Kerch Fortress (Fort Totleben) is a fortress in eastern

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

, located on Cape Ak-Burun (English: White Cape) at the narrowest point of the

Kerch Strait The Kerch Strait, uk, Керченська протока, crh, Keriç boğazı, ady, Хы ТӀуалэ 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 ...

. Built in the 19th century, the fortress was originally intended to protect the southern border of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

History

The first fortress in the

was built in 1771. The first battery was built at the cape and later named Pavlovskij. Subsequently, the fort was rebuilt several times and armed.[Encyclopedia of Ukraine: Kerch
/ref> During the Crimean War, the battery was equipped with 20 guns. The Treaty of Paris (1856), Treaty of Paris proclaimed the Black Sea as neutral zone and forbade Russia from placing their fleet or military ports in the area. However, the treaty allowed for the fortification of the Kerch Strait. In April 1856, Kerch combat units were sent to study local conditions and photograph locations. The experienced military engineer Colonel Anton Antonovich supervised the construction work, which also began in 1856. In October 1859, Eduard Ivanovich Totleben was appointed Director of the Engineering Department of the

Ministry of War Ministry of War may refer to: * Ministry of War (imperial China) (c.600–1912) * Chinese Republic Ministry of War (1912–1946) * Ministry of War (Kingdom of Bavaria) (1808–1919) * Ministry of War (Brazil) (1815–1999) * Ministry of Defence (Est ...

and gained the Tsar's support for strengthening Kerch. He drew on experience gained in the siege and defense of the fortress, as well as his defense of

Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

. In 1861, excavation work started at Ak-Burun cape. In 1861

emperor Alexander II Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Fin ...

visited the fortress for the first time. In 1867, Kerch fortress opened. When the Tsar visited the fortress in 1872, work on the defensive constructions was completed, and he was "very pleased with the finish of coastal batteries."

USSR

During the existence of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, the fortress housed a military warehouse with equipment and ammunition for the Black Sea navy forces, as well as for a disciplinary battalion. After the

collapse of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

, military units began to disband. In 2003, the fortress territory was transferred to the Kerch State historical and cultural reserve.

Twenty-first century

The fort is protected by the State and is a landmark of Kerch and the Crimea.

Gallery

Kerch Fortress Kerch Casemates of the fortress laboratory IMG 2508 1725

References

{{Reflist

External links

"Events in Kerch."
ESSENTIAL CITY GUIDES. In Your Pocket Guides, n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2014.

TracesofWar.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2014.
"Eduard Ivanovich Totleben"
Reference.com. Columbia University Press, 2004. Web. 03 Oct. 2014.

Castles in Russia Buildings and structures in Kerch Tourist attractions in Crimea Forts in Ukraine Forts in Russia Castles in Ukraine Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Crimea