Each Crimean city has its own business card. In Sudak, it is the Genoese fortress, which rises on the Fortress Hill at an altitude of 157 meters. The construction of the defensive fortress began in 1371. For a hundred long years, the Genoese painstakingly erected impregnable walls. So many centuries have passed, and the structure is still well preserved. In clear weather, jagged stone walls and towers look especially impressive against the blue cloudless sky. The height of the walls reaches 6-8 meters, and the width is about two. The area of ​​the Genoese Fortress is huge – about 30 hectares. There is a museum on the territory where archaeological finds are collected.

In summer, a bright and spectacular event takes place in the Genoese Fortress in Sudak. Hundreds of reenactors from all over Russia come to the Genoese Helmet festival. On it you can see demonstration performances in knightly armor, master classes, tournaments. In general, from July to August one gets the impression that it is not our time in the yard, but the Middle Ages have returned, and the public is involved in this fascinating process of

learning about history.

Interesting Facts of Genoese fortress

• 12 towers can be seen in the Genoese Fortress. This is how many consuls were rulers at that time. Each consul had to constantly improve the security measures of the fortress so that the fly would not fly. The consuls erected new defensive towers, and so it happened – 12 consuls, 12 towers. By the way, there are three fortresses on the peninsula with this name. One in Sudak, the second in Feodosia and the third in Balaklava.
• The Genoese fortress in Sudak did not leave indifferent filmmakers who shot scenes of such famous films as “The Amphibian Man”, “The Chief of Chukotka”, “Pirates of the Twentieth Century”, “The Master and Margarita”, “Hamlet”, “Socrates” and ” Marco Polo “,” Viking “. There are about 40 films in total, where the fortress served as the scenery.

What to watch

In addition to the twelve towers, which bear the names of the consuls who built them, on the territory of the fortress you can see the Temple of the Twelve Apostles, a warehouse and the remains of a barracks. Picturesque ruins, which were not spared by time and numerous sieges. Here you can wander for a long time and take a lot of picturesque shots.

Don’t forget to visit the museum in the fortress building. Here are collected numerous artifacts presented at exhibitions. For example, household items and elements of tools used by the peoples living in the Sudak region, as well as exhibits obtained as a result of archaeological research in medieval Sugdeya – this is how Sudak was called earlier.

Genoese fortress at different times of the year

A visit to the Genoese Fortress in the spring will be very comfortable. The sun does not bake, and you can safely wander among the towers and ruins. There is no lush vegetation in the vicinity, the area is rather deserted, but this is its special beauty.

In autumn, there are fewer tourists and you can explore the sights of the fortress without haste and without queues. At this time of year, by the way, it looks very mysterious – shrouded in fog, like the scenery of a historical film about the Vikings.

The fortress looks spectacular in winter, especially if it snowed in Sudak and lay like a blanket on the tops of the towers. There are almost no vacationers at this time of the year. They come mainly for treatment, not for spectacles.

In summer, of course, the fortress is not crowded. Groups of tourists are definitely brought here on excursions. On the plus side, it is at this time of the year that the knights’ festival takes place here.