Literary journey through Crimea. Quotes about Crimea Beautiful quotes about Crimea short

Each new generation of Russian writers perceived Crimea in its own way, but for none of them this peninsula was just a beautiful and warm vacation spot. Great works were created here, the view of the world changed, and the fight against death was waged.

Pushkin: “Crimea is an important and neglected side”

Alexander Pushkin visited Crimea in 1820, during the southern exile, where he was sent for “freedom-loving poetry.” At first, the peninsula did not make much of an impression on the poet, but later he was struck by the nature of Crimea. For him, she became the embodiment of romanticism, only not the bohemian St. Petersburg, but real, unfeigned: “The daylight has gone out; / The evening fog fell on the blue sea. / Make noise, make noise, obedient sail, / Worry beneath me, gloomy ocean.” Pushkin would not have been Pushkin if he had not spoken about the trip in a completely different genre in his letters to family and friends. In them, he called Crimea “an important but neglected country,” and about his stay in Gurzuf, in addition to his poems, he also left the following notes: “... I lived in Sydney, swam in the sea and ate myself on grapes. A young cypress tree grew two steps from the house; Every morning I visited him and became attached to him with a feeling similar to friendship.”

Memory: Three settlements in Crimea are named Pushkino, and monuments to the main Russian poet were erected in Simferopol, Gurzuf, Saki, Bakhchisarai and Kerch. There is a museum of A.S. in Gurzuf. Pushkin. The exhibition in six halls tells about the Crimean period of the poet’s life.

Griboyedov: “Three months in Tavrida, but the result is zero”

Alexander Griboyedov visited Crimea in 1825, on the way to the Caucasus. The author of “Woe from Wit” left memories of his stay on the peninsula in his diaries. First of all, Griboedov visited the Kizil-Koba cave (Red Cave), where in one of the corridors the inscription was carved: “A.S. Griboyedov. 1825". The writer climbed Chatyr-Dag, the fifth highest mountain range on the peninsula, and visited the Sudak valley, Feodosia, and Kerch. Griboyedov was in a gloomy mood for almost the entire trip. In letters to his brother, he complained: “...well, I spent almost three months in Taurida, and the result was zero. I didn’t write anything... ...travelers came who knew me from magazines: the writer was Famusov and Skalozub, therefore a cheerful person. Ugh, villainy! In the diaries, descriptions of nature are interspersed with philosophical thoughts: “...a view of the extreme cape of the southern coast of Forus, dark, teeth and roundness are drawn behind by the luminous evening glow. Laziness and poverty of the Tatars."

Memory: On the facade of the former Athens Hotel in Simferopol there is a memorial plaque with the inscription: “The great Russian playwright Alexander Sergeevich Griboedov lived here in 1825.

Gogol: “I was in Crimea. Got dirty in mineral mud"

The writer studied the history of Crimea long before the trip. Thus, in “Taras Bulba” he described the life and customs of the Crimean village of the 15th century. Peninsula Gogol visited to undergo treatment at the Saki resort, where at that time there was the only mud clinic on the peninsula. In a letter Vasily Zhukovsky Gogol wrote: “The damned money was not enough for half the voyage. I was only in Crimea, where I got dirty in mineral mud. Finally, my health seems to have improved just from moving. An awful lot of plots and plans accumulated during the ride, so if it weren’t for the hot summer, I would now have used up a lot of paper and feathers...” The writer spent several weeks in the hospital, and although he was not able to make a long trip around the peninsula, Crimea left a deep imprint on his soul. It is no coincidence that 13 years later, when his health had seriously deteriorated, he wanted to go to Crimea again. However, the writer failed to accomplish his plan: “I didn’t collect the damned money.”

Tolstoy: “Only two companies of us came to Fedyukhin Heights”

Leo Tolstoy visited Crimea three times, and spent a total of two years of his life on the peninsula. The first time the 26-year-old writer came to Sevastopol was during the first defense, in the late autumn of 1854, when, after persistent demands, he was transferred to the active army. For some time he was in the rear, and in the last days of March 1855 he was transferred to the famous fourth bastion. Under incessant shelling, constantly risking his life, the writer remained there until May, and after that he also participated in battles and covering the retreating Russian troops. In Sevastopol, he created the “Sevastopol Stories” that made him famous, which was new literature for that time. In it, the war appeared as it is, without pretentious heroism. The count turned out to be a good commander, but strict: he forbade the soldiers to swear. In addition, his rebellious disposition did not contribute well to a military career: after an unsuccessful offensive in which he had to participate, Tolstoy composed a satirical song, which was sung by the entire Russian group of troops. The song contained the lines “Only two companies came to Fedyukhin Heights, but regiments went” and “It’s written purely on paper, but they forgot about the ravines, how to walk along them,” and also ridiculed the command by name. In many ways, this prank of the young count was the reason for his dismissal from the army, and only literary fame saved him from more serious consequences. Tolstoy's second long stay in Crimea occurred in old age. In 1901 the writer rested in the Crimea, in the palace Countess Panina"Gaspra". During one of his walks, he suffered a severe cold, and although at first the illness did not seem serious, things soon took such a turn that doctors advised the writer’s family to prepare for the worst. Despite this, Tolstoy fought the disease for several months and defeated it. At this time, Crimea became the cultural center of Russia: Chekhov and other major Russian writers came here. In addition to his diaries, Tolstoy worked in Gaspra on the story “Hadji Murat” and the article “What is religion and what is its essence,” which included, among other things, the following words: “The law of human life is such that improving it both for for an individual person and for a society of people is possible only through internal, moral improvement. Nevertheless, the efforts of people to improve their lives by externally influencing each other with violence serve as the most effective preaching and example of evil, and therefore not only do not improve lives, but, on the contrary, increase evil, which, like a snowball, grows more and more, and everything is moving people further and further away from the only possibility of truly improving their lives.”

Memory: In the Gaspra Palace there is a memorial room for Tolstoy, which the writer occupied during his stay in Crimea.

Anton Chekhov and Leo Tolstoy in Gaspra, Crimea. Photo by Sofia Tolstoy. 1901 Source: www.russianlook.com

Chekhov: “Yalta is Siberia!”

About what Anton Chekhov He lived in Yalta for several years, many people know, but not everyone knows that, in essence, he went to Crimea to die. After the writer showed the first signs of consumption (tuberculosis), Chekhov, as an experienced doctor, realized that the end was a foregone conclusion and soon decided to leave for Crimea. In the then unremarkable town of Yalta, he purchased a small plot of land, on which in 1899 he built a small house, nicknamed “White Dacha.” If in Europe the “Blooming Cemetery” (as Maupassant nicknamed it) was the Cote d'Azur, then in Russia it was Crimea that was the “last straw” for tuberculosis patients. A warm climate could slightly delay the inevitable outcome, but not prevent it. Chekhov, realizing this, began summing up the results and compiling a collection of works. The whole of literary Russia understood this, where many sought to help Chekhov and visit him in Crimea. His sister Maria lived at the Belaya Dacha and helped the writer, and Chekhov’s wife, actress Olga Knipper (whom the writer married in 1901), appeared in Yalta only in the summer, when the theater season ended. Also in the Yalta house of the writer, Bunin, Gorky, Kuprin, Korolenko, Chaliapin, Rachmaninov and other major cultural figures visited. However, the writer spent many months in the off-season alone, walking along the empty beaches and streets of the resort town. But his sense of humor did not leave him. In letters to his relatives, he complained that newspapers arrived late in Yalta, and “without newspapers one could fall into gloomy melancholy and even get married,” in one of the letters he wrote that “Yalta is Siberia,” and above his secluded and immaculate life in Crimea, he ironically signed the letters “ Anthony, Bishop of Melikhovo, Autkin and Kuchuk-Koy" In Crimea, the writer created the plays “Three Sisters”, “The Cherry Orchard”, and many large and small stories. Chekhov was an expert on resort life, having learned over many years to see the downside of idle holidays. In the story “The Lady with the Dog,” he wrote: “Due to rough seas, the steamer arrived late, when the sun had already set, and took a long time to turn around before landing on the pier. Anna Sergeevna looked through her lorgnette at the ship and the passengers, as if looking for acquaintances, and when she turned to Gurov, her eyes sparkled. She talked a lot, and her questions were abrupt, and she herself immediately forgot what she was asking; then I lost my lorgnette in the crowd.”

Memory: In Yalta, a monument was erected to the writer, and there is also a memorial house-museum in the Belaya Dacha building.

Chekhov's house in Yalta. Photo from 1899. Source: Commons.wikimedia.org

Voloshin: “Crimea is like a fish thrown ashore”

Maximilian Voloshin became a recognized poet of Crimea. Born in Kyiv, he lived on the peninsula from an early age, then received his education abroad, lived in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and after the revolution he finally “settled” in Koktebel. During the revolution and civil war, he does not take sides, helping first the Reds and then the retreating Whites. He travels around Feodosia, trying to preserve the culture of Crimea, and later on his own estate in Koktebel he creates the famous “House of the Poet”, the doors of which are “open to everyone, even those coming from the street.” In 1923, 60 people passed through the House, in 1924 - three hundred, in 1925 - four hundred. Been here at different times Mandelstam, White, Bitter, Bryusov, Bulgakov, Tsvetaeva, Gumilyov, Zoshchenko, Chukovsky, Neuhaus and many others. Voloshin felt like a native inhabitant of Crimea and always stood up for it in various articles, and did not always take the side of Russia. In one of them he wrote: “For the second century now, he has been suffocating, like a fish pulled ashore.”

Memory: A museum has been opened in the poet’s house in Koktebel, and Voloshin’s grave on a mountain not far from it is a place of pilgrimage for admirers of the poet’s talent.

House-museum of Maximilian Voloshin in Koktebel. Founded in 1984. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Crimea in literature

Ancient Tauris, preserving the spirit of Greco-Roman antiquity, remembering the Baptism of Rus' and the deeds of the ancient Russian princes, beckoning with the warm sea and nature evoking romantic pathos - has long served as a place of attraction for Russian writers. People came here on vacation, on business, for interesting creative meetings, and simply for inspiration. For some prose writers and poets, Crimea became a permanent place of residence, others fought here on land and at sea during the terrible years of wars for the Fatherland, and there are those who ended their earthly journey in Crimea. For many representatives of the pre-revolutionary Russian intelligentsia, Crimea turned out to be the place of farewell to their Motherland, where they stepped onto the deck of a ship that was leaving into the unknown.

Through the mountains to the sea with a light backpack. Route 30 passes through the famous Fisht - this is one of the most grandiose and significant natural monuments of Russia, the highest mountains closest to Moscow. Tourists travel lightly through all the landscape and climatic zones of the country from the foothills to the subtropics, spending the night in shelters.

M. Voloshin “Bear Mountain”, watercolor

These days mark the next anniversary of the birth of the famous poet Maximilian Voloshin, whose life and work were closely connected with Crimea. In this regard, let us recall quotes from his articles about the Crimean Tatars, whose history and culture he revered and knew perfectly well.

1. The Crimean Tatars are a people in whom very strong and mature cultural poisons were grafted onto the primitive viable trunk of Mongolism, partly softened by the fact that they had already been previously processed by other Hellenized barbarians. This immediately caused a wonderful (economic and aesthetic, but not intellectual) flowering, which completely destroyed the primitive racial stability and strength. In any Tatar one can immediately sense a subtle hereditary culture, but it is infinitely fragile and unable to defend itself. One hundred and fifty years of brutal imperial rule over the Crimea tore the ground out from under their feet, and they can no longer put down new roots, thanks to their Greek, Gothic, Italian heritage.

Poet of the Silver Age M. Voloshin (1877-1932)

2. Tatar art: architecture, carpets, majolica, metal chasing - all this is over; There are still fabrics and embroidery left. Tatar women, by innate instinct, still continue, like silkworms, to weave precious plant patterns out of themselves. But this ability is also running out.

3. It is difficult to consider the fact that several great Russian poets visited Crimea as tourists or travelers, and that wonderful writers came here to die from tuberculosis as an introduction to Russian culture. But the fact that the lands were systematically taken away from those who loved and knew how to cultivate them, and those who knew how to destroy what had been established settled in their place; that the hardworking and loyal Tatar population was forced into a series of tragic emigrations to Turkey, in the fertile climate of the all-Russian tuberculosis health, everyone died out - namely, from tuberculosis - this is an indicator of the style and character of Russian cultural trade.

Voloshin's house in Koktebel

4. Never (...) this land, these hills and mountains and plains, these bays and plateaus, have experienced such free plant flowering, such peaceful and deep happiness” as in the “golden age of the Gireys”

Voloshin loved to paint landscapes about Koktebel, since he lived here most of his life

5. The Tatars and Turks were great masters of irrigation. They knew how to catch the smallest stream of soil water, direct it through clay pipes into vast reservoirs, they knew how to use the temperature difference, which produces exudates and dew, and they knew how to irrigate gardens and vineyards on the slopes of mountains, like a circulatory system. Hit any slate, completely barren hillside with a pickaxe and you will come across fragments of pottery pipes; at the top of the plateau you will find craters with oval turned stones, which were used to collect dew; in any clump of trees that has grown under a rock, you will distinguish a wild pear and a degenerate grapevine. This means that this entire desert a hundred years ago was a blooming garden. This entire Mohammedan paradise has been completely destroyed.
6. In Bakhchisarai, in the Khan’s palace, turned into a museum of Tatar art, around the artist Bodaninsky, a Tatar by birth, the last sparks of folk Tatar art still continue to smolder, fanned by the breath of several people guarding it.

7. The transformation of the Crimean Khanate into the Tauride province was not favorable for Crimea: completely separated from the living waterways leading through the Bosphorus and associated only with the “wild field” by economic interests, it became a Russian provincial backwater, no more significant than the Gothic, Sarmatian Crimea , Tatar.

8. The Tatars provide, as it were, a synthesis of the entire diverse and variegated history of the country. Under the spacious and tolerant cover of Islam, Crimea's own authentic culture flourishes. The whole country from the Meotian swamps to the southern coast turns into one continuous garden: the steppes bloom with fruit trees, the mountains with vineyards, the harbors with feluccas, the cities gurgle with fountains and hit the sky with white minarets.

9. Times and points of view change: for Kievan Rus, the Tatars were, of course, a Wild Field, and for Moscow the Crimean Khanate was a formidable nest of robbers, pestering it with unexpected raids. But for the Turks - the heirs of Byzantium - and for the kingdom of Giray, who had already accepted in blood and spirit the entire complex legacy of the Crimea with its Greek, Gothic and Italian ores and, of course, the Russians were only a new rise of the Wild Field.

Here, in these folds of sea and land,
The mold did not dry out human cultures -
The space of centuries was cramped for life,
So far, we – Russia – have not arrived.
For one hundred and fifty years - from Catherine -
We trampled the Muslim paradise,
They cut down the forests, opened up the ruins,
They plundered and ruined the region.
Orphaned sakli gape;
Gardens have been uprooted along the slopes.
The people left. The sources have dried up.
There are no fish in the sea. There is no water in the fountains.
But the mournful face of the numb mask
Goes to the hills of Homer's country,
And pathetically naked
Her spines and muscles and ligaments
Used articles by Maximilian Voloshin “Culture, art, monuments of Crimea”, “Fate of Crimea”

selection made by Valery Chekalin

“Crimean Journal” has collected 20 of the most striking and iconic quotes from statesmen, politicians, artists, musicians and athletes about Crimea during the two years that the peninsula was part of Russia.

Valentina Matvienko, Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation:

“The annexation of Crimea to Russia is not aggression or annexation. This is an almost 100 percent expression of the will of the residents of Crimea, who, in accordance with international law, with the documents of the UN Security Council, have shown their will, this is a priority. No one can cancel or bargain on the right of the population and residents of Crimea to determine their fate. There can be no compromises here.”

Sergei Naryshkin, Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation:

“First of all, the self-determination of Crimea is the will of the Crimeans and Sevastopol residents, supported by all the people of Russia. What kind of “refusal” (of Russia from Crimea - Ed.) could there be? Perhaps our Western opponents judge Russia by themselves, and for them the will of the people, people’s opinions, and historical memory really mean nothing.”

Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation:

“After a difficult, exhausting voyage, Crimea and Sevastopol return to their native harbor, to their permanent home port - Russia. Thanks to the people of Crimea and Sevastopol for their consistent position. We were very worried about them, and Russia opened its whole heart, its whole soul for them.”

Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation:

“2014 for all of us, for the whole country, without exaggeration, became the Year of Crimea, which returned to Russia. For many, the return of Crimea was the restoration of historical justice, which in strength and significance is comparable to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the unification of Germany or the return of Hong Kong and Macau to China.”

Sergei Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation:

“The issue with Crimea, I think everyone understands this, is closed. It was closed by the people of Crimea and the decisions made by the Russian Federation. I think Crimea is a special, unique case from all points of view. Historically, geopolitically, patriotically, if you like.”

Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Chechen Republic:

“The Crimeans needed support, they publicly declared that they wanted to return to their home - to Russia. I, as a citizen of the Russian Federation, as a soldier, had to respond. I didn't just call. We were ready to fulfill any tasks assigned to us by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.”

Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation:

“Crimea joined the Russian Federation not because Russia wanted it, but because the population of the peninsula held a referendum and decided by an absolute majority: we want to live as part of Russia, and not as part of Ukraine. The only real alternative to Crimea becoming part of the Russian Federation was mass bloodshed on the peninsula. Therefore, I am convinced: the world community should thank us for Crimea. Thank you for the fact that in this region, unlike Donbass, there was no mass death of people.”

Mikhail Gorbachev, first and last president of the USSR:

“In Crimea, everything happened at the request and desire of the people. It’s good that they went this route, through a referendum, and showed that people really want to return to Russia, showed that no one is driving people there anywhere. The people of Crimea need to responsibly and skillfully manage the happiness they have obtained. I believe that this event is happy and should be perceived as such. The return of the sovereignty of Crimea is the basis. And, taking advantage of its sovereignty, Crimea expressed its desire to be with Russia. Which means it's happiness. This is freedom of choice, without which nothing should exist. It may not be easy, but the international community needs to accept reality and perceive Crimea as part of Russia.”

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, leader of the LDPR:

“Crimea can become a residence, a political Mecca. There you can build a residence, the headquarters of the United Nations, remove it from the United States and move it to Crimea, so that Crimea would also unite all the nations of the world, and most importantly, communication would be convenient. Crimea has a very bright future in all respects.”

Nikita Mikhalkov, Russian film director, actor, screenwriter:

“I invited several (foreign film stars. - Ed.) not even to Crimea, to Moscow. One says he is busy, the other has a contract. But I am convinced that as soon as this (Crimea as part of Russia - Ed.) becomes a natural thing for the whole world, everyone will come here. There is no such sea and such coastline, such saturated air anywhere, this place is unique. This is the cradle of the baptism of Orthodox Rus'.”

Alexander Pyatkov, actor, People's Artist of Russia:

“There is the Power and the Law of Truth - and everything returns to normal, and no one can cancel this law, just like the fact that Crimea painlessly, without shots, but only at the request of the people themselves, became part of Russia. It is clear that many (Ukrainian - Ed.) oligarchs have lost villas, dachas, income, and business in Crimea. But when Crimea was stolen from Russia, God took it and gave it back. And excuse us that we took Crimea, but everyone come there - let Ukrainians and Americans live there, let them come and swim. Let's live together as we lived before. And we won’t fight.”

Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus:

“You know my position on Crimea. They set themselves up (the Ukrainian authorities - Ed.): you think that this is your land - you had to fight for it. If you didn’t fight, it means it’s not yours, and there’s no point in suffering and groaning today.”

Nicolas Sarkozy, ex-president of France:

“Crimea chose Russia. We can't blame him for this. We have a common civilization with Russia. The interests of Americans and Russians are not the interests of Europe and Russia. We don't want the resurrection of a new Cold War."

Thierry Mariani, member of the French National Assembly:

“I myself come from the south of France. And I can say for sure: even the smells here are the same as in my homeland. This morning when I woke up I heard cicadas chirping. This sound wakes me up at home. And then, people here are very open and direct - the same as in my homeland.”

Marine Le Pen, leader of the French National Front party:

“The EU supported the coup in Ukraine, which allowed the residents of Crimea to choose to join Russia, because Crimea, as we know, is Russian territory. There shouldn't be any other way of looking at it. “I believe that the European Union has not admitted its mistake in the Crimea issue, and now it is time to come to terms with this assessment of events before making other mistakes.”

Silvio Berlusconi, former Prime Minister of Italy:

“87 percent of Crimean residents participated in the referendum, 93 percent voted for secession from Ukraine, to become an autonomous republic, to become part of the Russian Federation. You should have seen the love, respect and friendliness with which they greeted Putin. Women throw themselves on his neck with the words “Thank you, Vladimir.”

Janusz Korwin-Mikke, Member of the European Parliament from Poland:

“I said 25 years ago that Crimea should belong to Russia. They (the Ukrainian authorities - Ed.) must finally understand that no one will give them Crimea. The vast majority of the peninsula's population does not want to return. I myself was in Crimea and talked to people on the street.”

Joe Lynn Turner, American rock musician, ex-vocalist of Rainbow and Deep Purple:

“Here (in Crimea - Ed.) only positive things will happen, since the truth is on your side. I'm not afraid of sanctions. Are they (US authorities - Ed.) going to put me in prison? It’s against God, it’s unfair, it’s all Western propaganda. There is not a word of truth in the West about what is really happening in Crimea.”

Fred Durst, musician, lead singer of Limp Bizkit (USA):

“I can help Americans understand how beautiful Russia is. I will create films, TV series, music, new brands in Crimea, but at the same time I need to have two passports - this is important. I think there will be no problems with this. I would be happy if I had a Russian passport and a nice house in Crimea.”

Roy Jones Jr., former world boxing champion in four weight categories:

“There are a lot of happy, kind people here (in Crimea - Ed.). I think that sport should help not only them, but also your country to build a bridge with the United States.”

Dmitry Bykov: "I still love Crimea..."

Famous writer and oppositionist Dmitry Bykov answered questions from Znak.com readers

-What place on Earth do you dream of visiting? And what of what you have already seen captivated you the most?

I still love Crimea most of all - Artek, Gurzuf, Yalta, Sevastopol, Nikitsky Garden. Odessa - extremely. Novosibirsk academic town. Petersburg, especially the Petrograd side. From other countries - Peru, Latin America in general, and even in the States, I like a lot. Arkansas, for example, with its picturesque wilderness. New England. San Francisco. England: I love Cambridge very much. And I really want to go to Africa - it’s been in our blood since Pushkin. And so that no one would cheat on me here at this time, I would, naturally, not go there alone.

Kozinets Lyudmila, Lushpa Vladimir

“This small land is unique. In one day you can drive it lengthwise and crosswise. But the Crimean land surprisingly combines the signs of almost all climatic zones of our planet, plants of subtropical latitudes and the north...

Skiers ski on the Angarsk Pass, and roses bloom in Yalta...

On the southern coast of Crimea there is a specific smell of magnolias, and violets have just bloomed in the mountains...

The seasons are so intricately intertwined in Crimea. And you can touch any of them, slowly rising from the sultry beaches to the sky-high mountain peaks...”

Streltsov Vladimir

“Knowing that the most precious thing for every person is their homeland, and trying to figure out why people who moved here were attached to the new place forever, as well as to their homeland, I realized that Crimea is a land of special energy, and in another way - sacred land, like Jerusalem.

Crimea, who are you and whose are you?

You are freedom-loving and did not allow yourself to be conquered by any people. You, having the aura of a living being, shudder and are indignant when they treat you unfairly, and, squinting from the sun, you give warmth to people when they come to you with kindness.

You understand and feel everything. And you belong equally to the peoples of all 125 nationalities living in Crimea. You are loved by millions of people who have visited you, and will undoubtedly be loved by those who are yet to meet you.”

Golovkinsky Nikolay,

hydrologist, geologist and local historian - about the Suuk-Kobu cave

Stalactites everywhere

Sometimes separately, sometimes in a row,

Then they are merged into solid masses,

It's like they sparkle.

Akhmatova Anna (about Bakhchisaray)

Once again given to me by slumber

Our last starry paradise -

City of clean water jets,

Golden Bakhchisarai.

There, behind the motley fence,

By the brooding water

We remembered with joy

Tsarskoye Selo Gardens,

And Catherine's eagle

Suddenly they found out - it’s the one!

He fell to the bottom of the valley

From the magnificent bronze gates.

To the song of farewell pain

I lived longer in my memory,

Autumn is dark in the hem

Brought red leaves

And sprinkled the steps

Where did I say goodbye to you

And from where to the kingdom of shadow

You are gone, my dear.

Anna Akhmatova, 1916

Dombrovsky O.I., archaeologist (about Bear Mountain)

“You won’t find more mysterious, interesting monuments in Crimea than on Bear Mountain...”

O.I.Dombrovsky, archaeologist

Kotsyubinsky Mikhail (about Alushta)

“Today is a holiday, we didn’t go to work. I spent almost the whole day above the sea. It’s quiet, sunny, the air is so clear that Demerdzhi seems to be right behind his shoulders. Days like this only happen in Crimea and then in the fall.”

Mikhail Kotsyubinsky - from a letter to his wife, Alushta

Mitskevich Adam (about Alushta)

“Alushta is one of the most delightful places in Crimea.”

Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich (about Bakhchisarai)

“We climbed the Mountain Stairs on foot, holding our Tatar horses by the tail. This amused me extremely and seemed like some kind of mysterious, Eastern rite.”

Alexander Pushkin - about his road to Bakhchisarai