Genoese Fortress in Sudak

Genoese Fortress is an ancient complex of military fortifications in the city of Sudak and the former location of one of the main trading platforms of the Black Sea region – the medieval Byzantine port of Sugdei. Powerful defensive system with an area of 29.5 hectares occupies a steep mountain slope and is an object of cultural heritage of federal significance. Today the Genoese fortress, which has the prestigious status of a museum-reserve, is open for tourist excursions; it regularly hosts cultural events and reconstructions of medieval knights’ tournaments. Every year, the citadel receives about 200,000 visitors, introducing them to interesting facts about the history of the Crimean coast and its inhabitants.

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Video: Genoese Fortress

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History of the Genoese Fortress

The name of the fortress is nothing but a historical inaccuracy, as, in fact, the citadel existed long before the Genoese colonization of Crimea. Literary sources of antiquity attribute the construction of the Sudak fortress to the Alans – nomadic relatives of the Scythians and Sarmatians. According to legend, the foundations of the future fortification of the harsh steppes laid in 212 AD Materials for construction were taken in the vicinity: in the Kapselskaya Valley still preserved collapsed ditches, which served the ancient architects quarries.

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Approximately from the middle of the VII century on the mountain slope settled Byzantine city Sugdeya – one of the most important trade centers of the Black Sea coast. From the sea side, the ancient settlement was protected by powerful stone walls that made it practically invulnerable. If you turn to written sources, mention of Sugdeya can be found in several nations, with the Turks and Arabs the fortress appeared under the name “Sugdak.”

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Since the XI century, the owners of the citadel alternately became the Kipchaks and the Golden Horde. But the legendary Genoese appeared in Sugdei only by the XIV century and almost immediately began to rebuild the fortification. As a result, the city, located inside the ancient fortress, was enriched with temples, multi-storey houses and merchant shops. Outside the fortress wall there was formed a small village where craftsmen’s workshops were moved to avoid fires. But already in 1475 impregnable Sugdeya was taken by the Turks, who killed all its defenders and turned the fortification into the administrative center of one of their Crimean provinces.

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In the 18th century, archaeologists paid attention to the Sudak fortress. By that time, the great monument of antiquity made not the most pleasant impression: the fortification walls and towers were inevitably destroyed. It is not known what would have been the further fate of the citadel, if Empress Maria Alexandrovna had not visited it in 1864. It was thanks to the patronage of the wife of Alexander II that the fortress complex was taken under close supervision, placing it under the responsibility of the Odessa Society of History and Antiquities.

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The first stage of work on the restoration of the main attraction of Sudak was carried out in 1890. By the way, the repair of dilapidated buildings were made on the funds provided by the famous at that time historian Berthier-Delagardom.

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Strange as it may seem, but the sad fate that befell many architectural monuments after the October Revolution, Genoese fortress passed. No one tried to destroy the citadel – on the contrary, it began to arrive more and more new archaeological expeditions.

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Location and appearance

Sudak fortress is located on a 157-meter coral reef, called Fortress Hill. The outline of the hill resembles a cone with a pronounced promontory running into the Sudak Bay. The cape itself was named Kyz-Kulle-Burun, which means “Cape of the Maiden Tower” in Crimean Tatar. About the impregnability of the citadel is legendary: from the east and south approaches to the fortification block steep 70-meter slopes of the mountain, access from the west is also difficult, and the approaches to the northeastern part once blocked the dry moat.

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Genoese fortress had an external and internal line of defense. According to the plan of ancient builders the function of the outer “shield” were to perform 14 watchtowers and the complex of the Main Gate, guarding the port part of the city from encroachment. And each of the watchtowers was given its own name (usually the building was named in honor of the consul under whom it was erected). Initially, 15-meter towers were connected with each other stone wall, the height of which in different parts of the fortress varied from 6 to 8 meters, but time and regular raids of nomads significantly lowered its level.

The inner line of defense (citadel) consisted of 4 towers connected by a section of stone fence, Consular Castle, Watch and Maiden Tower. Since this part of the Genoese fortress was built in a great hurry (the city was subjected to numerous attacks of the Turks), there are no traditional for Genoese constructions mortar plates. As a result, the names of most of the watchtowers of the citadel have not survived.

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Did you know that…

  • In the 13th century, the Venetian merchant Matteo Polo settled in Sugdei. An unremarkable nobleman, perhaps, and would not have attracted the attention of historians, if not for his nephew, who often visited his wealthy relative. The name of this young Venetian is now known to every schoolchild – it is the legendary navigator Marco Polo.

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  • If you look closely, on the walls of the citadel is easy to notice the red lines – this mark is the visual boundary of the ancient part of the masonry and modern superstructure, made during the restoration work.

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  • In the Genoese fortress was filming 14 feature films. Among the most famous to the viewer – “The Gadfly”, “Pirates of the XX century”, “The original Russia” and even the historical blockbuster of 2016 – “Viking.”

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Interesting places of the Genoese fortress

Thanks to several stages of restoration work, the Genoese Fortress resembles a finished architectural monument more than a classical ruin. Still, it was not possible to completely reconstruct the ancient fortification. Today only powerful walls, several buildings (including the Consular Castle) and reconstructed towers, characterized by an open (three-wall) construction, remind of the former splendor of Sugdea. Today visitors to the Genoese fortress can see the following:

  • Pasquale Giudice tower;
  • the tower of Corrado Cigala;
  • the tower of Lucchini di Fieschi di Lavagna;

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  • Tower of the Semicircular;
  • St. George’s Tower;

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  • Baldo Guarco Tower;
  • Giovanni Marione Tower;
  • Watchtower;
  • Corner Tower;
  • unnamed tower No. 1;
  • unnamed tower #19.

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As for the residential buildings, don’t be lazy to climb to the top of the hill and wander the deserted halls of the Consular Castle. The massive structure is equipped with an imposing donjon and two smaller towers, making it resemble an English feudal lord’s estate. In normal times, the interior of the donjon served as the residence of the Genoese consul, with the first tier of the tower occupied by armory and a small reservoir, and the personal quarters of the nobleman were located on the second and subsequent floors. In the interior of the castle there are several convenient wooden staircases, which can be used to climb to the upper floors to wander through the personal possessions of Genoese aristocrats and admire the view of the lower tier of the fortification.

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Those who want to touch the history of the Genoese fortress should enter the so-called temple with an arcade – a former Turkish mosque, later rebuilt into an Armenian Catholic church. Inside the sanctuary there is a museum exhibition, which presents household items and jewelry found during the excavations of the citadel.

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Taking a tour along the inner line of the fortification, pay attention to the rectangular stone baths – these are the remains of ancient reservoirs. The life-giving moisture came into the reservoirs through a special pipeline from the valley or simply in the form of precipitation, but in the dry summer months the inhabitants of the fortress still had to save precious drops.

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Tourist Information

The Genoese fortress receives visitors daily. The fortification’s opening schedule: from January to March from 9 to 18 h; from March to April from 9 to 19 h; from May to September from 8 to 20 h; from October to December from 9 to 18 h. The ticket office closes an hour earlier than the museum reserve itself.

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On the last Friday of the month, the main museum of the Genoese fortress (the building of the former Turkish mosque) is not open.

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Steep stony approaches to the main attraction of Sudak impose a number of serious obligations on its visitors. For example, in order to avoid accidents, the fortress is strictly forbidden access to people in a state of alcoholic intoxication. On the territory of the citadel is not allowed to smoke or organize small picnics. Tourists with pets will not be allowed here either.

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Entrance to the Genoese Fortress is paid, but for visitors under the age of 16 years is an exception. The cost of a standard adult ticket – 160 rubles, but if you add to this amount of 50 rubles, you can count on a full-fledged tour accompanied by an experienced guide.

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The Genoese fortress hosts the annual knight festival “Genoese Helmet”, which is one of the top 5 best knight festivals in the CIS. Any tourist can get to the event, but only the cost of entrance tickets for the period of the festivities increases significantly.

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During the festival on the territory of the fortress works “medieval fair”. The main assortment of stalls – trinkets “under the olden days” and souvenirs with knightly symbols.

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How to get there

To get to the Fortress Mountain, on which rises the main attraction of Sudak, you can both on foot and by car. From the city station in the direction of the Genoese Fortress run two buses: the route “Dachnoye – Uyutnoye”. Get off at the terminus in Uyutnoye, as it is the nearest village to the fortress. The official address of the object: Republic of Crimea, Sudak, Genuez str. Sudak, Genoese Fortress street, 1.

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