Theme Week Crimea – Simferopol

2 May 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Chirakhov House © A.Savin/cc-by-sa-3.0

Chirakhov House © A.Savin/cc-by-sa-3.0

Simferopol is a city on the Crimean peninsula. It is the administrative centre of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. As the capital of Crimea, Simferopol is an important political, economic, and transport hub of the peninsula. Simferopol serves as the administrative center of Simferopol municipality, one of the regions Crimea is divided into, and of Simferopol Raion, although it does not belong to the raion (district).   read more…

Bakhchisaray in Crimea

7 April 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Bakhchisaray Palace © A.Savin/cc-by-sa-3.0

Bakhchisaray Palace © A.Savin/cc-by-sa-3.0

Bakhchysarai, which means the Garden Palace, is a city in central Crimea, a territory recognized by a majority of countries as part of Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Bakhchysarai Raion (district), as well as the former capital of the Crimean Khanate. Its main landmark is Hansaray, the only extant palace of the Crimean Khans, currently opened to tourists as a museum.   read more…

Kerch on Crimea

14 February 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

Main Street © KBDA3200/cc-by-3.0

Main Street © KBDA3200/cc-by-3.0

Kerch is a city on the Kerch Peninsula in the east of the Crimea in Ukraine. Founded 2,600 years ago as an ancient Greek colony, Kerch is considered to be one of the most ancient cities in Ukraine. The city experienced rapid growth starting in the 1920s and was the site of a major battle during World War II. Today, it is one of the largest cities in Crimea and is among the country’s most important industrial, transport and tourist centres.   read more…

Theme Week Crimea – Sevastopol

1 December 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Best Western Sevastopol Hotel/cc-by-sa-3.0

Best Western Sevastopol Hotel/cc-by-sa-3.0

Sevastopol is one of two cities with special status in Ukraine (the other being the capital, Kiev), located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimean Peninsula. It has a population of 379,000. Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa. There are many historical buildings in the central and eastern parts of the city and Balaklava, some of which are architectural monuments. The Western districts have modern architecture. More recently, numerous skyscrapers have been built. Balaklava Bayfront Plaza (On Hold), currently under construction, will be one of the tallest buildings in Ukraine, at 173 m (568 ft) with 43 floors. The unique geographic location and navigation conditions of the city’s harbours make Sevastopol a strategically important naval point. It is also a popular seaside resort and tourist destination, mainly for visitors from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. The city continues to be the home of the Russian—formerly Soviet—Black Sea Fleet, and is now home to a Ukrainian naval base and has Russian naval facilities leased from Ukraine through 2042. The headquarters of both the Ukrainian Naval Forces and Russia’s Black Sea Fleet are located in the city.   read more…

Theme Week Crimea – Balaklava

24 March 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Iluvatar/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Iluvatar/cc-by-sa-3.0

Balaklava is a former city on the Crimean Peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol which carries a special administrative status in Ukraine. It was a city in its own right until 1957 when it was formally incorporated into the municipal borders of Sevastopol by the Soviet government. It also is an administrative center of Balaklava Raion that used to be part of the Crimean Oblast before it was transferred to Sevastopol Municipality. Balaklava has changed hands many times during its history. A settlement at its present location was originally founded under the name of Symbolon by the Ancient Greeks, for whom it was an important commercial city.   read more…

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