On the shores of the Kolomenskoye Bay, 65 km from Simferopol, one of the most ancient cities, Evpatoria, is located. In 2003, he celebrated his 2500th birthday. Geographically, this delightful city can be divided into three parts: the resort area, where a large number of Evpatoria he alth resorts are located, the old city with its narrow winding streets and the new city, where high-rise buildings lined up in rows. Vacationers say: in Evpatoria you can lie on the beach, go diving or snorkeling. The fact is that coastal waters hide countless treasures: flooded cities (more precisely, what is left of them), sunken ships. And you can go on a trip to the sights of Evpatoria. We'll talk about them today.
Local History Museum
The history of the local history museum begins in 1921. It was then that the first expositions were placed in a merchant's mansion, which is rightfully considered one of the most unusual buildings in the city. By the beginning of the Second World War, the Evpatoria Museum of Local Lore consisted of 5 large departments:
- atheistic;
- ethnographic;
- archaeological;
- resort;
- production.
A large number of exhibits were lost during the occupation. But this did not prevent the museum from opening its doors just 15 days after the liberation of the city. Since then, the collections have been actively replenished; today, the museum's expositions include 100,000 exhibits. Among them are various historical documents, Scythian monuments. A huge exposition dedicated to the local flora and fauna will delight visitors.
It is worth saying that immersion in the history of Evpatoria begins before visiting the museum: not far from the building there is a glass pyramid, inside which an exhibition of archaeological finds is arranged. And in front of the entrance to the Evpatoria Museum of Local Lore there are two cannons that have come down to our times from the 19th century. There are exhibits here that tell about urban life. These are jewelry, utensils and other household items, products of arts and crafts. But the real pride of the staff of the local history museum is the historical collection. It includes several dioramas, the most impressive of which is a diorama dedicated to the landing of Evpatoria in 1942. A 15-minute walk from the local history museum is the Museum of the History of the Crimean War, which is part of the exposition of military history.
Useful information
This landmark of Evpatoria is located at the address: Duvanovskaya street, 11. And in the building number 61 on Revolution Street there is the Museum of the History of the Crimean War. According to information for the summer of 2017, an adult ticket will costat 150 rubles, for children - at 90. To visit the Museum of the History of the Crimean War, an adult will need 120 rubles, a child - 60. The expositions are open from 10:00 to 16:30. Both museums are open daily except Wednesday.
House of wine
Speaking of interesting places in the city, one cannot fail to mention one more attraction of Evpatoria - the Museum of Wine. It performs several functions at once: in addition to the museum, there is a tasting room and a souvenir shop. The museum is located not far from the main square, at 30, Brothers Buslaev Street. In the tasting room, museum visitors will be able to get acquainted with the best wines of the peninsula, learn in detail about each producer and study the history of the origin of wine and its appearance in the Crimea. A separate part of the excursion program is acquaintance with the intricacies of the culture of wine drinking. It is worth noting that the wine house presents the most exquisite exhibits, distinguished by their bright taste and unforgettable aftertaste, collected from all over the Crimea - wine masterpieces of the Sun Valley, Inkerman, Novy Svet, Koktebel, Magarach and Massandra. All wines were purchased from producers, and therefore there is no doubt about the authenticity.
After the tasting, you will be able to purchase your favorite wines or souvenirs related to winemaking. And if you plan to continue your acquaintance with the sights of Evpatoria and decide to stay in the city for a few days, you can order delicious aged collection wines that will be a great gift or replenish your wine collection.
By the way, more than 8 dozenYevpatoriya Classical Wine Factory has been giving the world delicious Crimean wines for years. It was founded in 1928: then, on the site of the wine cellars of the merchant Yusuf Kokush, the first workshop of the future winery was built.
Karaite kenasses
One of the most picturesque streets of this ancient city is Karaimskaya street. It is here that a unique attraction is located - the so-called Karaim kenasses. In Evpatoria, this temple complex appeared in the 19th century - on the site where the dilapidated kenesa of the 16th century was previously located. By the way, Samuil Bobovich acted as the chief designer. He graduated from only three classes of the parish school, but this did not prevent him from creating a magnificent architectural ensemble.
Just imagine the narrow streets of the old part of the city, paved with cobblestones, small shell houses, greenery … And suddenly you see an amazing portal with columns, chic stucco and wrought iron bars. Behind the gate there is a long avenue of vines, bright sun rays tremble on warm marble slabs, and the peace of the prayer house is disturbed only by the singing of birds. These are the first impressions of those people who find themselves on an incredibly hot and sunny day in front of the Karaite kenasses in Evpatoria - at the same time a temple, a museum and a sacred place of one of the most mysterious peoples of our country.
A bit of history
Who are the Karaites? This is a Turkic tribe that appeared in the Crimea in the eighth centuryad. Researchers say that, perhaps, the Karaites were subjects of the Khazar Khaganate and professed Judaism. It is worth noting that this people retained adherence to the basic postulates of religion, however, only the Torah is a holy book for the Karaites. But the Gospel, the Koran, the Talmud - in their opinion, are only unnecessary additions that can interfere with a true righteous life.
After Catherine the Great conquered the Crimea, the Karaite creed was recognized as an independent religion, and therefore this people was exempted from double taxation and received permission to own land.
Today
Everyone who has read the Bible knows that the dimensions of the courtyard of the temple tabernacle should be 100 by 50 cubits. These proportions clearly correspond to the dimensions of kenasses: 60 by 30 meters. Immediately outside the gate there is a fountain, necessary for washing hands. From the fountain begins the Grape Yard, the walls of which are lined with marble, and the role of the roof is played by intertwined vines. Even the hottest day is very cool here. Along the walls of the courtyard there are memorial plates, the inscriptions on which, made in Hebrew, tell the history of the Karaites.
The Grape Gallery leads visitors to a marble courtyard, in the very center of which stands a monument erected in honor of Alexander the First's visit to the Kenasse. In front of the entrance to the Great Kenassa, there is a cozy Prayer Waiting Yard, where believers gather before rituals. The time of the beginning of the rites is usually determined by the solarhours. Small Kenassa is an exact copy of the temple located in Chufut-Kala, from where, in fact, the Karaites moved to Evpatoria. A luxurious altar formerly adorned the temple in Galich, now destroyed. For 35 years, this altar was kept in secret, to take its place in 1994.
In their reviews of this Yevpatoria attraction, tourists say: this is not just a cathedral, but an ethnographic museum, which even includes a restaurant. At the same time, it is important to understand that the Karaites are a hospitable and cheerful people, moreover, they sacredly honor the covenants of their ancestors, and therefore, going here, one should not offend very religious hosts with inappropriate behavior or shouting and abuse.
Juma-Jami Mosque
Thinking about what to see in Evpatoria? We advise you to pay attention to the Juma-Jami mosque, which is an active religious center and at the same time one of the most interesting historical and architectural monuments of Muslim culture in the Crimea. Guests and residents of the peninsula note: this mosque is the largest and most beautiful in the Crimea. In addition, Juma-Jami in Evpatoria is the only multi-domed mosque in Europe!
You can often hear comparisons of this mosque with the stunning Hagia Sophia, located in Istanbul. What makes this shrine even more unique is its centuries-old history. Historians say: this temple was erected in 1552, the author is Sinan, a talented Ottoman architect, astronomer, mathematician and engineer. Initially, the mosque was used not only to worship Allah, but also to hold various events. For example,here was the ceremony of initiation into the Crimean khans. The special act signed by the new khan remained in the mosque, and the ruler himself went to his capital, Bakhchisarai.
There is information that in May 1916 the Russian Emperor Nicholas II visited the mosque. He entered through the east gate, which has never been opened since. In Soviet times, Juma-Jami was closed, its place was taken by the department of the local history museum. This monastery was returned to the Muslim community only in the nineties of the last century. Historians call it a miracle that the mosque fell into disrepair, but escaped destruction. A major restoration was carried out in 2002. After it, the architectural monument acquired its original appearance and opened its doors to tourists. By the way, not only Muslims are allowed here - adherents of various faiths can visit excursions that tell about the religion, culture, various rituals and customs of Muslims. An interesting fact: historians say that it was here that the Koran of the 15th century was kept for many years.
A. S. Pushkin Theater
In the heart of the city is the Pushkin Evpatoria Theatre. It was built over a hundred years ago - in 1910. Architects Adam Heinrich and Pavel Seferov worked on the project. It is arranged in a modernized Greek style, with magnificent sea panoramas from its terraces. Until 1937, this theater had the title of city. And on the centenary of the death of the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, the theater was renamed in honor ofluminaries of poetry.
The first production, brought to life on the stage of the Evpatoria Theater, is Mikhail Glinka's opera "Ivan Susanin". Actors from the Mariinsky Theater invited from St. Petersburg played in it. Initially, the theater was equipped with 750 seats and comfortable boxes. But after the repair, the auditorium was expanded to 900 seats. Unfortunately, the Evpatoria Theater does not have its own troupe. However, this does not prevent you from watching concerts and performances of touring troupes, residents and guests of the city say.
Valentina Tereshkova embankment
It's hard to imagine a place more bewitching than the Tereshkova Embankment in Evpatoria. There are no iron fences, no cashiers, only the sea, trees and sky. By the way, there are no beaches here either, but this does not prevent vacationers from sunbathing on the old stone steps broken by the sea or jumping into the water from the old pier and half-submerged boats. Locals say: the embankment is a symbolic transition between the old and the new part of the city. The formation of this place began in the second half of the 19th century, when Samuil Moiseevich Pampulov, a man who paid great attention to landscaping, was the mayor. In 1871, roads were put in order, sidewalks were laid, the first trees were planted.
Now historians cannot establish for certain which of the buildings was the first to appear on the Primorskaya embankment. One thing is known: it was formed from the end of the nineties of the XIX century.century until 1914. Even then, in many residential buildings, apartments for vacationers were rented out, and these apartments were the most expensive in all of Evpatoria. In 1912, the first three-story building in the neoclassical Art Nouveau style appeared on this embankment. You can still see it today - this is residential building No. 20. The southern facade of the building attracts attention with its protruding trapezoidal balcony, high semicircular arches, which rest on thin columns. It is not surprising that this building attracted directors who made feature films that took place in the last century. The embankment acquired its current name in the 1970s - in memory of the visit to Evpatoria in 1972 by the first female cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova.
Monument to sailors-paratroopers
Another interesting object that deserves attention is the monument to paratroopers in Evpatoria. Just like the southern and western regions of Russia, two Crimean regions at once became territories of military exploits and heroic self-sacrifice during the Second World War. Hero-cities appeared in Tauris. However, in ordinary settlements you can find objects with various military monuments. There are many such attractions in the city of Evpatoria. This object of high artistic value is among the most popular places of worship. Let's talk a little about the history of its appearance. On the night of January 5-6, 1942, a Soviet amphibious assault landed in Evpatoria, which was sent to attack the Nazis who had settled in the city. A tragic fate awaited the crew: an incredibly strong storm, lack of assistance,shells from German bombers led to the fact that the sailors were killed. In the first hours of the dangerous offensive, Captain 2nd Rank Nikolai Buslaev, who led the soldiers, was also killed. Political instructor Commissar Andrei Boyko took command. We can say that the corner on the sixth kilometer of the Simferopol highway is a mass grave of the heroes of that landing.
The fact is that the remains of hundreds of fighters were discovered by search engines both in the coastal part of the resort and in Karaev Park. Of course, they were all brought here and buried in the same grave. At the same time, some of the dead could not be identified, because they did not have flasks with inscriptions, party cards or other documents. It is worth noting that the monument to the Evpatoria landing is on the list of the most famous places in the resort area "Evpatoria-Saki", and therefore, if you think what to see in Evpatoria, by all means go to the 9-meter-high pyramid monument. On memorable military dates or on parade days, city residents spare no effort and time to get here and lay fresh flowers at the foundation.
Little Jerusalem
Choose tour routes in Evpatoria for yourself? Pay attention to the walking route "Little Jerusalem". It was previously considered one of the most interesting in the city, and after the recent expansion of the program and the introduction of many additional elements into it, according to tourists, it has become a must in the program of all city guests. The route starts at the Gezlev Gates. Here you will find a model of the ancient cityOttoman Empire, who was able to capture one day in his life. The next stage is Tekie dervishes, a very ancient abode of wandering monks, the Yegie-Kapai synagogue. In addition, as part of the route, you can visit the Armenian Church of St. Nicholas, two mosques and Turkish baths.
Where to stay?
The charming ancient city of Evpatoria, whose beaches are famous for their fine sand, is ready to receive tourists at any time of the year. There are many accommodation options: Yevpatoriya he alth resorts, sanatoriums, resort hotels and VIP cottages are waiting for you.
