Hero City Kerch (photo). History of Kerch

The Hero City Kerch is one of the earliest settlements, which were struck by the blows of German fascist troops in the distant 41st year. It was through him that the front line passed four times. And it was he who was twice occupied by enemy troops. 15 thousand civilians were killed, 14 000 were taken to Germany. The city-hero Kerch has gone through really much. However, very few people know about this.

City-legend

Kerch is one of the oldest cities in the world. It arose only a year after Rome. In 2000, in September, Kerch celebrated its 2600th anniversary - a significant date. For all this time the city changed several names. He was called Panticapaeum, Bosporus, Korchev, Cherkio - but these names did not adhere to him, unlike the modern one. While Kerch was Panticapaeum, the Greeks lived here. For 900 years the city was the capital of the Bosporan kingdom. By the way, it was in the 1st century AD. E. Became dependent on the Roman Empire. By the way, about a long time, about 200 years. In the III century, the Bosporan kingdom suffers decline - the devastating wars began, and Kerch was destroyed. But the city was rebuilt, and in the VI century it turned into a Byzantine fortress. In the 10th century Kerch, which was then called Korcev, became part of the Tmutarakan principality, but for a short time - in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries it was renamed Cherkio, and it became part of the Genoese.

The beginning of history

The military time of the 40s of the 20th century is the most tragic and significant period for the peninsula. A small, secluded, cozy city of Kerch, located on the outskirts of the Crimea, was captured in October 1941. It was a bitter military action, as a result of which the Hitlerites managed to capture it. The city was completely liberated from the invaders only on the penultimate day of December of the same year. Thanks to the 51st Army, as well as the combined forces of the Black Sea Fleet and the military Azov flotilla, Kerch was able to return to peacetime.

But for this month and a half the city-hero Kerch suffered a huge amount of suffering and suffered incredible losses. There is one place - called the Bagerovsky moat. It was there that more than 7,000 peaceful urban residents were shot.

But the peacetime ended quickly. In 1942, in May, the fascist troops again returned to the city-hero Kerch. The story goes that they were given courageous resistance by local detachments of partisans and underground fighters, who hid in the caves of Adzhimushkay and Starokarantinsky quarries.

Release

After the Nazi troops were defeated in the Caucasus, fighting began for liberation and the Crimean peninsula. In 1943, an operation called "Protection of Tierra del Fuego" began. For 36 consecutive days, bloody battles were fought - nothing could be seen except for the chilling tornado of the soul. The paratroopers displayed incredible courage and courage. It was a truly unequal battle, in which all the same managed to survive.

In 1944, again had to liberate the city-hero Kerch. Briefly, this can be described as follows: on April 11, an active assault began on the combined forces of the Azov Military Flotilla, the Black Sea Fleet, and the Separate Primorsky Army. The aviation forces of the Fourth Air Army also helped fight. It was another long fight.

The city-hero called Kerch bravely passed through all the woes of the war. More than 85% of the buildings and structures were simply destroyed. The handsome city was not himself. The number of inhabitants has decreased from one hundred thousand to 30. They and their loved ones have applied incredible resistance forces to defend their native harbor. This is the military history of the hero city. Kerch will remember this terrible event for a long time, taking tens of thousands of lives with it.

sights

Many people choose hero cities as their holiday destinations. Kerch is no exception. Indeed, some like to go on vacation to places of former glory, to be proud, to look at historical military monuments. And Kerch is also a resort city.
Its attractions are very diverse, and each of them represents a certain era. The most famous are right in the center of the city - Mount Mithridates, Big Mithridates Staircase and Obelisk of Glory. Lenin Square, eternal fires, the Church of St. John the Baptist, made in the traditional European style, is just a small list of places to visit when coming to rest in Kerch.

The city-hero, whose project was actively developed and implemented after the war (as it was said above, the settlement was almost completely destroyed, so it had to be built almost anew), is really attractive for tourists. In addition, today this city is the largest industrial center.

Tourist and excursion center

So far, Kerch is only gaining popularity. For many, this city remains a mystery - an unexplored land. However, due to the events of the political nature that took place in the last year about the city-hero Kerch, much has been said. In particular, because it is here that the ferry that connects the Crimean peninsula with the mainland of Russia is located. Every day hundreds of people come to Kerch to swim by ferry to the port of Kavkaz and back. Due to this, the name of the city became more frequent in news, newspapers and magazines. About Kerch began to learn many new facts. And the city began to gain popularity. For the summer of 2015, for example, more than half of hotels, hotels, apartments and guest houses have already been booked. The number of Kerch connoisseurs and admirers is increasing - with such successes, perhaps this city will become even more popular than Yalta.

Industrial Centre

The city's territory is 108 square meters. Km, Kerch stretches almost fifty kilometers along the famous strait. If you count on the Crimea, then with such significant indicators can compete only Sevastopol, which, as everyone knows, is also included in the list called "Hero Cities." Kerch is an excellent recreation area. It has numerous boarding houses, located directly on the sandy shore. In the north-eastern part of the city there is also a comfortable recreation area with beaches. Nearby is the port "Crimea" itself.

But the center of Kerch is the most attractive part for tourists. He becomes more beautiful every day. The embankment also can not help but attract attention - lots of restaurants, bars, attractions, cozy parks, secluded streets, beautiful modern buildings, shops, shopping centers. In general, tourism in Kerch is developing actively - and this positively affects the rating of the Crimea among the most visited resorts in Russia and Europe.

Souvenirs

A significant place in history is occupied by the city-hero Kerch. The coin created in his honor is not only a souvenir, but also a value, reminiscent of his heroic past. However, the circulation was made 20 years ago - in Ukraine. This is a coin of 200 thousand karbovanets, made of nickel silver. It was issued with a circulation of 50 thousand copies - quite a lot, by the way, for the anniversary coin. Many collectors have it in their collections. By the way, this is an excellent gift for a true patriot. Especially popular these banknotes began to be used recently - after the return of the Crimea to the Russian Federation.

Assignment of honorary status

September 14, 1973 Kerch was officially named the city-hero. This date is firmly established in history. Why is Kerch a hero city? Many people who do not know the history are asked this question. Of course, Kerch is not such a famous place of former glory, like Sevastopol, Minsk, Brest or Murmansk. However, it is also worthy of this title.

In April 1974 Kerch shone: crowded squares, sunny weather, hospitable atmosphere, smartly decorated streets. The city accepted its liberators. But it was just preparation for the holiday. But on the 11th day was really a day of memories - veterans and workers of Kerch proudly laid flowers on Mithridates to the obelisk, planted an alley of trees in the Youth Park and then went to admire the warships of the Black Sea Red Banner Fleet, who welcomed the sunny city with fluttering flags. This was the first holiday that Kerch celebrated in its new status of the hero city.

Future plans

Kerch will improve and develop - this is unambiguous. Since now it is the "gateway to the Crimea" (formerly the so-called inconspicuous town of Djankoy, when the peninsula was still part of Ukraine), the city should be of the appropriate level. Although it is already sufficiently developed, it is necessary to make it even better.
For example, already in the development plans for the construction of a highway to Sevastopol. It is very important to actually modernize the transport complex, reconstruct the existing roads and build new ones. About 445 billion rubles will be spent on these works. Such information was announced by the head of the Crimean republic - Sergei Aksyonov. True, this amount will go not only to Kerch, but also to the entire peninsula.

The bridge across the Kerch Strait

Also now everyone is concerned about the construction of a bridge or tunnel through the Kerch Strait. The ferry, of course, works in good faith, but because of the regularly changing weather conditions (then fog, rain, storm), it often stops its work. This inhibits the movement of ferries, and, accordingly, wagons with products, household chemicals, furniture and cars are delayed. So the construction of the bridge is one of the main tasks for the Crimean government. It is not a secret to anyone that these plans have existed for more than a decade. However, today this issue is particularly acute - due to the fact that it is through Kerch Crimea is connected with Russia. So the problem should be solved as soon as possible.