Crimea was one of the most famous resorts in the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union. Today Crimea remains a favorite resort of Ukrainians and Russians because of its warm sea, clean air and bright sun.

Crimea is also a popular resort place because of numerous hot springs, mineral waters and the mud baths of Saky. A series of invasions has made the art, architecture and other parts of culture of Crimea what it is today.

Tags: Crimea Republic · time-lapse

Belaya Skala (White Rock) is the rock in the Crimea, located near the village of Belaya Skala (up to 1948 – Aq Qaya), Belogorskiy area. The vertical white rocky wall rises over the valley of the river Biyuk-Karasu. The altitude is 325 meters, elevation between the valley and the top of the rock – 100 meters.

The name translates to Crimean Tatar language as Aq Qaya (aq – white, qaya – rock). In 1981 it received the status of monument of regional importance. Photos by Dmitry Mordolff.

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Tags: Crimea Republic

Karabi is a mountain karst plateau located in the Crimea, where on a relatively small area hundreds of caves can be found. The average height of the plateau is about 1000 meters above the sea level; the highest point is Mount Tai-Koba (1262 meters).

The plateau has an abundance of different types of karst cavities – caves, mines, and tunnels. Because of this the area is very popular among cavers.

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Tags: Crimea Republic

The January weather in the Crimea and, in particular, in Sevastopol is pretty cold (about minus 10-15 degrees Celsius). The beach is empty and covered in ice.

Sometimes the beach is looking like the remains of the lair of aliens from the famous movie with all this slime and other strange objects. The photos were taken by aquatek-filips who miraculously escaped before the aliens came back :)

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Tags: Crimea Republic · Sevastopol city

At the end of 1950 according to a special decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR it was decided to create special bases to store nuclear weapons. The main objectives were to assemble and store nuclear devices, replace the weapons with expiring warranty period, test electronic and mechanical components, and give nuclear weapons to the army for combat use.

One of such bases called Feodosia-13 was built in Kiziltashskaya Valley (near Sudak and Feodosia cities in the Crimea).

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Tags: abandoned · Crimea Republic · Feodosia city

Yeni-Kale is an ancient fortress located in the Crimea on the shore of the Kerch Strait. The fortress was built by the Ottomans in 1699-1706. The name is translated from Turkish meaning “new castle” (yeni – new, kale – fortress). Currently Yeni Kale is on the territory of Kerch city.

Yeni Kale was of great strategic importance. Located at the narrowest part of the strait the fortress, armed with powerful guns, controlled the passage of ships between the Azov and Black Seas. The construction was led by Goloppo – an Italian who had converted to Islam. Also several French engineers took part in the construction. Photos by Alexander Lipilin.

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Tags: Crimea Republic · fortress · Kerch city

The Valley of Ghosts is a numerous collection of stone sculptures on the slopes of the Southern Demerdzhi Mountain located near Alushta city.

The shapes of stone figures resemble human figures, animals, mysterious creatures, objects, and, depending on time of day and lighting, their images are changing. In addition thick fog is common there.

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Tags: Alushta city · Crimea Republic

The Marble Cave is a cave located in Crimea, on the lower plateau of Chatyr-Dag mountain, a popular tourist site. In 1987, Simferopol speleologists discovered unique huge cave with a complex system of halls and galleries. It was named The Marble Cave. The entrance to the cave is located at 920 meters above sea level.

After detailed research the cave was equipped with concrete paths, handrails, lighting for speleological tours. The Marble Cave was opened to the public in 1989. It has been visited by several hundred thousand visitors since that time.

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Tags: Crimea Republic

Eski-Kermen is a medieval fortress-city located in the southwestern part of Crimean peninsula, about 14 km to the south of Bakhchisaray city. The name Eski-Kermen means “Old Fortress”.

The territory of the city occupies an area of 8.5 hectares, with a length of 1040 m and 170 m in width. Eski-Kermen was built on the plateau bounded by cliffs up to 30 m tall. Photos by Denis Frantsouzov.

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Tags: Crimea Republic · fortress

Massandra Palace is one of the most interesting monuments of 19th century architecture located near Yalta city of Crimea Republic.

The palace was built in the style of French chateaux of the Renaissance. The elements of different styles (Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, Rococo, Classicism) were used in the interior decoration. Photos by holy-mozart.

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Tags: Crimea Republic · Yalta city