Kerch, also known as Keriç or Kerich, is a city of regional significance on the

Kerch Peninsula The Kerch Peninsula is a major and prominent geographic peninsula located at the eastern end of the Crimean Peninsula. This peninsula stretches eastward toward the Taman Peninsula between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Most of the peninsula i ...

in the east of

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

. It has a population of Founded 2,600 years ago as the ancient Greek colony

Pantikapaion Pantikapaion ( , from Scythian 'fish-path'; ) was an ancient Greek city on the eastern shore of Crimea, which the Greeks called Taurica. The city lay on the western side of the Cimmerian Bosporus, and was founded by Milesians in the late 7th o ...

, Kerch is one of the most ancient cities in Crimea. 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 area's most important industrial, transport and tourist centres. As with the rest of Crimea, it has been occupied by Russian forces since the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014.

History

Ancient times

Archeological digs at Mayak village near the city ascertained that the area had already been inhabited in the 17th–15th centuries BC. While many finds from Kerch can be found in the

Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and holds the large ...

in St Petersburg and the local museum, a large number of antique sculptures, reliefs, bronze and glassware, ceramics and jewellery were excavated in 1855–1856 during the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

by Duncan MacPherson, a surgeon from the British Army, and later donated to the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

in London. Kerch as a city starts its history in the 7th century BC, when Greek colonists from

Miletus Miletus (Ancient Greek: Μίλητος, Mílētos) was an influential ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia, near the mouth of the Maeander River in present day Turkey. Renowned in antiquity for its wealth, maritime power, and ex ...

founded a city-state named

Panticapaeum Pantikapaion ( , from Scythian 'fish-path'; ) was an ancient Greek city on the eastern shore of Crimea, which the Greeks called Taurica. The city lay on the western side of the Cimmerian Bosporus, and was founded by Milesians in the late 7t ...

Mount Mithridat Mount Mithridat is a large hill located in the center of Kerch, a city on the eastern Kerch Peninsula of Crimea. It is in elevation. From the top of Mount Mithridat a scenic view spreads across the Strait of Kerch and the city of Kerch. Somet ...

near the mouth of the Melek-Chesme river. Panticapaeum subdued nearby cities and by 480 BC became the capital of the Kingdom of Bosporus. Later, during the rule of

Mithradates VI Eupator Mithridates or Mithradates VI Eupator (; 135–63 BC) was the ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus in northern Anatolia from 120 to 63 BC, and one of the Roman Republic's most formidable and determined opponents. He was an effective, ambitious, and r ...

, Panticapaeum for a short period of time became the capital of the much more powerful and extensive

Kingdom of Pontus Pontus ( ) was a Hellenistic kingdom centered in the historical region of Pontus in modern-day Turkey, and ruled by the Mithridatic dynasty of Persian origin, which may have been directly related to Darius the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty. ...

. The city was located at the intersection of trade routes between the

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the tropical and subtropica ...

and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. This caused it to grow rapidly. The city's main exports were grain and salted fish; wine-making was also common. Panticapaeum minted its own coins. According to extant documents the Melek-Chesme river (small and shallow nowadays) was navigable in Bosporan times, and sea

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

s were able to enter the river. Much of the city's population is thought to have been ethnically

Scythian The Scythians ( or ) or Scyths (, but note Scytho- () in composition) and sometimes also referred to as the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic people who had migrated during the 9th to 8th centuries BC fr ...

, later

Sarmatian The Sarmatians (; ; Latin: ) were a large confederation of Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Iranian Eurasian nomads, equestrian nomadic peoples who dominated the Pontic–Caspian steppe, Pontic steppe from about the 5th century BCE to the 4t ...

, as implied by the large

Royal Kurgan The Royal Kurgan or Tsarskyi Kurgan () from the 4th century BC, is one of the most impressive tumuli (kurgans) of the eastern Crimea. The burial barrow is located at Kul-Oba in present-day Kerch (Ukraine), which developed out of the ancient Gre ...

Kul-Oba Kul-Oba (; , ; meaning "hill of ash" in Crimean Tatar) is an ancient archaeological site, a Scythian burial tumulus now called the Royal Kurgan, located near Kerch in eastern Crimea, on the right side of the M25 road to Feodosiya. Kul-Ob ...

. In the 1st century AD, Panticapaeum and the Kingdom of Bosphorus suffered from

Ostrogoth The Ostrogoths () were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populatio ...

raids; then the city was devastated by the

Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was par ...

in AD 375. The settlement of Myrmekion was founded by

Ionians The Ionians (; , ''Íōnes'', singular , ''Íōn'') were one of the traditional four major tribes of Ancient Greece, alongside the Dorians, Aeolians, and Achaeans. The Ionian dialect was one of the three major linguistic divisions of the ...

in the eastern part of what is now Kerch, some four kilometers north-east of ancient

, in the first half of the 6th century BC.

Middle Ages

From the 6th century the city was under the control of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

. By order of Emperor

Justinian I Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565. His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...

, a citadel named Bospor was built there. Bospor was the centre of a

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

, the diocese of Bosporus and developed under the influence of Greek

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. In 576, it withstood a siege by the

Göktürks The Göktürks (; ), also known as Türks, Celestial Turks or Blue Turks, were a Turkic people in medieval Inner Asia. The Göktürks, under the leadership of Bumin Qaghan (d. 552) and his sons, succeeded the Rouran Khaganate as the main powe ...

under Bokhan, aided by Anagai, the last

khan Khan may refer to: * Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name * Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by various ethnicities Art and entertainment * Khan (band), an English progressiv ...

(ruler) of the Uturgurs (tribe of

In the 7th century, the Turkic

Khazars The Khazars ; 突厥可薩 ''Tūjué Kěsà'', () were a nomadic Turkic people who, in the late 6th century CE, established a major commercial empire covering the southeastern section of modern European Russia, southern Ukraine, Crimea, a ...

took control of Bospor, and the city was named Karcha from Turkic "karşı" meaning 'opposite, facing.' The main local government official during Khazar times was the

tudun A tudun was a governor resident in a town or other settlement in the ancient Bulgar, Avar or Gokturk empires, particularly those of the Bulgars and the Khazars. The tudun was the personal representative of the imperial government and could ...

. During Khazar rule, Kerch was used as a major port for the

Khazar slave trade The Khazar slave trade took place in the Khazar Khaganate in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. The Khazar Khaganate was a buffer state between Europe and the Muslim world and played a major part in the trade between Europe and the Middle Ea ...

, through which slaves were exported to the

Black Sea slave trade The Black Sea slave trade trafficked people across the Black Sea from Eastern Europe and the Caucasus to slavery in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The Black Sea slave trade was a center of the slave trade between Europe and the rest of t ...

. Christianity was a major religion in Kerch during the period of Khazar rule. Kerch's Church of

St. John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

was founded in 717; thus, it is the oldest church in Ukraine. The Church of the Apostles existed during the late 8th and early 9th centuries, according to the ''Life of the Apostle Andrew'' by

Epiphanius of Salamis Epiphanius of Salamis (; – 403) was the bishop of Salamis, Cyprus, at the end of the Christianity in the 4th century, 4th century. He is considered a saint and a Church Father by the Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox, Catholic Churche ...

. Following the fall of Khazaria to

Kievan Rus' Kievan Rus', also known as Kyivan Rus,. * was the first East Slavs, East Slavic state and later an amalgam of principalities in Eastern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical At ...

in the late 10th century, Kerch became the centre of a Khazar successor-state. Its ruler,

Georgius Tzul Georgius Tzul (also ''Georgios''; ) was a Khazar warlord against whom the Byzantine Empire and Mstislav of Tmutarakan launched a joint expedition in 1016. He appears only in the account of the Byzantine court historians Kedrenos and John Skyl ...

, was deposed by a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

Rus Rus or RUS may refer to: People * East Slavic historical peoples (). See Names of Rus', Russia and Ruthenia ** Rus' people, the people of Rus' ** Rus, a legendary eponymous ancestor, see Lech, Czech and Rus * Rus (surname), a surname found in Ro ...

expedition in 1016. From the 10th century, the city was a

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

settlement named Korchev, which belonged to the

Tmutarakan Tmutarakan (, ; ) was a medieval principality of Kievan Rus' and trading town that controlled the Cimmerian Bosporus, the passage from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, between the late 10th and 11th centuries. Its site was the ancient Greek col ...

principality. Kerch was a center of trade between Russia',

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

and the

Orient The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world. In English, it is largely a meto ...

. In the 13th century, Crimea including Korchev was invaded by

Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...

. After the Mongols, the city became the Genoese colony of Cerco (Cherkio) in 1318 and served as a sea harbour, where townspeople worked at salt works and fishery. In 1475, the city was passed to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. During the Turkish rule Kerch fell into decay and served as a slave-market. It repeatedly suffered from raids of

Zaporizhian Cossacks The Zaporozhian Cossacks (in Latin ''Cossacorum Zaporoviensis''), also known as the Zaporozhian Cossack Army or the Zaporozhian Host (), were Cossacks who lived beyond (that is, downstream from) the Dnieper Rapids. Along with Registered Cossac ...

18th–20th centuries

In response to the strengthening of

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n military forces in

Azov Azov (, ), previously known as Azak ( Turki/ Kypchak: ), is a town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, situated on the Don River just from the Sea of Azov, which derives its name from the town. The population is History Early settlements in the vici ...

area, the Turks built a fortress, named Yenikale, near Kerch on the shore of

Kerch Strait The Kerch Strait is a strait in Eastern Europe. It connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in the west from the Taman Peninsula of Russia's Krasnodar Krai in the east. The strait is to wide and up ...

. The fortress was completed by 1706. In 1771 the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

invaded

and approached Yenikale. The Turks decided to abandon the fortress, though reinforcements from the Ottoman Empire had arrived a few days earlier. By the Peace

Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainarji A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, conventio ...

in 1774, Kerch and Yenikale were ceded to Russia. As a result, the Turkish heritage has been almost completely wiped out. In 1790 Russian naval forces under the command of admiral

Fyodor Ushakov Admiral Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov ( rus, Фёдор Фёдорович Ушаков, Fëdor Fëdorovič Ušakov, p=ʊʂɐˈkof; – ) was an Imperial Russian Navy officer best known for his service in the French Revolutionary and Napoleon ...

defeated the Turkish fleet at the Battle of Kerch Strait. Because of its location, from 1821 Kerch developed into an important trade and fishing port. The state museum of ancient times and a number of educational institutions were opened in the city. The ironwork factory was built in 1846 based on a huge

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

deposit found on Kerch Peninsula. During the

the city was devastated by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

forces in 1855. In the late 19th century, mechanical and

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...

factories were built, and tinned food and

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

factories were established. By 1900, Kerch was connected to a railroad system, and the fairway of Kerch Strait was deepened and widened. At this time, the population had reached 33,000. After suffering a decline during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

, the city resumed its growth in the late 1920s, with the expansion of various industries, iron ore, and metallurgy in particular, and by 1939 its population had reached 104,500.

Kerch in World War II

On the

Eastern Front of World War II The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a theatre of World War II fought between the European Axis powers and Al ...

from 1941 to 1945, Kerch was the site of heavy fighting between

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

and

Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...

forces. After fierce fighting, the city was taken by the

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

in November 1941. On 31 December 1941, the 302nd Mountain Rifle Division recaptured the city following a naval landing operation at Kamysh Burun, to the south of the city, five days earlier. In 1942 the Germans occupied the city again. The Red Army lost over 160,000 men, either killed or taken

POW POW is "prisoner of war", a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. POW or pow may also refer to: Music * P.O.W (Bullet for My Valentine song), "P.O.W" (Bull ...

at the

Battle of the Kerch Peninsula The Battle of the Kerch Peninsula, which commenced with the Soviet Kerch-Feodosia Landing Operation () and ended with the German Operation Bustard Hunt (), was a World War II battle between Erich von Manstein's Nazi Germany, German and Kingdom o ...

. On 31 October 1943 another Soviet naval landing operation was launched. Kerch returned to Soviet control on 11 April 1944. The German invaders killed about 15,000 citizens and deported another 14,000 during their occupation. Evidence of German atrocities in Kerch was presented in the

Nuremberg trials #REDIRECT Nuremberg trials {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from move ...

. After the war, the city was awarded the title Hero City. The Adzhimushkay

catacombs Catacombs are man-made underground passages primarily used for religious purposes, particularly for burial. Any chamber used as a burial place is considered a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etym ...

in the city's suburbs were the site of

guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include recruited children, use ambushes, sabotage, terrori ...

against the occupation. Thousands of soldiers and refugees found shelter inside and were involved in counterattacks. Many of them died underground, including those who died of numerous alleged poison gas attacks. Later, a memorial was established on the site.

Kerch in the Soviet Union

Kerch in Independent Ukraine

On 11 November 2007, a powerful storm passed through the city, causing much damage and an ecological disaster as a few ships, including an oil tanker, were shipwrecked and blocked the

Russian occupation

As with the other parts of Crimea, Kerch is occupied by Russian forces following the

Russian occupation of Crimea On 27 February 2014, Little green men (Russo-Ukrainian War), unmarked Russian soldiers were deployed to the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula in order to wrest control of it from Ukraine, starting the Russo-Ukrainian War. * * * * * * * This military o ...

in 2014. On 17 October 2018, a student killed 20 people and himself at

Kerch Polytechnic College Kerch Polytechnic College () is a higher education institution in Kerch, Crimea. It trains personnel in 16 specialties, and about 300 students enroll for first-year studies at the college annually. History It was established in 1930 as Kerch ...

Geography

Climate

Kerch has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Cfa'') with cool to cold winters and warm to hot summers.

Administration

The city municipality stretches over a substantial area and includes several separate neighborhoods that are part of the Kerch city: Eltigen (Heroyevskoe), Kamysh-Burun (Arshyntsevo),

Port Krym Port Krym (, , - literally ''Port Crimea'') is a port in Crimea. It is located on the western shore of Kerch Strait, in the north-eastern part of Kerch city near a settlement of Zhukivka. Next to the port is located the Krym railway station. P ...

, Adzhimushkai, and

Tuzla Island The Tuzla Island (; ; ; from Turkic "tuzla" – salty, saline, : ''saltpan'') is a sandy islet in the form of a spit located in the middle of the Strait of Kerch, between the Kerch Peninsula in the west and the Taman Peninsula in the east. ...

Economy

Today Kerch is home to many

metallurgist Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys. Metallurgy encompasses both the ...

s, shipbuilders, and fishermen. It also has a significant tourism sector.

Industry

The largest enterprises in the city are: * Kerch Metallurgical Works Factory launched in 1900 * Kamysh-Burun Iron Ore Plant * Zaliv Shipyard that produces and repairs tankers and cargo ships. Construction-materials, food processing, and light industries play a significant role in the city's economy. Kerch is also a fishing fleet base and an important processing centre for numerous fish products. * Kerch Aircraft Repair Plant KeARZ * KMZ KMK Metallurgical Plant, Kerch east * Oil and Gas extraction industry petrochemical and storage * Zaliv Shipyard, (Kamysh Burun Zheleznogoroda) * Kvartz Quartz Glass Factory Plant KSZ (Glass (various) and optics, optical materials and instruments) (Kerch) * PSZ Albatros, PSZ KMPZ Vityaz Priladobudivni (Instruments and Instruments making, Machinery, Engineering) * Kamysh Burun Iron Metallurgy Plant * KMZ KMTP SV Fregat floating docks yard and ship repair yard * KSRZ uvas-trans floating docks yards and ship repair (also lesser Kerch ship repair yards around)

Tourism

Because of its location on the shores of the

and

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

seas, Kerch became a popular summer resort among people of the former

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. Also, several mud-cure sources are located near the city. Despite the seaside location, the tourist appeal of Kerch today is limited because of the industrial character of the city and associated pollution. Despite the lack of beaches in the town's area, there are a lot of them at a distance of 20 minutes' travel by bus, train or taxi. Kerch has a number of impressive architectural and historical monuments. Ancient historical heritage of the city makes it attractive for scientific tourism. The most notable of Kerch's sights are: *Site of ancient settlement Pantikapaeum (5th century BC–3rd century AD). * Tsarskiy Kurghan (4th century BC) – burial mound for one of the Bosporian kings *Church of

(AD 717) * Fortress of Yenikale (18th century) *The Great Mithridates Staircase leading on top of the

, contains 428 footsteps, built in 1833–1840 under the guidance of

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

architect Alexander Digbi *Obelisk of Glory on the

, built after World War II *

Lapidarium A lapidarium is a place where stone (Latin: ) monuments and fragments of archaeological interest are exhibited. They can include stone epigraphy, epigraphs; statues; architectural elements such as columns, cornices, and acroterions; bas relief ...

*Memorial of heroic guerilla warfare in Adzhimushkay mines * Kerch Fortress; restricted area in Soviet times but free to enter in present days. The fortress was built by the Russian military architect Totleben in the middle of 19th century. * Sites of ancient settlements Mirmecium, Tiritaka and Nimphei. There are also some settlements which have gone underwater due to earthquakes. * So called

Demetra In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Demeter (; Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although ...

's Crypt, a crypt with numerous frescos dated 1st century BC.

Transport

Kerch has a harbour on the Kerch Strait, which makes it a key to the

Sea of Azov The Sea of Azov is an inland Continental shelf#Shelf seas, shelf sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow (about ) Strait of Kerch, and sometimes regarded as a northern extension of the Black Sea. The sea is bounded by Ru ...

. It has several railroad terminals and a small airport. The Kerch Strait ferry line across the

was established in 1953, connecting Crimea and the

Krasnodar Krai Krasnodar Krai (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia and is administratively a part of the Southern Federal District. Its administrative center is the t ...

(

–

Port Kavkaz Port Kavkaz () is a small harbour on the Chushka Spit in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, on the eastern side of Kerch Strait. It is adjacent to the village of Chushka (rural locality), Chushka, which is now largely deserted due to the toxic effects of the ...

line); (as of November 2009) there are also plans for a Kerch-

Poti Poti ( ka, ფოთი ; Mingrelian language, Mingrelian: ფუთი; Laz language, Laz: ჶაში/Faşi or ფაში/Paşi) is a port city in Georgia (country), Georgia, located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the mkhare, region of ...

ferry route. Tavrida Highway work in progress along Kerch railway (two rails) highway (four lanes) bridge to connect Rostov Krasnodar with peninsula. There are several ports in Kerch, including Kerch Maritime Trading Port, Kerch Maritime Fishing Port,

(ferry crossing), Kamysh-Burun Port. The railroad terminals include: Kerch, Kerch I, Kerch Factory, Arshyntsevo, and Krym. A bus network connects Kerch to other cities in Crimea and

City transport

Kerch had a tram system that was established in 1935 and destroyed in 1941. Kerch-trolleybus-opendates

A trolleybus system was established in 2004, and has one line.

Crimean Bridge

On 25 April 2010, Ukrainian President

Viktor Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (born 9 July 1950) is a Ukrainian politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. He also served as the prime minister of Ukraine several times between 2002 and 2007 and was a member of t ...

and Russian President

Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev was also President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Mini ...

signed an agreement to build a bridge across the Kerch Strait. In January 2015, with Russia now in control, the contract for the construction of the bridge was awarded to

Arkady Rotenberg Arkady Romanovich Rotenberg (; born 15 December 1951) is a Russian billionaire businessman and oligarch. With his brother Boris Rotenberg, he was co-owner of the Stroygazmontazh (S.G.M. group), the largest construction company for gas pipeli ...

's S.G.M. Group. In May 2015 construction commenced, and the road section of the bridge was opened to traffic in May 2018. The rail section was opened in 2019, with Russian President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

taking the first train across on 23 December. It was heavily damaged by an explosion on 8 October 2022.

Culture

Festivals and celebrations

*Liberation Day (11 April) *Day of Fishermen (the second Sunday of July) *Day of the (the second Saturday of September)

Education

Kerch hosts (2004): *28 schools, *9 institutes and branches of Ukrainian and Russian universities, *shipbuilding and polytechnical colleges, *medical school, *6 PTU schools, *a number of pre-school child institutions

Archaeology

Archaeological digs in Kerch were launched under Russian auspices in the middle of the 19th century. Since then the site of ancient

city on

has been systematically excavated. Located nearby are several ancient burial mounds (

kurgan A kurgan is a type of tumulus (burial mound) constructed over a grave, often characterized by containing a single human body along with grave vessels, weapons, and horses. Originally in use on the Pontic–Caspian steppe, kurgans spread into mu ...

s) and excavated cities. Kerch takes part in

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

's "

Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...

" programme.
Treasures and historical findings of Kerch adorn the

in Kerch and the collections of major museums around the world. Such as: the Hermitage, the Louvre, the British Museum, the Berlin Museum, the Moscow State Museum of fine arts and many others.
Currently, excavations at ancient fortresses of Kerch are led by scientists from Russia, Ukraine, and Poland.

Twin towns – sister cities

Notable people

* Luke of Simferopol, (1877–1961), aka ''Saint Luke the Blessed Surgeon'', surgeon and bishop *

Pyotr Voykov Pyotr Lazarevich Voykov (; ; party aliases: Пётрусь and Интеллигент, or ''Piotrus'' and '' Intelligent'') ( – June 7, 1927) was a Ukrainian Bolshevik revolutionary and Soviet diplomat known as one of the participants in ...

(1888–1927), a Ukrainian Bolshevik revolutionary and Soviet diplomat * Yuri Terapiano (1892–1980), a Russian poet, writer, translator and literary critic * Jia Ruskaja (1902–1970), a Russian dancer and choreographer * Paul Soskin (1905–1975), Russian born, British screenwriter and film producer. * Boris Khodorov (1922–2014), physiologist and professor of physiology * Alime Abdenanova (1924—1944), a Crimean Tatar scout in the Red Army during WWII. *

Volodia Dubinin Volodia Dubinin ( August 29, 1928 – January 4, 1942, in Kerch, Russian SFSR) was a Pioneer Hero of the Soviet Union. Life His full name is Vladimir Nikiforovich Dubinin (in Russian: Владимир Никифорович Дубинин). Due ...

(1928–1942), a

Pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a person who is among the first at something that is new to a community. A pioneer as a settler is among the first settling at a place that is new to the settler community. A historic example are American pioneers, perso ...

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

* Vasily Filippenko (1936–1968), known as ''The Leningrad Strangler'', a Soviet serial killer *

Anatoliy Kokush Anatoliy Kokush (; born 1951, Kerch, RSFSR) is a Ukrainian Krymchaks film engineer, businessman, and inventor. In the 1990s, he developed a gyro-stabilized car-mounted camera crane known as a U-Crane. In 2005, he was awarded two Academy Awards. ...

(born 1951), a Ukrainian film engineer, businessman and inventor. * Yuri Adzhem (born 1953), a Russian former football coach and player with over 330 club caps * Volodymyr Ivanenko (1954-2006), a Ukrainian television producer *

Sergey Dorenko Sergey Leonidovich Dorenko (; 18 October 1959 – 9 May 2019) was a Russian TV and radio journalist, known for hosting a weekly news commentary program in 1999–2000. Biography 1980s In 1982, Dorenko graduated from People's Friendship Univer ...

(1959–2019), Russian TV and radio journalist * Mikhail Reva (born 1960), a Ukrainian artist, sculptor, architect and jewelry craftsman * Ihor Leonov (born 1967), a Ukrainian former football midfielder and manager * Taras Berezovets (born 1975), a Ukrainian activst and political analyst * Masha Efrosinina (born 1979), a Ukrainian TV host and media personality. * Ulyana Nesheva (born 1983), a Ukrainian contemporary painter and tattoo artist *

Valeriya Strakhova Valeriya Mykhaylivna Strakhova (; born 9 June 1995) is a Ukrainian tennis player. She has a career-high WTA doubles ranking of world No. 97, achieved on 23 September 2024. On 1 February 2016, she peaked at No. 231 in the singles rankings. Strakh ...

(born 1995), a Ukrainian tennis player

Honours

minor planet According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''minor ...

2216 Kerch discovered in 1971 by

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

astronomer Tamara Mikhailovna Smirnova is named after the city.

Gallery

Footnotes

References

Panoramio Panoramio was a geo-located tagging, photo sharing mashup active between 2005 and 2016. Photos uploaded to the site were accessible as a layer in Google Earth and Google Maps. The site's goal was to allow Google Earth users to learn more about ...

Map of Kerch's Center
(by "Kartografia", 2004)
Infos and photos of Kerch in travelguide around UkraineThe murder of the Jews of Kerch
during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, at

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

website. {{Authority control Cities in Crimea Kerch Peninsula Port cities and towns in Ukraine Seaside resorts in Ukraine Taurida Governorate Archaeological sites in Ukraine Populated coastal places in Ukraine Seaside resorts in Russia Populated coastal places in Russia Khazar towns Territories of the Republic of Genoa Port cities of the Black Sea Port cities and towns of the Azov Sea Cities of regional significance in Ukraine Holocaust locations in Ukraine Holocaust locations in Russia