Sevastopol: Port City on the Southwest Coast of Crimea
Travel guide · editorialSevastopol, at the southwestern tip of Crimea, is a city with special status that belongs to Ukraine under international law but has been occupied by Russia since 2014, which uses it as a base for its Black Sea Fleet. Travel to Sevastopol is currently not possible, and a travel warning is in effect; this portrait describes a city whose history is closely tied to the sea and the military.
Antiquity and City History
On the edge of the present-day city lies Chersonesos, a Greek colony dating from the 5th century B.C. Columns of a Byzantine basilica rise above the sea, and the ruins and the ancient farmland around them are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Grand Prince Volodymyr is said to have been baptized here in 988. The modern city was founded in 1783 as a naval port after the Russian Empire annexed Crimea. In the Crimean War of 1854/55 and in World War II, Sevastopol was almost completely destroyed after long sieges; a panorama museum depicts the defense of the city during the Crimean War on an enormous circular painting.
Balaklava and the Coast
Balaklava sits on a narrow, winding bay that is barely visible from the sea. Above it looms the ruined Genoese fortress of Cembalo. In Soviet times, a tunnel cut into the rock concealed a secret submarine bunker, which later became a museum. To the west, steep cliffs drop to Cape Fiolent, where St. George's Monastery clings to the rock face. Inland you will find Inkerman, with its cave monastery and wine cellars, as well as the fertile Baidar Valley.
After World War II, the center of Sevastopol was rebuilt in pale Inkerman limestone, and with its colonnades, the monument to the scuttled ships in the bay, and Grafskaya Pristan, a columned landing on the quay, it feels like a postwar stage set. The Primorsky Boulevard waterfront promenade and the aquarium are as much a part of the cityscape as the warships in the bays.
Current Situation
Since the occupation, regular entry from Ukraine has not been possible, and entering via Russia violates Ukrainian law. The city is heavily militarized and has repeatedly been the target of Ukrainian attacks on fleet installations. A travel warning is in effect for Sevastopol and all of Crimea.