famous Cottage-palace Stamboli, named after the owner of a tobacco factory, who came from Turkey and built a luxurious mansion in an oriental style.

On Portovaya Street, a must see Monument to Athanasius Nikitin. The famous Russian traveler is an idol for those who are still carried away by the alluring road into the distance. For example, he is often called the first European to find himself in India. It is here that the monument to this man is located not just like that: he was in Feodosia. Imagine - Nikitin saw the city during the time of Genoese rule, just a few years before the Ottomans came here, that is, he found it at the peak of its heyday.

On Tatar street is worth a look Giovanni di Scafa tower. At the first moment, this building can only cause bewilderment, but you may be imbued with great respect if you find out that it has been standing here since 1341. The most interesting thing is that history has preserved the name of the man in whose honor the tower was named back in Genoese times, but scientists still did not find the answer to the question of who he was.

Often architectural monuments of antiquity are represented by temples - they have long been built from the best materials, because many of them are well preserved. In Feodosia, such a memo of history is Arkhangelsk Church. Inexperienced tourists from regions with a predominantly Slavic population will surely be surprised why the Orthodox Church looks so atypical, but just look at the sign and see “Armyanskaya Street” there to get closer to the solution.

For those who love more modern buildings with only a touch of antiquity and intelligence, there is a current House of Officers, which is worth admiring in the dark thanks to well-placed lighting. Visually, this building, located on Kuibyshev Street, most closely resembles a typical Soviet theater with references to antiquity in the form of columns. However, the House of Officers was never a theater itself - it’s former synagogue of pre-revolutionary construction.

For its relatively modest size, Theodosius has an impressive array of museums, many of which claim to be really interesting even for those who are far from history and other typical museum subjects. I must say that such institutions can be found here for every taste, so you need to get here not only in bad weather - Do not be too lazy to satisfy time with such local attractions.

House-Museum of Alexander Green, probably interesting just for the huge number of visitors, since the famous “Scarlet Sails” are known to every compatriot from the school bench, and for many women this is one of the most romantic and beautiful stories. Naturally, Green was not the author of one book - he also had other excellent works, so for someone he could be an idol, then his house is definitely worth a visit. The great writer lived for 5 whole years in Feodosia, on the present Galerennaya street, and he considered this period of his life to be very happy.

Museum of Marina and Anastasia Tsvetaeva - Another attraction that reveals the features of the life path of literary geniuses. Of the two sisters, she gained great popularity, of course, being a good poetess, but the museum is still named after both of them. Here lovers of poetic lines will be able to understand the atmosphere in which favorite verses, long learned by heart, originated.

Theodosian Museum of Money it is not in vain that it is located in this city - not everywhere the history of the settlement involves such a multiple change of owners. Among other things, Kafa was also a trading city, and after that it is not surprising that during excavations here archaeologists found coins of the most diverse peoples and eras.

But there is no museum of local lore in Feodosia - more precisely, in fact it is, but you will not find one on the map. Today it's called Theodosian Museum of Antiquities, and, contrary to the name, covers all periods of the city’s existence, including even the relatively recent Soviet one. The expositions are divided by the epochs of the dominion of a particular civilization.

At the same time, local exhibits do not always strictly relate to the history of Feodosia and its immediate surroundings - you can see individual copies donated by Kerch, Sudak and other Crimean cities.

Museum of Hang Gliding - Another institution, the analogue of which, even worldwide, will not be easy to find. The fact is that in the vicinity of Feodosia, namely in the spurs of the Crimean mountains, there are constant ascending air currents.

In Soviet times, such a feature of the region was noticed, and the city began to unwind as a center of paragliding, and neighboring Koktebel was called Planerskoye for several decades. Here are presented not only visual models of hang gliders, but also some specimens that actually rose into the air.

Restoration and Exhibition Center of Underwater Archeology located in the above cottage Stamboli. Exhibitions of items washed ashore by the sea come across in other Crimean settlements, but the local exhibits were extracted from the depths of the sea by the efforts of underwater archaeologists.

As a result, we, being on the shore, can see with our own eyes the remains of long-dead ships, get acquainted with their situation and life, and at the same time with the history of the period when the ship was built and went sailing.

Museum of Fish and Fisheries opened relatively recently - in 2015. As befits a coastal city and a busy port, Feodosia boasts thousand-year-old traditions of catching the inhabitants of the depths.At different periods of history, fishing involved a completely different organization of the process, especially since the museum contains not only local, but also overseas attractions.

Museum of Vera Mukhina, in comparison with many of the competitors described above, it may not seem so interesting, but for everyone who is interested in sculpture, a look here is simply necessary.

The future academician, people's artist of the USSR and a five-time winner of the Stalin Prize spent childhood and youth in this house. It is known that it was here that little Vera first began to study drawing and modeling, here the foundations of her creative profile were laid. The creators of the museum managed to restore the approximate appearance of the room of little Vera Mukhina and her workshop, where she sculpted her sculptures.

Feodosia in the minds of most people is a purely beach resort, but at one time there was a real focus of bohemian life, which over time caused a huge flow of tourists who want to not only lie on the beach, but also touch the life of adored idols.

If all these Grins and Tsvetaevs lived in the city only a certain part of their lives, then one outstanding personality managed to be born here, live his whole life and even die despite fame. It's about Ivan Aivazovsky - the best painter-marine painter in the Russian painting tradition.

Having become a big figure during his lifetime, Ivan Konstantinovich took an active part in the life of the city, because there is simply a huge number of objects in one way or another connected with it. From them you can even form a small excursion route.

• Picture gallery. Where else to get acquainted with the work of artists, if not in the art gallery - this is where we start. The institution consists of two buildings, in the first of which you can find a large collection of the artist’s marine painting, in whose honor the gallery is named. The second somewhat expands the “repertoire” of the collection - here are presented both the “marine” works of other artists, as well as alternative subjects in the works of Aivazovsky himself, who nevertheless did not limit himself to the sea alone.

• Monument. It would be an unforgivable rudeness to not put a statue to their most famous native, and the Theodosians, of course, put it - the monument is located right at the main entrance to the art gallery. The sculptor portrayed an artist admiring the Theodosius Gulf - as it probably happened several times during the lifetime of Ivan Konstantinovich.

• Fountain. Aivazovsky is widely known primarily as an artist, and not everyone outside Feodosia knows that this man was also a philanthropist. He invested in practical, but no less remarkable things - it was with the money of Ivan Konstantinovich that the first water supply system was built in the city. As for the fountain, it has a twofold function: firstly, it symbolized the construction of a water supply system and decorated the city, and secondly, it allowed anyone who wanted access to clean drinking water for free.

• Grave. The famous native of Theodosius in his native city and rests, and even contemporaries understood the scale and significance of this figure, therefore they did not bury him in a public cemetery. The church of St. Sergius was chosen as the burial place, to which Ivan Konstantinovich himself owed a lot - this is where the baptism, wedding, and then the burial of the artist took place. The grave is beautifully decorated with a commemorative slab that does not allow to doubt that a truly great person is resting under it.

In addition, the huge interest among arriving tourists is Genoese fortress "Café". Even if studying history is not your favorite pastime, you can hardly pass by such monumental structures, because it is one of the largest medieval fortresses across Europe.

Of course, to this day it has not been preserved in its original form, and it would be more correct to say that today you can observe only individual towers left from it, but even these remains make it possible to judge the former greatness of the fortifications. These towers (including the Tower of Constantine, mentioned above) are scattered here and there throughout the city, but if you want to see the maximum of the Middle Ages in one place, go on foot from the train station or take the first route bus from the center.

The Genoese fortress is interesting not only for its antiquity, but also for its architectural unusualness, because there are surprisingly few surviving architectural monuments created by the hands of the Apennine guests. Since we have nowhere else to take real Italian medieval architecture, in this regard the Genoese fortress is a real find.

Despite the fact that Feodosia itself is interesting and able to entertain tourists for a long time, It is strongly recommended that you leave it and go for a short while to the immediate vicinity in order to see the Karadag Nature Reserve with your own eyes. It is formed around the extinct volcano Karadag and is the last refuge for many species of flora and fauna listed in the Red Book.

note that independent visit to the Karadag reserve is not provided - staying on its territory is possible only in the presence of an employee, therefore it should be recorded in advance. When hiking, first get to the neighboring Kurortnoye, where you can get from Feodosia by bus or minibus.

About where you can go and what to see in Fedosia, you will see in the next video.