Inkerman ( uk, Інкерман, russian: Инкерман, crh, İnkerman) is a city in the

Crimean peninsula 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 ...

. It is ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

'' within the

federal city The term federal city is a title for certain cities in Germany, Switzerland, and Russia. Germany In Germany, the former West German capital Bonn has been designated with the unique title of federal city (''Bundesstadt''). Since 28 April 1994, it ...

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 ...

within the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, but ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...

'' within

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. It lies 5 kilometres east of

, at the mouth of the Chernaya River which flows into Sevastopol Inlet (also called the North Inlet). Administratively, Inkerman is subordinate to the municipality of

which does not constitute part of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Population: The name ''Inkerman'' is said to mean "cave fortress" in Turkish. Compare: Turkish ''in'' (cave, burrow); Turkish ''kermen'' (fortress). During the

Soviet 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 nation ...

era the area was known between 1976 and 1991 as ''Bilokamiansk'' ( uk, Білокам'янськ) or ''Belokamensk'' (russian: Белокаменск), which literally means "White Stone City", in reference to the soft white stone quarried in the area and commonly used for construction. In 1991 the Ukrainian authorities restored the pre-1976 name.

History

The area has been inhabited since ancient times. The cave monastery of St. Clement was founded near Inkerman in the 8th century by Byzantine icon-venerators fleeing persecution in their homeland. The monastery was closed during the Soviet era and several of its churches destroyed but is now in restoration and brought back into use. The city was called Kalamita ( gr, Καλαμίτα) and was a medieval fortress built in the 8th-9th century on a strategic cliff overlooking the estuary and later expanded in the 14th century. In 1475 Kalamita, along with the rest of the

Principality of Theodoro The Principality of Theodoro ( el, Αὐθεντία πόλεως Θεοδωροῦς καὶ παραθαλασσίας), also known as Gothia ( el, Γοτθία) or the Principality of Theodoro-Mangup, was a Greek principality in the southern pa ...

, was taken by the Turks, and Kalamita would be renamed Inkerman. After the

Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca The Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca ( tr, Küçük Kaynarca Antlaşması; russian: Кючук-Кайнарджийский мир), formerly often written Kuchuk-Kainarji, was a peace treaty signed on 21 July 1774, in Küçük Kaynarca (today Kayn ...

in 1774 the fortress was abandoned and fell into ruin, but a small settlement at the base of the cliff remained. The town became the centre of worldwide attention in 1854 during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

, when Inkerman was the scene of the

Battle of Inkerman The Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on 5 November 1854 between the allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the allies in the field, an ...

and the Battle of Chernaya River, both victorious for the French and the

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

troops. During the

times, a large underground ammunition warehouse of the Black Sea Fleet was situated under rocky cliffs in the Inkerman area. The storage was abandoned in the 1970s after an explosion that damaged the facility but did not detonate all its stockpiles. However, no efforts to secure the site were made until the 1990s when local residents began salvaging explosives which led to a number of deaths.

Ukrainian Army The Ukrainian Ground Forces ( uk, Сухопу́тні військá Збрóйних сил Украї́ни), also known as the Ukrainian Army, are the land forces of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They w ...

engineer corps started extracting and decommissioning outdated ammunition in 2000 under a special government program. Inkerman has since largely returned to its pre-war obscurity, serving as a suburb of Sevastopol linked to the downtown core by commuter ferries. One of the major Crimean

wineries A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, b ...

featuring the Inkerman label is located in the adjacent area. A popular hiking trail leading into Crimean Mountains begins just east of the town. A horse in the

Household Cavalry The Household Cavalry (HCav) is made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army, the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). These regiments are divided between the Household Cavalry Regiment sta ...

Blues and Royals The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) (RHG/D) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry Regiment. The Colonel of the Regiment is Anne, Princess Royal. It is the second-most senior regiment in ...

has been named after the town and battle. The left flank company of the 1st Battalion

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

, which holds the traditions of the disbanded 3rd Battalion (which played a large part of the battle) is named after the town and battle. Now known as the Inkerman Company, or by its nickname "The Ribs".

Gallery

WEBSTER(1830) 1.309 INKERMANN.jpg, Inkerman around 1830 Inkerman-c1910.jpg, Inkerman Cave Monastery around 1910. Inkerman cave monastery 2009 G1.jpg, Inkerman orthodox men's cave monastery of St.Clement in 2009.

References

External links

Official Sevastopol city website

Inkerman

{{Authority control Cities in Sevastopol Wine regions of Ukraine Wine regions of Russia Populated places of the Byzantine Empire Principality of Theodoro

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links