Mount Sapun or Sapun Ridge (; ; ) is a 240 m high ridge to the southeast of

Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...

, situated on the

Crimean peninsula 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 Ukrai ...

, occupied by Russia. It became the site of heavy fighting during the

siege of Sevastopol (1941-1942) Siege of Sevastopol may refer to: * Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855), during the Crimean War * Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942), during the Second World War * ''Siege of Sevastopol'' (panorama), a 1904 painted panorama by Franz Roubaud See also ...

, and also during its liberation in 1944. When defending Sevastopol the Soviet troops held the Sapun Ridge and could observe German movements to the city from the south. It took

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

nearly 2 weeks of heavy fighting to take control over these positions in late June 1942. As a consequence, Soviet troops had to evacuate from Crimea. In 2 years, on the final stage of the Crimean Offensive the assault of Sapun-gora on 7 May 1944 was successful for Red Army. On 9 May 1944, just over one month after the start of the battle, Sevastopol fell. German forces were evacuated from Sevastopol to

Constanța Constanța (, , ) is a city in the Dobruja Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Romania. A port city, it is the capital of Constanța County and the country's Cities in Romania, fourth largest city and principal port on the Black ...

. Later in 1944 the first monuments to the Soviet warriors on this place were erected, in 1959 the

diorama A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional model either full-sized or miniature. Sometimes dioramas are enclosed in a glass showcase at a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies like mili ...

showing the assault of the German fortifications was opened.

External links

The Monuments of Sevastopol
{{Authority control Eastern Front (World War II) Battles and operations of the Soviet–German War History of Crimea Crimea in World War II World War II memorials in Ukraine Landforms of Crimea Hills of Ukraine Landforms of Sevastopol World War II sites in Ukraine Ridges of Russia Ridges of Europe Cultural heritage monuments in Sevastopol Objects of cultural heritage of Russia of federal significance Tourist attractions in Sevastopol