Those that have survived to this day can be found in Homer’s poem “The Odyssey”, in which Homer describes the events of the 12th century BC:

"We entered a beautiful harbor there. It is surrounded
The rocks on both sides are a continuous wall.
Near the entrance they rise high against each other
There are two capes running out, and the entrance to this harbor is narrow.
There we met the bloodthirsty Lestrygonians"
As historians agree, it was the Taurus tribe that lived in these places at that time.

The second mention of Balaklava is also in the Greek epic, about two friends Arest and Pilate who arrived here 10 years after the landing of Odysseus. On the banks of Badaklava, where the bloodthirsty Listrigons live, they had to steal the statue of Artemis.
The first Greek name of Balaklava is Sumbolon Limen, which means “Bay of Omens”.
The next name that appears in history is the name by which we now know the city, Balaklava. The name Balaklava has two translations from Tatar - “Fish Nest” and “Fish Weather”.

The first historical mention of Balaclava dates back to the 1st century AD. Pliny the Elder. Traveling through Taurida (one of the first names of Crimea, which existed until the Middle Ages), he describes Balaklava as a fishing village and a gathering place for pirates.
At the end of the 1st century AD, a Roman army led by Plautius Silvanus defeated the Tauro-Scythians near Chersonese. After the victory, the Romans erected a temple to Jupiter in Balaklava and named the city Sumbolon.

In 145 AD. Emperor Antoninus Pius helps the rulers of Chersonesos in battles with the remnants of the Taurus and Scythians, the latter were thrown back to the northern and eastern part of Crimea. At this time, the fortress in Balaklava was strengthened and Roman rule was strengthened. All important positions are occupied by the Romans, the Greeks are mainly engaged in trade. The Romans live in Balaklava until 240, this year they leave the territory of Tavria and hand over the city to the Greeks.

In 1204, Byzantium fell and the Genoese seized trade routes to Crimea. In Balaklava they begin to build a fortress and defensive structures to protect merchant ships; the fortress has a strategic purpose and is the key to the capital, Chersonesos. In Balaklava Bay, warships are constantly on duty, ready at any moment to repel an enemy attack.

In 1475, the city, after a long siege, fell under the onslaught of the Ottoman Empire; chroniclers attribute to this period the appearance of the first mention of the name Balikaya. And for many years the Ottoman Empire gained a foothold there.

In 1624, Balaklava was captured by the Cossacks, the city was partially plundered, the Greek settlements in the city were practically undamaged, the Ottoman settlements were looted and burned. The Cossacks did not hold the fortress and the city for a long time; after the plunder, they returned with the loot to their capital, to the island of Khortitsa.

In 1773, on June 23, Turkish ships were attacked near Balaklava by 2 Russian ships “Crown” and “Taganrog”, and after 6 hours of battle, the Turkish ships, completely defeated, retreated. This was the first Russian-Turkish War and the first naval victory on the Black Sea; won in a minority, it brought great glory to the Russian navy. After the battle, Balaklava became the first ever port of the Russian fleet on the territory of Crimea.

In 1787, Empress Catherine II visited Balaklava; she wrote that Balaklava was the key to Crimea and ordered the construction of military fortifications.

In October 1854, a squadron of the English navy entered Balaklava; after fierce resistance, some of the defenders surrendered, and some, managing to escape from the encirclement, reached the Russian army's base in Yalta. Those who surrendered to the mercy of the victors were either killed or engaged in menial work to restore or improve the city.

In 1855 A bloody battle took place near Balaklava, although the Russian troops did not win in it, the morale of the British was suppressed, the British held Balaklava with huge losses, and the place of the battle was called “Death Valley”.
During the stay of the British in Balaklava, the first wooden embankment in the city was built; later it became known as the Nazukin embankment. Many shops and artisans appeared.
At the same time, the British began construction of the first railway in Crimea, it connected with Balaklava, the length was almost 13 km.
Throughout the entire period the British were in, the city was not calm all the time, there were constant murders, the gallows were not empty even for a day. The English sailors, one at a time, practically did not move around the city, and only went out into the surrounding area in groups; there was very strong resistance from the local residents.

Already in 1856, the British hastily abandoned the port, the city was almost plundered again, and the rebuilt railway was dismantled and sold to the Turks.
The restoration of the city was completely completed in 1871, the city became one of the popular resorts of the Russian aristocracy.

In 1887, the first hotel, the Grand Hotel, was opened in the city and a year later, Prince Yusupov built a hunting lodge on the opposite shore of the bay. Balaklava is gaining its popularity.

During the First World War, Balaklava was occupied by Germany, then came under French intervention and in the twenties came under the rule of the Bolsheviks. The population of the city was not large, with the outbreak of the First World War about 400 people. The city was practically deserted.

In 1931, the first diving school in the USSR was built, and the city was reborn again like a phoenix.
During the Second World War, the city was defended for almost a year; Russian troops left the city practically wiped off the face of the earth.

In 1945, the city was visited by English Prime Minister Winston Churchill on a short visit to honor the memory of the war dead in the “Valley of Death”.

In 1953 - 63 In Balaklava, a base for submarines was built under a rock, secret name - one of the monumental structures of the USSR. There were tactical submarines with nuclear weapons.

In 1957, due to the secrecy of the facility, Balaklava was transferred to the jurisdiction of the city.

In 1990, after the collapse of the USSR, Balaklava became part of Ukraine, the secret bunker was looted, and Russian ships were redeployed to other Russian bases.

In 2014, together with Crimea, it became part of the Russian Federation and received a new round of its history.

Balaclava on the map of Crimea

The history of Balaklava, an ancient Crimean city that turned 2,500 years old in 2004, is amazing. The name “Balaklava” goes back to the Turkic “balyk-yuve”, which translated means “fish net, fish nest”. In the very center of the city is the famous Balaklava Bay. The surface of the water in it is so smooth that it seems to be “filled to the brim.” At the exit from the bay there is the Fortress rock with the ruins of the Chembalo fortress. On the opposite bank is Mount Tavros, inside of which there is a former underground factory for submarines, now a museum.

Taurus in Balaklava

The name of the mountain recalls the ancient inhabitants of these places - the Taurian tribes. They chose the spurs of the Main Range of the Crimean Mountains around the 8th century. BC. "Tavros" translated from Greek means "highlander".

Balaklava is a closed city

During the Cold War, a unique secret facility appeared - an underground repair plant for submarines. That is why 2 decades ago, few of the guests of Crimea had heard the name Balaklava.

Entry here was prohibited, and the city itself was not depicted on maps. After the collapse of the USSR, the process of demilitarization of Balaklava began, and the city is rapidly developing as a tourist and recreational center. The population of Balaklava is 23 thousand people. The city is the center of the Balaklava municipal district of Sevastopol.

Balaclava today

Every year the number of domestic and foreign tourists visiting this corner of Crimea increases. In 2004, during the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the city, a major reconstruction of the embankment was carried out, a new monument to Lesya Ukrainka appeared on the square. 1st of May.

New hotels and restaurants have appeared in Balaklava. All catering establishments here specialize in preparing fish and seafood dishes. The most famous and popular among tourists: the Fisherman's Hut restaurant, the Balaklava restaurant, whose honored guests at various times were B. Yeltsin, film artists G. Kutsenko, N. Karachentsev, director Alla Surikova, journalists Nikolai Svanidze and Leonid Parfenov. The tavern of the Golden Symbol yacht club is also popular.

Every summer, Balaklava becomes a huge film set (the films “Driver for Vera”, “Sapho”, “Tanker Tango”, “The Ninth Company”, “Chic”, many music videos were filmed here, including a video for Alexander Rybak’s song “Heaven of Europe”) . The town annually hosts the festival of bard songs “Balaklava Holidays”, the international youth music festival “Pearl Paradise”, etc. If you wish, you can always look at the Balaklava embankment.

B alaklava. The name of a small town 15 km away. from Sevastopol is known almost all over the world. After all, it was on this land that fascinating legends were born, bloody military battles took place and the most beautiful romantic stories happened.

A quiet bay surrounded by mountains and close proximity to the sea attracted the Taurians - the ancient inhabitants of Balaklava back in the 8th century. BC e. It is with them and their house that Homer’s myth about Odysseus is connected, where one of the places visited by the main character is Balaklava Bay.

The history of Balaklava is truly amazing. Starting from the 6th century BC, almost all the empires that ruled at that time laid claim to it. Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Turkish periods followed one after another in the life of this picturesque bay. It suffered destruction, and then flourished, it was besieged and liberated again, classified as a military base and, as a result, it is now a first-class tourist destination, with its own unique history and attractions of previous eras.

Now Balaklava is a district of Sevastopol, part of the Sevastopol bays. The bay surprisingly resembles a European port city. Perhaps, crystal white yachts, and multi-level fish restaurants located along the pier, a soft atmosphere and friendly faces of tourists. For an introductory walk, you can take a tour on a small yacht around the bay.

...Not everywhere in Balaklava there are “very crystal white yachts,” but many are very beautiful and cheerful. Photo: travel-history.com

The guides know this town like themselves and will answer all travelers’ questions with sincere pleasure. After their words, such a mysterious Balaklava becomes a new bright discovery, because every building or the ruins remaining from it, rising above sea level, is filled with events that happened centuries ago, each with its own drama or happy story.

The Naval Museum will be interesting to visit.

Naval Museum Balaclava, Photo: static.panoramio.com

Construction of the complex began in 1957 and was considered a secret state level. The project was an underwater harbor for sheltering and repairing submarines. The structure was equipped with warehouses for storing food products, fuel storage facilities, caches for military equipment and military shells.

Submarine Museum in Balaklava Photo: krym4you.com

The complex is a structure of colossal size and is hidden under 120-meter thick rocks and is thus designed to be resistant to an atomic bomb.

Almost 1000 people worked in adits hidden from the outside world. The building was used for its intended purpose for almost 30 years, and now it is a museum complex, ready to welcome everyone.

Balaklava is a city of military glory and throughout its territory there are monuments and steles to soldiers and sailors - heroes who held the defense of Sevastopol, fought in the Battle of Balaklava and bravely sacrificed their lives to save many people.

Balaclava. Stele dedicated to the courage and perseverance of Soviet submariners, photo: Sergey Nikitin

On the eastern side of the bay, on the top of the cape, there is a Genoese fortress called Cembalo. The first mention of the creation of these particular fortifications was discovered in 1343. Over the centuries, the fortress was captured, set on fire and destroyed countless times, but its restoration and the construction of its more powerful elements took place with the same zeal. Currently, all that remains of the Genoese fortress are ruins, but they are where so many epoch-making events lie and local old-timers and guides will be happy to tell you in detail about all the historical secrets.

Chembalo Fortress, photo: russian.crimea-photo.com

You can visit the picturesque pebble beaches southeast of Balaklava. But given their location at the base of the cliffs, it is only possible to get there by water transport.

Heraldry

Coat of arms of Balaklava. The shield intersects two narrow belts: silver, with teeth on top, and gold, burdened with an ancient Greek ornament - a meander. In the upper scarlet field there is a silver St. George Cross. The lower field is dissected. In the right azure field there are three silver fish (1+1+1) in the right band with their heads up. In the left emerald field there is a golden bunch of grapes.
The Greek ornament symbolizes the long past of Balaklava, its connection with ancient Hellenic culture, reminiscent of the journey of the cunning Odysseus and the legendary temple of Diana, where the Taurus priestess Iphigenia performed her cruel rite. The silver jagged belt, a symbol of the fortress, reflects the Genoese period in the history of Balaklava, the Chembalo fortress they built, the remains of which, visible from afar, are a kind of calling card of the city. The silver Cross of St. George is reminiscent of the famous Battle of Balaklava in the Crimean War, and the red color of the field symbolizes the courage and courage of the defenders of Balaklava and Sevastopol, the blood shed for the Fatherland. In addition, the cross of St. George recalls one of the earliest Orthodox monasteries - the Balaklava St. George Monastery, founded, as legend says, even before Russia acquired Christianity. Three fish in an azure field reflect the name of the city (balyk - yuve - fish nest, fish tank; Turkic), as well as the traditional occupation of its inhabitants. The azure color is a symbol of the beauty and grandeur of the Balaklava land, its blue sea and blue sky. The golden bunch of grapes symbolizes the long traditions of viticulture and winemaking on the land of Balaklava. The golden anchor decorating the shield symbolizes the glorious naval traditions of the Balaklava people.
The coat of arms was approved by decision of the Balaklava District Council No. 3с-24-31 dated September 20, 2002.
The authors of the coat of arms project: Maskevich Oleg Ivanovich, Doroshko Valery Nikolaevich, Konovalov Viktor Ivanovich, Zhemoydo Yuri Georgievich.

A rectangular panel with an aspect ratio of 2:3 with red, white, green, yellow and blue stripes, corresponding to 1/4, 1/2, 1/20, 1/20 and 1/6 of the width of the flag, respectively. In the center of the white stripe is the small coat of arms of Balaklava, made in accordance with the official description. The width of the coat of arms is 1/5 of the length of the flag.

Balaclava,
Balaklava district

Balaklava district(Ukrainian Balaklava district) is an administrative district in the south and east of the territory of the Sevastopol City Council. On the territory of the Balaklava region there is the southernmost point of Ukraine - Cape Sarych.

The region was formed in 1930 as part of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (since 1945, the Crimean region). In 1957, the area was transferred to the subordination of the Sevastopol city council. In the same year, the district center, the city of Balaklava, as well as the city of Inkerman and several villages located in the district were deprived of the status of separate settlements and administratively included in the city of Sevastopol. Inkerman was restored to the status of a separate city in 1976, and Balaklava is still considered part of Sevastopol (although in fact it continues to be a separate city).

There are 34 settlements located on the territory of the Balaklava region.

Area - 544.9 sq. km.

Balaclava- a city in the southwestern part of Crimea, located 15 km south of Sevastopol and is the center of the Balaklava region. The population of Balaklava is about 20 thousand people.

Modern Balaklava is a popular Crimean resort. Tourists are attracted not only by the city with its ancient history and a large number of monuments, but also by the surrounding beaches, which can be reached by ferry, and the picturesque cliffs at Cape Aya with grottoes.

On the territory of the Balaklava region, at Cape Fiolent, all three ridges of the Crimean mountains begin - External, Internal and Main.

The climate of the Balaklava region is very diverse. This depends on the complexity of the relief: from temperate continental, cold, wet on the tops of the Main Ridge of the Crimean Mountains, to dry Mediterranean subtropical on the South Coast. Summer is dry, moderately hot, with rare precipitation. The average daily temperature is 28-32 degrees Celsius. Autumn is the best time to relax. The velvet season lasts until mid-October. The air temperature at this time during the day is up to 25-27°C, at night 13-18°C.

The water in the sea is simply beautiful: the temperature of sea water at this time does not drop below +20°C. In the mountains near Balaklava, winter is more severe; snow cover on the peaks lasts up to four months a year. Spring is cold, somewhere until mid-April. May is a warm month, sometimes hot. The temperature can rise to 30-32°C. For many, the swimming season begins.

The beaches of Balaklava are very unique. The best of them: in the area of ​​Cape Fiolent - Monastyrsky (Yashmovy) and nearby "Admiralsky", as well as Serebryany (Blizhny, Mikro-Yalo - Small Beach), to which boats and skiffs go during the swimming season. Behind them lies Megalo-Yalo (Big Beach) - Golden Beach. On the Nazukin embankment there is a small city beach encased in concrete. On the western shore of the bay there were previously two tiny beaches: Perestarion and Kultuk, or Apraksinsky. In the cozy coves around Cape Aya and the Inzhir tract there are also comfortable beaches for every taste: sandy, with multi-colored pebbles and bizarre rocks.

The balaclava celebrated its 2500th anniversary in 2004. Myths and ancient legends, testimonies of scientists and travelers, historians and poets surround everyone who touches its ancient history.

In the vicinity of Balaklava, on Cape Fiolent, there is the St. George Monastery, famous for its antiquity, historical significance and picturesque location. There are many legends and tales, historical facts and assumptions about the monastery.

Balaclava is a place sung by Alexander Pushkin and Adam Mitskevich, Valery Bryusov and Alexander Kuprin, Anna Akhmatova and Konstantin Paustovsky...

The territory of the Balaklava region is 54.4 thousand hectares, in the southeast it borders on Greater Yalta, and is washed by the waters of the Black Sea from the south and west.

On the territory of the Balaklava region there is the state reserve "Cape Aya". The protected area includes: Cape Aya, the Ayazma, Batiliman tracts and the adjacent water area.

Protected status has also been given to the Chernorechensky Canyon, the Baydar Valley, the Laspi Rocks tract, Cape Fiolent... Many of the natural landscapes of Balaklava are simply unique.

History of Balaklava

The history of Balaklava goes back to ancient times. Myths and ancient legends, testimonies of scientists and travelers, historians and archaeologists surround everyone who touches its secrets.

Ancient Greek and later Byzantine historians mentioned Balaklava Bay under the name of Sumbolon Harbor (Simbalon, Symbolon). Syumbolon-Limena is a haven of symbols and omens. Strabo, Pliny the Elder, Polyenus, Ptolemy, Flavius ​​Arrian wrote about this...

The name of the city Balaklava is usually derived from the Turkic Balyk (fish) and yuve (lava) - nest, cage - “Fish nest”. This toponym was first mentioned back in 1474 by Afanasy Nikitin in “Walking across Three Seas”, who, returning from India, visited Kafa (Feodosia) and “Balykaee” (Sukhanovsky edition). In the 17th century, the city was also known as Balukoy, Balyklagy-yuvech... In Genoese documents, on European maps of the 14th - 16th centuries, among the local population it was called Yamboli (healthy, health - Greek), Chembalo, Tsembalo, Tsembaldo. The modern name Balaklava was assigned to the city only in the 18th century, shortly before the annexation of Crimea to Russia.

According to archaeologists, near Balaklava, west of the Bay of Symbols, there was an early Taurian settlement (around the 8th century BC). The name of the Tavros height remained until recently. In 1938, archaeologist A.K. Takhtai carried out excavations on it. Finds of ceramics, flint triangular knives, and a low-sided frying pan made it possible to attribute this settlement to the early stage of the development of the Taurus culture.

The oldest sites and burials discovered in the vicinity of Balaklava, Inkerman, on the territory of the modern Balaklava region, date back to the Middle Stone Age - the Mesolithic. East of Balaklava, near the village of Alsou in the Murzak-Koba grotto, a well-known Mesolithic site, called the grotto, was explored in 1938. A double burial of a man and a woman of Cro-Magnon appearance was also discovered there. In the vicinity of Balaklava there are a number of ancient settlements: the catacomb cultural and historical community at the eastern outskirts of the town, in the Kefalo-Vrisi tract; Late Srub culture of the end of the 2nd millennium BC. e. and Kizil-Koba culture of the 7th - 6th centuries. BC e. at the mouth of the Vitmera beam, southeast of modern Stroitelnaya Street.

The land is ancient, the land is mysterious, the bay is convenient. Therefore, both the Greeks and Romans did not ignore them.

In the second half of the 14th century. trade routes connecting the countries of Western Europe with the East partially moved to the shores of the Azov and Black Seas. At this time, Crimea was a connecting link in the economic and political relations of Byzantium and the Slavic states on the Balkan Peninsula with the Russian lands. Therefore, Crimea becomes the object of the aggressive policy of the Tatar-Mongols and two Italian republics competing with each other - Venice and Genoa. For a long time, the Italians waged an irreconcilable struggle with Byzantium for the Black Sea trade routes and markets. In March 1261, the Genoese entered into an agreement with Michael Palaiologos (emperor of the Nicaean Empire - a Greek state in Asia Minor), which proclaimed eternal peace between Byzantium and Genoa. In July of the same year, Palaiologos' troops captured Constantinople. The Genoese were given the right to duty-free trade and the opportunity to establish colonies on the lands of the empire. Already in 1266 they firmly settled on the site of ancient Feodosia. Under an agreement with the Golden Horde Khan, the Genoese founded their trading post, Cafu. In 1318 they established themselves in the Bosporus. Probably at the same time, a Genoese colony appeared in Balaklava, but their legal position was formalized much later.

The Crimean Khan, having concluded a peace treaty with the Genoese in 1380, recognized their right to own the fortress, which from that time began to be called Chembalo (Tembalo, Tembaldo) in Genoese documents. This is evidenced by the Genoese chroniclers, as well as the Venetian traveler Iosaphato Barbaro, who visited Crimea in 1437.

Having founded a new colony, the Genoese began building a fortress. It is possible that they used fortifications that could have been built earlier by the Greeks. On the top of the cliff they build the city of St. Nicholas, or the Upper City - the administrative part of Chembalo. There was a consular castle, a town hall and a small church there. The consul's castle, built at the very top of the cliff, was a square tower about 15 m high; in its basement there was a reservoir, water into which flowed by gravity through ceramic pipes from a source located above the fortress, on the slope of the neighboring Mount Spilia. This place is still called Kefalo-vrisi, translated from Greek - Head of the Source, or Mane-tunero - Mother of Waters.

The lower city, or the fortress of St. George, was surrounded by a fortress wall with three towers (or half-towers) with narrow loopholes. The top of the towers ended with a parapet with battlements. Marble plaques with inscriptions and coats of arms of the consuls under whom they were built or reconstructed were installed on the towers.

"1463. This building was built by the venerable, noble Mr. BARNABA GRILLOT. Consul."

"1467. This structure was built during the administration of M. de OLIV, the venerable consul of CIMBALO. This tower is with a wall."

The towers are made of local rubble stone and lime mortar.

The highest administrative and military power belonged to the consul Cembalo, who until 1398 was elected for three months from the local nobility, then, like the consuls in Cafe (Feodosia) and Sogdaya (Soldaya; Sugdeya) - Sudak, they began to be appointed from Genoa. The activities of the consuls and administrations of the colonies were regulated by statutes.

The administration included two treasurers, or massarii, one of whom had to be a Genoese and the other a local resident, a vicar - an assistant to the consul, who was involved in judicial affairs. Under the consul there was a council of eight elders, there were two trumpeters and one messenger. Spiritual authority in Chembalo was exercised by the bishop.

Local residents were engaged in agriculture, including cattle breeding, as well as crafts, trades and trade. Among the industries, fishing occupied a special place. In the Charter of 1449, among the articles common to all colonies of Genoa in the Crimea, articles relating only to Cembalo, including fishing, were highlighted. The charter ordered the merchant bailiff to take a certain amount of fish from any catch: from a barge - no more than 1/10 of the catch, from a caught flounder - no more than two fish. One of them was intended for the consul. In Chembalo there were special premises where dried and salted fish were prepared for export. Apparently, the colony had a small shipyard for repairing military ships and fishing boats.

There was a brisk trade in Chembalo, including in slaves. The Charter states that the objects of trade were “lands, things, goods and people.”

The Genoese asserted their power with the help of a small garrison consisting of mercenaries (socials and stipendiaries). According to the Charter of 1449, the city had 40 riflemen armed with ballistas.

In each fortress - upper and lower - there were commandants to whom the soldiers on guard duty were subordinate.

At the end of the 13th century. Cembalo becomes an important outpost of Genoa in Crimea. In the second half of the 14th century. The principality of Theodoro (whose capital was located on Mangup) also strengthened its influence. At this time, the Mangup Principality included most of the fortified settlements located around Chembalo and in the Baydar Valley. In an effort to gain a foothold at sea, the princes of Theodoro are building their port at the mouth of the river. Chernoy, in 1427 the Kalamita fortress in Inkerman was reconstructed to protect it.

Difficult relations with the Genoese led the Theodorites to an armed conflict. Having secured the support of the Crimean Khan, Prince Alexei in the fall of 1433 apparently helped the townspeople of Chembalo prepare an uprising against the Genoese. The following circumstances contributed to the implementation of the plans of the Mangup prince: the plague that broke out in Cafe in 1429 spread to Chembalo and claimed the lives of many of its inhabitants. In 1428-1430 There was a severe drought in Crimea. All these disasters led to a sharp deterioration in the economic situation of the local population of Chembalo and to increased exploitation by the Genoese.

In 1433, a popular uprising began in Chembalo and a number of surrounding villages. Genoese chroniclers of the 15th century spoke about him. John Stella, Giustiniani and Foglieta. The latter writes: “This year (i.e. 1433) the Greek residents of Chembalo, the city of Tauride Chersonese, formed a conspiracy against the Genoese rulers of the city, suddenly taking up arms, and, having expelled the Genoese, they handed over the city to some Greek Alexei, ruler Fedoro. ..".

The Genoese colonies in Crimea were unable to suppress the Chembal uprising on their own and turned to Genoa for help. At this time, she waged an unsuccessful war with the Kingdom of Aragon, so it was only in March 1434 that a 6,000-strong army under the command of Carlo Lomellino on 10 galleys, 2 galliots and 9 smaller ships left Genoa.

On June 4, 1434, the squadron reached Chembalo and stopped at the roadstead. The next day, after a fierce battle, the Genoese cut the chain blocking the entrance to Balaklava Bay, entered it and besieged the fortress.

On June 6, Lomellino failed to break the resistance of the rebels. Then the Genoese, using naval artillery, fired at the city. They managed to destroy one of the towers, the fortress wall and break into Chembalo.

In 1453, the Turks, having captured Constantinople, closed the Black Sea straits to Genoese ships. The Genoese republic, weakened by wars, could not provide assistance to the colonies in Crimea, so it was forced to sell them to its main creditor, the Bank of St. George.

The Turks, having concluded an alliance with the Crimean Khan, demanded tribute from the Genoese. Chembalo also paid an annual tribute to the Crimean Khan. Using all means of diplomacy, the Genoese obtained permission from the Sultan to allow their ships to pass through the straits. The Genoese used the resulting respite to conclude an alliance with the Principality of Theodoro, Moldavia, to get closer to the Crimean Khan, and also to strengthen the fortress.

Curtains and towers, walls of the lower and upper towns are being reconstructed in Chembalo. These works were completed in 1467.

But all the efforts of the Genoese were in vain. In the summer of 1475, the Turks captured the Genoese colonies in Crimea, including Chembalo, giving it a new name - Balyk-yuve (Fish Nest or Fish Tank). Some researchers translate it as Balyk-kaya (khaya) - fish rock. The captured Genoese were taken to Constantinople, while a small part that went to the mountains mixed with the local population. During Turkish rule, Balaklava, as well as Inkerman and Chorgun (Chorguna) were part of the Mangup Kadalyk (or district).

A Turkish garrison was stationed in the fortress; the unwanted Crimean khans languished in prison. In the summer of 1625, during a major joint campaign, the Zaporozhye and Don Cossacks briefly captured Balaklava and Kafa. In subsequent battles with the Turkish fleet, they were defeated, losing about 800 Cossacks and 500 Donets killed. In the second half of the 18th century. The balaclava falls into disrepair.

For many centuries, Russia waged a stubborn struggle for access to the Black and Azov Seas. Its strengthening on the southern borders encountered fierce resistance from France, England and Austria, who saw the Russian state as a dangerous enemy to their interests in this region.

In 1768, Turkey, incited by European countries, went to war with Russia. During it, on June 23, 1773, a naval battle took place, known in history as Balaklava. Two Russian ships - "Koron" and "Taganrog" - under the command of Captain 2nd Rank Jan Heinrich Kingsbergen (a Dutchman in Russian service), while cruising, met a Turkish squadron of three battleships at Balaklava: two - 52-gun, one - 36 -cannon and 24-gun xebek with landing forces. Despite the fact that the Russians were armed with only 32 guns against 164 Turkish ones, they boldly attacked the enemy. After a six-hour battle, the Turks began to flee. It turned out to be impossible to pursue faster enemy ships. The commander reported after a brilliant victory: “It would be easier to catch the moon than to catch up with sailing ships with my two flat-bottomed vehicles. If I had a frigate, then Her Majesty would have two more ships.” The Russians lost 1 officer and 3 sailors in the battle, and 26 sailors were wounded. The Turkish losses were more significant. For this feat, Captain 2nd Rank Kingsbergen was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree. Balaklava Bay became the first refuge for Russian ships arriving in Crimea even before its official annexation to Russia. “To command the newly built fleet in the Black and Azov Seas,” the hero of the Battle of Chesma, Vice Admiral F. A. Klokachev, was appointed. For a long time there was a search for a place to base the Black Sea Fleet. Ten years before the founding of Sevastopol, the ship "Modon", commanded by F.F. Ushakov, arrived in Balaklava. The “description party” from this ship, under the leadership of navigator I.V. Baturin, examined and compiled the first “Map of Akhtyarskaya Harbor with Soundings”. The handwritten map of Ivan Baturin, which has survived to this day, apparently was not appreciated by the command at that time. One of the first to draw attention to the convenience of the bay for basing a fleet and building a fortress was A.V. Suvorov, who appreciated its merits.

He and F.F. The Ushaks also did a lot to strengthen Balaklava. Commanding the deck boat "Courier", in 1772 Fyodor Ushakov sailed from Taganrog to Balaklava Bay. Appointed the following year as commander of the 16-gun ship "Morea", then the 16-gun ship "Modon", he was in Balaklava harbor in case of defending the fortress from the expected Turkish landing.

As in Genoese times, the entrance to the bay is blocked with an iron chain. And already as a rear admiral, having taken command of the naval fleet based in Sevastopol in April 1789, he paid attention to the security of Balaklava.

Back in 1771, the troops of Prince V.M. Dolgorukov entered Crimea. The following year, on November 1, in Karasubazar (Belogorsk), a treaty of friendship and alliance was signed between the Russian Empire and the Crimean Khanate. Having suffered a number of defeats on land and having lost the fleet in the Battle of Chesme, Turkey made concessions. The agreement between Russia and the Crimean Khan pushed the Turks to conclude the peace treaty of Kuchuk-Kainardzhi in 1774. The Crimean Khanate was declared independent from Turkey. In the Crimea and Kuban, liberated from Turkish rule, Russian troops under the command of the great Russian commander A.V. Suvorov firmly established themselves.

The main apartment of the Russian troops was in Bakhchisarai. The Cossack Don Regiment of Prime Major I. I. Kharitonov was stationed in Balaklava and the St. George Monastery, the Ryazhsky Infantry Regiment was quartered in Balaklava and Inkerman, and a battalion of rangers was stationed in the villages of Karan and Kamary.

To prevent the landing of Turkish troops in Crimea, A.V. Suvorov strengthened his positions along the shores of the Black Sea: he laid earthen batteries, skillfully positioned troops, and determined the locations of posts, patrols, and cordons.

Suvorov chose a place to install the guns at a height, on the western shore, at the entrance to Balaklava Bay. A closed earthen fortification was built in the form of an irregular quadrangle with bastions on three corners, with a deep, wide ditch, a steep scarp and a counter-scarp. The moat had to be carved into the rock. To the west of this fortification, on the steep seashore, a lunette was built.

The peace with the Turks turned out to be very unstable. Turkish ships often appeared off the coast of Crimea. On September 8, 1778, a two-masted Turkish postal ship was detained in Balaklava while it was inspecting the fortifications. And the next day A.V. Suvorov reports in a report to P.A. Rumyantsev: “Finally, from the Turkish fleet, ships began to appear in various places on the local shores, which now, according to actual reports that have arrived, have arrived at Kefii Bay (Feodosia) up to a hundred large and small, to Balaklava harbor five ships, but on "To this day, there have been no attempts to make landings on the shore, and now there is no response from their commanders to me. All precautions have been taken on the part of the Russian troops and will be done according to the orders given to me by your Excellency. Lieutenant General Alexander Suvorov."

The Turks, seeing the Russian batteries, entered with A.V. Suvorov into negotiations, trying to go ashore, supposedly in order to replenish fresh water supplies. However, the composure and restraint of the commander, who showed himself to be a subtle diplomat, led to the fact that the Turkish squadron was forced to move away from the shores of Taurida.

In 1783, the tsarist government decided to annex Crimea to Russia, confirmed on April 8 by a decree of Catherine II. While taking measures to protect the newly acquired region, they did not forget about Balaklava. In the decree of Empress G.A. Potemkin “On the construction of new fortifications along the borders of the Ekaterinoslav province” dated February 10, 1784 said: “The balaclava, corrected as it is and maintained by the Greek troops settled here...”.

They were formed in 1776 from the Greeks of the islands of the Archipelago, who participated in hostilities on the side of Russia during the Russian-Turkish War of 1768-1774. Eight battalions of Greeks under the command of Stefan Mavromichali, moving onto the ships of the Russian fleet, commanded by Count A.G. Orlov, fought in the Battle of Chios, in the Battle of Chesme. After the conclusion of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace Treaty, Russia accepted its Greek allies into citizenship, and Count Orlov transported them to Crimea. The Greeks were settled in the Northern Black Sea region, creating military units from them in Odessa and Balaklava. The Balaklava Greek battalion consisted of three companies. At first they were commanded by Majors Dusi, Kandioti, Naponi. The first commander was Lieutenant Colonel S. Mavromichali, who rose to the rank of general. The Greeks carried out cordon service on the Black Sea coast of Crimea, participated in the Russian-Turkish wars and in the Crimean War of 1853-1856. The battalion consisted of 1194 people - men, in the 30s. - 1379 soldiers and officers. The battalion headquarters was located in Balaklava.

Thus, a kind of militarized Greek settlement was formed in Balaklava. There was a special cantonist school for training military personnel.

In their free time from service, the Greeks were engaged in agriculture, trade and fishing. The head of the battalion was entitled to 240 acres of land, officers - 60, privates - 20. Those who retired, as well as those who did not serve in the battalion - 10 acres.

In 1822, the Balaklava Greek battalion received an additional 14,152 acres of land in the Tauride province. Many Greeks rented out these lands. Some of them became very wealthy people. The commander of the Greek battalion F.D. Revelioti acquired a number of lands on the southern coast of Crimea, including Livadia and Oreanda, then sold them: Livadia - L.S. Pototsky, Oreand - A.G. Kushelev-Bezborodko.

After the Crimean War, in 1859, the Balaklava Greek battalion was abolished.

By 1864, the total number of Greeks living in Balaclava and its environs was no more than two thousand. The core of the community consisted of members of the disbanded Balaklava Greek battalion, their families and old-time Greeks who remained on the peninsula or returned to Crimea after the resettlement of 1778.

In 1787, Catherine II made a long journey from St. Petersburg to Taurida to inspect the “precious pearl of her crown.” The Empress's huge retinue included the Austrian Emperor Joseph II; the empress's penultimate lover was the charming Dmitry Mamonov, who was old enough to be her grandson, the governor-general of the Novorossiysk province, Prince Grigory Potemkin.

Ordained from childhood to the clergy, he studied at the Smolensk Seminary, but instead of the monastic hood he preferred the Life Guards uniform. Having taken part in the palace coup that elevated Catherine II to the throne, and becoming her favorite, he quickly achieved high ranks and positions. Soon, however, Potemkin astonished everyone, went “to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, put on a monk’s cassock, grew a beard and announced that he was exchanging the brilliant courtyard for a monastic cell. His hermitage continued for a few days. Catherine called Potemkin from the monastery cell, and from then on his fate was decided: he appeared first among the courtiers..."

Appointed governor-general of the Novorossiysk province, G.A. Potemkin organized the empress's grandiose journey to Taurida. In January 1787, Catherine II left St. Petersburg. They carefully prepared for the voyage. They even published a guidebook, where the notable places of Taurida were indicated and their descriptions were given. Balaklava and the St. George Monastery were also not forgotten.

Setting off in January 1787, the cortege, consisting of 14 carriages and 164 sleighs, reached Sevastopol four months later.

At noon on May 22, travelers appeared in Inkerman, where, by order of Potemkin, a small elegant palace was built. It offered a beautiful view of the Akhtiar harbor. For this, the “most serene” even sacrificed one of the towers of the Kalamita fortress. She covered part of the bay and suffered for it. It was just demolished...

Hiding from the May heat in the halls, guests enjoyed delicious dishes and drinks while listening to the melodies of the Most Serene Orchestra. At the height of lunch, “they pulled back the curtain blocking the view from the balcony, and thus the view of the beautiful Sevastopol harbor suddenly and unexpectedly opened up. In the roadstead there were 3 ships, 12 frigates, 20 small ships, 3 bombardment boats and 2 fire ships, a total of 40 military ships. It opened firing from all cannons. Looking at the fleet, Catherine drank to the health of her best friend, Emperor Joseph, to whom, as she claimed, she was indebted for the acquisition of Crimea."

After the festivities in the capital of the nascent Black Sea Fleet, the Empress and her retinue examined Balaklava.

There has been a commercial port in Balaklava since 1784. In 1808, a customs outpost and quarantine appeared in it, but the port did not receive further development due to the peculiar position of the harbor and the competition of the trading ports of Feodosia, Evpatoria and Kerch. At that time, Balaklava had a little over a thousand inhabitants and was like a large village. There was only one street in the city, quite narrow and without any notable buildings.

In 1851, engineer-captain Yu.K. Amelung drew up a master plan for the improvement of Balaklava Bay, but they did not have time to implement it - the Crimean War began.

After the war, in 1859, Balaklava with the village of Kady-koy was transferred to the category of a provincial town in the Yalta district. A few years later, its revival begins: agriculture develops, new residential and public buildings appear.

If by 1870 only 180 acres of land were cultivated in Balaklava, occupied mainly by vineyards, then by 1890 there were already 1240. Considerable credit for this belonged to Kazimir Aleksandrovich Skirmunt, who settled in Balaklava “not of his own free will.” He started vineyards and, having carried out meteorological observations, established the uniqueness of the Balaklava climate. It turned out that compared to the southern coast of Crimea, the climate here is more severe, but it also has its advantages: an abundance of sunny days, more moderate temperatures in summer and rare fogs. The average temperature in July in Balaklava is 3 degrees lower, and precipitation falls 1.5 times less.

Having opened a boarding house in his house, Skirmunt began to promote it in the press. Others followed the example of the enterprising Pole. Balaklava is beginning to develop as a resort town. The city produced the "Balaklava Resort Leaflet", published by the Balaklava department of the All-Russian League to combat tuberculosis (editor - Dr. A. S. Kushul).

By this time, the city government of Balaklava was abolished, making it the 6th police station of the Sevastopol city government. The mayor began to be called the headman. But this demotion did not greatly affect her further development. Under the city mayor K.S. Ginali part of the land northeast of Balaklava towards Kady-koy and the western rocky shore of the bay is divided into plots, which were quickly sold out. Between the old part of the town and Kady-Koy, the New Town begins to grow. From 1900 to 1910 alone, at least a hundred dachas were built. It must be said that before the revolution there were only a few street names: Embankment, Bazarnaya, First, Second and Third...

The landscape of Balaklava had a significant influence on the historical layout and development of the city. The placement of buildings on the seashore led to the fact that sea views became dominant in its architectural appearance. The mountainous environment is no less important for Balaklava in this regard. The sea and mountains formed the basis of the architectural composition of the town. An exceptional role in the magnificent views of Balaklava is played by the surface of the sea, the Cliff and rock with a fortress, blocking the entrance to the bay - the most important dominants that actively participate in the formation of the architectural appearance of Balaklava, the steep slopes of the coast, falling into the depths of the sea.

Against this amazing background, luxurious dachas and more modest mansions appear, changing the city and giving it a completely unique look.

Balaklava continued to develop as a resort town. This was also facilitated by the fact that the town was part of the so-called Jewish Pale of Settlement.

In 1888 K.A. Skirmunt begins to build a mud bath at the end of the Balaklava bay. Near the baths that belonged to K.S. Ginali, in 1904 a building with 12 rooms for sea baths appeared (now there is a rescue station in this building).

There was a zemstvo hospital and a pharmacy in the city. Zolotnitsky (Nazukina Embankment, 1), three doctors: city - A.S. Kushul, K.G. Golbershteidt (lived in the house of Afanasy Christopoulo), zemsky - V.A. Glinka (rented an apartment in New Town at Turchaninova’s dacha) and paramedic E.M. Aspiz (lived on Bazarnaya Street in Vasilkioti's house). The following doctors also practiced in the city: V. L. Pedkov, M. M. Kostrov, B. D. Kogan and midwife A. I. Aleksandrova.

In 1896, a library was opened in Balaklava, in 1910 - a city club and city meeting.

In the same year, a power station was built (Kalich St., 3). The building is a particularly typical structure of industrial architecture of the early 20th century.

Balaklava was supplied with water in a very curious way: it flowed by gravity from a spring on the mountain hanging over the town from the east, filling four reservoirs located on the shore of the bay in the area of ​​Pushkin Square. From these reservoirs it was pumped back up the mountain to the basin. And already from the pool, from a height of about 110 meters, the water again spread by gravity through the pipes of the water supply network.

In 1911, for a population of 2,500 people in the city and nearby villages, there were four churches: St. Nicholas (now the 12 Apostles), Mariinskaya - in the village. Kamary, Trinity in Kadykoy and Konstantino-Eleninskaya in Karan. There was a 1-class zemstvo school in the city government building, a zemstvo school in the village of Karan, and a zemstvo school in the village. Kamary - a 1-grade primary rural school, a parochial school in Kadykoy, as well as a private school for L.V. Sinelnikova. A cinema "Monpepos" (my vacation) by A. M. Angelov appeared in the city. The building, designed in early modernist forms, has been preserved. Nowadays it is the Rodina cinema.

By 1890, the Progress Theater was built in Balaklava, in which, in addition to the permanent troupe, visiting celebrities played: M. and V. Petipa, P. Orlenev...

Balaklava residents loved their city. It was distinguished by its cleanliness: the streets were swept and watered daily.

Pushkinsky Square was laid out along the bay, which was a continuation of the best street in the city - Embankment.

A road was built to the Utes, a favorite walking place for Balaklava residents and visitors, a buffet was set up there, and benches were installed.

In August 1896, telephone communications were also organized and 10 telephone sets were installed in Balaklava. On May 4, 1901, the movement of malposts (mail carriages) began between Sevastopol and Balaklava. They departed from Balaklava at 6.30 am and 8 pm, from Sevastopol - at 7 am and 3 pm. Travel in the first class cost 50 kopecks, in the second - 40. In June 1912, the first car (taxi) of Balaklava resident Korvin-Krukovsky began to operate. The rulers of the Greek Paschal were also available to visitors.

On church holidays, the Belbek ferry went from Sevastopol to the St. George Monastery, and from Balaklava to the same monastery there was a boat number 90. In 1914, the Balaklava yawls had a competitor: a small steamer that went every two hours to the nearest beach. This pleasure cost 15 kopecks.

The main occupation of Balaklava residents remained agriculture and fishing. Skillful fishermen - the Greeks caught mullet, mackerel, redfish, beluga, herring, and flounder. In 1892, the canning factory of Joseph Semenovich Kefeli opened in Balaklava.

In fifteen quarries, from 55 to 80 workers worked, extracting about 1,500 cubic fathoms of stone per year. The Greeks Athanasius Christopoulo and Christopher Lioli had lime kilns. Until recently, the remains of the latter remained near Gasfortovaya Mountain.

Tobacco growing and viticulture developed. Tobacco plantations occupied about 200 acres of land. The largest vineyards were owned by K. A. Skirmunt, brothers Georgy Fedorovich and Nikolai Fedorovich Aroni, Major General Alexander Nikolaevich Witmer - an honorary citizen of Balaklava.

The history of human settlements on the territory of present-day Balaklava goes back more than 2,500 years. The shores of Balaklava Bay, surrounded by mountains, have attracted people since time immemorial as a convenient place to settle. The bay is often associated with the bay depicted by Homer in the tenth song of the Odyssey. The Greeks called it Symvolon, Yamboli, the Genoese called it Tsembalo, Tsymbalon, and the Turks since 1475. - Balaclava.
The proximity of the sea made it possible to use all the benefits of coastal life, and the surrounding heights made it possible to hide from the enemy. Water flowed from the surrounding mountains, and many animals lived in the forests. All these advantages were appreciated by the ancient inhabitants of Balaklava - the Taurians. Already in the VII-VIII centuries. BC e. there was an early Taurian settlement here. The name of the Tavros height on the western shore of the tip of Balaklava Bay remained until recently.

Later, Balaklava Bay was taken over by the Greeks, who founded Chersonesos in the 4th century BC, then by the Romans in the 1st century. In the former suburb of Balaklava, Kady-Koe, in 1992, during the construction of a shopping center, a camp of Roman legionnaires was discovered, and a pagan temple of the God Jupiter was opened. During excavations, they discovered an altar that resembled a Christian apse, statues of Jupiter himself and other deities.
Further development of Balaklava Bay was carried out by the Genoese. In the 13th century, when the Byzantine Empire fell under the attacks of the Crusaders, Italian merchants seized control of trade routes in the Black Sea. The Genoese colony in Balaklava Bay was named Chembalo. It was an Italian corruption of the word “Sumbolon” ​​- that’s what the Greeks called the bay. Having founded a new colony, the Genoese began building a fortress. On the top of the cliff they built the city of St. Nicholas, or the Upper City - the administrative part of Chembalo. There was a consular castle, a town hall and a small church there. During the Genoese colonization, local residents were engaged in agriculture, including cattle breeding, as well as crafts, trades and trade. Among the industries, fishing occupied a special place. In Chembalo there were special premises where dried and salted fish were prepared for export. The colony had a small shipyard for repairing military ships and fishing boats. There was a brisk trade in Chembalo, including in slaves. The Genoese maintained their power with the help of a small garrison consisting of mercenaries. There were 40 riflemen in the city, armed with ballistas.

In 1433 A war broke out between Theodoro and the Genoese for the possession of Cembalo. The Genoese managed to recapture the fortress captured by the Theodorites only a year later, with the help of reinforcements arriving from Genoa.
In 1475 the entire Crimea, including Chembalo, was captured by the Turks. The fortress, renamed Balaklava (Balyk-yuve), housed a Turkish garrison; unwanted Crimean khans were kept in custody.
In 1625 During a major joint campaign, the Zaporozhye and Don Cossacks briefly captured Balaklava and Kafa. They were defeated in subsequent battles with the Turkish fleet.
In 1773 The so-called Balaklava naval battle took place: two Russian ships with 32 guns defeated four Turkish ships with 164 guns.
In 1774 According to the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi peace, the Turks left Balaklava, their place was taken by the Cossacks, who guarded the coast from Turkish landings. After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, the headquarters and several units of the Greek battalion were located in Balaklava. Balaklava was the first anchorage for Russian ships, even before the annexation of Crimea to Russia.
In 1783 The tsarist government decided to annex Crimea to Russia, confirmed on April 8 by a decree of Catherine II. In 1776, the Balaklava Greek battalion was created, which carried out cordon service on the Black Sea coast of Crimea, participated in the Russian-Turkish wars and in the Crimean War 1853-1856 The battalion headquarters was located in Balaklava. In their free time from service, the Greeks were engaged in agriculture, trade and fishing.

By decree of Catherine II of February 10, 1784, the official name was given to the city of Sevastopol and Balaklava was taken into state maintenance, which passed to Russia in 1783, with Greek troops to build fortifications. According to the 1864 data given in the “List of Populated Places of the Russian Empire” for the Tauride Province, Balaklava was listed as a provincial town in the Yalta district with a suburb.
In 1787, Catherine II visited Balaklava. Here, according to Grigory Potemkin’s plan, the empress was met by a cavalry detachment of 100 Balaklava Greek Amazons. During the visit of Crimea by Alexander I in 1819 and 1825 and Nicholas I in 1837, the Greek battalion was entrusted with guard duty under the emperor, for which the Greeks were generously rewarded: land plots were expanded, compensation was paid for dead soldiers, salaries were increased, in addition, open schools.
In 1808, customs and quarantine were established in Balaklava, but the city never became a powerful trading port. In those days, the city was more of a village: only one street passed through the city, and there were a little more than a thousand inhabitants. In 1851, engineer-captain Yu. K. Amelung drew up a master plan for the improvement of Balaklava Bay, but its implementation was prevented by the outbreak of the Crimean War.
During the Crimean War, on October 14, 1854, the so-called Battle of Balaklava took place in the valley north of Balaklava, in which the British cavalry died. The site of the battle (Kadykovskaya Valley) subsequently received the name Death Valley; in 1856, the British erected a memorial sign at the site of the battle.
Until the end of the Crimean War, the British army and navy were based in Balaklava. The British built a wooden embankment (now the Nazukin embankment is located on this site), water supply was also installed and highways were built. In the village of Kadykovka (now part of the city) there were shops, hotels and entertainment venues. It was then that the ancient harbor began to be called “Little London”. In addition, in February - March 1854, the British built the first Balaklava railway in Crimea, 12.8 km long; it connected Balaklava Bay and a military depot in the Sapun Mountain area. After the war, the railway was dismantled and sold to the Turks.
There are many legends about the countless treasures of the English frigate “Black Prince”. On November 2 (14), 1854, during a strong storm, 11 ships of the English fleet, stationed in the roadstead at the entrance to Balaklava Bay, were thrown onto the coastal rocks. Among the sunken ships was the legendary three-masted steamship Prince, which, on its maiden voyage, brought winter clothing, supplies and a secret weapon to blow up the sunken Russian ships blocking the entrance to Sevastopol Bay. Of the 150 crew members, only seven survived. According to legend, the "Prince" was supposed to deliver a large amount of gold to pay the British soldiers.
In May - June 1856, the allies left the city, and soon the devastated Balaklava, together with Kadykovka, was transferred to the category of a provincial (non-district) city in the Yalta district of the Taurida province. The revival of Balaklava occurred at the end of the 19th century and is associated with the development of the city as a resort. In the 1860s, the imperial family acquired Livadia, and already in the 1870s, the southern coast of Crimea became a fashionable vacation spot for the aristocracy.
The first person to appreciate the potential of Balaklava as a resort was K. A. Skirmunt: in the 1870s, having settled in the city, he opened a boarding house in his house; In addition, the Skirmunt family acquired plots in the Balaklava Valley and began to grow Hungarian and Rhine grape varieties there. In 1888, K. A. Skirmunt opened a mud bath on the embankment.
In 1887, on New Embankment (now Nazukin Embankment), in house No. 3, the city's first hotel, the Grand Hotel, was opened. Then the Rossiya Hotel appeared (New Embankment, 21), owned by mayor Spiridon Ginali. The Ginali family also owned baths, to which a building with 12 rooms for sea baths was added in 1904.

In 1903-1905, on the western shore of the bay, almost at the very entrance to the harbor, according to the design of Academician N.P. Krasnov, the architect of the Livadia Palace, the dacha of Count Nikolai Apraksin was built in the then popular neo-Greek style. The building was cut into a rock, the dacha was surrounded by terraced gardens, and there was a small pier on the embankment. Before World War II, the villa housed the headquarters of an artillery division. Leaving Balaklava, German troops blew up Apraksin's dacha - the foundation, retaining wall and remains of the garden were preserved.
In the early 1900s, the so-called “hunting lodge” of the Yusupovs was built there, on the western bank; Probably, the architect of this dacha was also N.P. Krasnov. None of the Yusupovs ever lived in this house. Currently, the dacha is privately owned, which, however, does not affect its appearance.
At the same time, in the first decade of the 20th century, the dacha of actress Sokolova was built on Novaya Embankment, where Lesya Ukrainka lived in the fall of 1907, as well as Meretskaya’s dacha - now the library named after A.I. Kuprina.
In addition, the territory between the old part of the city and Kadykovka was actively developed: a large number of dachas were erected in the so-called “New City”. In total, more than 100 dachas were built in Balaklava between 1900 and 1910. According to data from 1904, 2,240 people lived in the city: 76.2% of them were Greeks, 17.4% were Russians, 4% were Jews, 1.1% were Germans, 0.7% were Tatars and 0.2% - Poles. And in 1911, 2895 people lived in Balaklava (together with Kadykovka), there were 4 churches, a one-class zemstvo school (in the city government building), a parish school in Kadykovka and a private school for L. V. Sinelnikova. 29
On the eve and at the beginning of the First World War, construction of fortifications was carried out near Balaklava - the Southern (Balaklava) group of land fortifications: two forts of the “dismembered” type (author - military engineer Polyansky). The “Northern” fort is located at an altitude of 212 m, and the “Southern” one is at an altitude of 386. At the “Southern” fort, above the cliff there were two armored observation posts: balconies with vertical embrasures. One of them, called the “barrel of death,” has survived. At the same time, on the western shore of Balaklava Bay, the construction of a coastal battery (No. 19) began, which was completed only in the 1920s.
After 1917, Balaklava gradually transformed from a resort town into an industrial one. After the defeat of the white movement in November 1920, Soviet power was established in Crimea.
According to the resolution of the Sevastopol Executive Committee of July 12, 1921, Balaklava with the villages of Kadykoy, Kamary, Karan and Zolotaya Balka was transformed into a special administrative unit. In the 30s, the development and production of fluxes began at the Balaklava Mining Administration, and the Proletarsky Luch fish canning plant operated.
During Soviet times, in Balaklava in 1923, a legendary organization was born - the Special Purpose Underwater Expedition (EPRON). Later, EPRON became an all-Union organization for lifting ships and various underwater works. A residential building on the Embankment next to the Meretskaya dacha was built for the command staff of EPRON in 1935. And in the Grand Hotel in 1925 there were diving courses, on the basis of which a diving technical school was then created.
During the second heroic defense of Sevastopol and its liberation during the Great Patriotic War, Balaklava land again found itself at the epicenter of battles. In 1941-1942. Here were defensive lines; in May 1944, the battle for the liberation of the city unfolded on the slopes of Sapun Mountain.
In connection with the creation of the Main Naval Base of the Black Sea Fleet - Sevastopol, taking into account the important military-strategic and geographical position, in 1957 Balaklava, in accordance with the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR and the decision of the Sevgorsk Executive Committee, became part of the city of Sevastopol, becoming the center of the its large district - Balaklava. During this period, Balaklava turned into a naval base of the Black Sea Fleet, a “closed city.” Balaklava Bay is turning into a unique port for submarines. An underground plant for repairing and sheltering submarines (adit) is being built on the western shore of the bay. In the event of a nuclear threat, an entire brigade of submarines, as well as several thousand people, could take refuge in the adit. In 1994, the last submarine left Balaklava and the plant ceased operations. Now part of the plant is a museum.
By the decision of the executive committee of the Crimean Regional Council of People's Deputies dated May 7, 1967, the Balaklava district, with the exception of certain sections of its territory and settlements, was included within the city of Sevastopol.
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR dated January 6, 1976, the northern part of the Balaklava region (Inkerman village) was transformed into a city of regional subordination. By a resolution of the Supreme Council of Ukraine dated October 11, 1991, the Ternovsky Village Council of the Bakhchisarai District of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was transferred to the subordination of the Balaklava District Council of People's Deputies.
In 2004, Balaklava celebrated its 2500th anniversary.
Today Balaklava attracts many adventurers and bright images with its diversity and historical heritage. The international sailing regatta “Kaira” takes place here every year. Knightly tournaments are held near the walls of the Genoese fortress, transporting the observer to the times of brave knights and beautiful ladies.