Quotes about Crimea. Literary journey through the Crimea Beautiful saying about the campaign Crimea

At all times, great poets, writers, famous travelers and statesmen came to Crimea for inspiration, composed poems and wrote prose, and made history. What did they say about the peninsula itself, its nature and cities, and what phrases are still heard of them?

Prepared by Alexey PRAVDIN
The material was published in the newspaper "Crimean Telegraph" No. 248 dated September 13, 2013
Nicholas II
No. 1. "I wish I never left here"

So the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II often said, walking along the paths of the park of the Livadia Palace. And indeed - the summer residence of the king was a favorite vacation spot for his entire family. Here, Alexander III also enjoyed spending the summer months.

Pablo Neruda
No. 2. "Order on the chest of the planet"

The Chilean poet and politician Pablo Neruda traveled the world extensively. Since Neruda was an ardent communist, he was welcomed in the USSR. He had a chance to travel almost the entire Soviet Union. After visiting Crimea, his world-famous phrase was born: “Crimea is an order on the chest of planet Earth!”

Sergei Naydenov
No. 3. "Piece of the sky that fell to the ground"

The Russian writer Sergey Naydenov wrote: “It is better to be a peaceful Balaklava fisherman than a writer, that’s a sad thought, which, I’m sure, not one of the writers who visited Balaklava came to mind under the impression of gray-haired, ancient mountains that kept the eternal peace of a bluish lake - a piece of heaven that has fallen to earth.

Nikolai Nekrasov
No. 4. "The sea and the local nature conquer and touch"

Russian poet and writer Nikolai Nekrasov, known for such works as “Who Lives Well in Rus'”, “Grandfather Mazai and Hares”, in the last years of his life he was treated in the Crimea under the supervision of the outstanding doctor Sergei Petrovich Botkin. And in 1876 he wrote in his diary: “The sea and the local nature conquer and touch me. Now I leave every day - most often to Oreanda - this is the best thing I have seen here so far.

Adam Miscavige
No. 5. “The sky is just as clear, and the greenery is more beautiful…”

Another well-known poet, Polish political publicist Adam Mickiewicz lived in Russia from 1824 to 1829, being in exile. Including in 1825 he visited the Crimea. Most of all, he admired the South Coast: “The part of Crimea between the mountains and the sea is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The sky is as clear and the climate as mild as in Italy, but the greenery is more beautiful!”

Pavel Sumarokov
No. 6. “All invented landscapes are nothing compared to these paradise places”

Traveling around Tauris, the writer, senator and member of the Russian Academy Pavel Sumarokov immortalized his delight from what he saw: “Nature did not spare itself here: she wanted to show off her masterful hand, to show that art is her weak imitator ... Here everywhere the eye is delighted, the heart feels pleasure and the soul, full of delight, soars ... In a word, the brush is weak, the pen is not enough to depict even a little of these beauties.

Dmitry Mamin-Sibiryak
No. 7. “I would arrange a sanatorium for writers here ...”

Russian prose writer and playwright Dmitry Mamin-Sibiryak in 1905 was fascinated by Balaklava. On September 3, he left an entry in his diary: “A wonderful place, happy so far in that very little favorable attention of“ his majesty of the public ”is paid to it. If it depended on me, I would arrange here a sanatorium for writers, artists and artists.

Ivan Matveevich Muraviev-Apostol
No. 8. "Lock up here with Ariosto and 1001 Nights"

Russian diplomat, father of three Decembrists Ivan Matveyevich Muravyov-Apostol, traveling across the Crimea in 1820, visited the Chorgun tower in the village of Chernorechensky (now the Balaklava district of Sevastopol), after which he wrote admiringly: “A charming place! If ever I decide to write a novel in the style of a knight, I'll lock myself up here with Ariosto and with "1001 nights"!

Shishkin Olympics
No. 9. “You can have a good time in Sevastopol ...”

The maid of honor of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna Olimpiada Shishkin loved to visit Sevastopol. In her “Notes and Memoirs of a Traveler in Russia in 1845”, which she dedicated to Nicholas I, the writer noticed a curious fact that “it is not cheap to live in Sevastopol, but you can have a good time ...”

Konstantin Paustovsky
No. 10. “Rooms are rented here for a dozen ... Come!”

In the summer of 1929, the Russian writer Konstantin Paustovsky settled in Balaklava, at the former dacha of Count Apraksin. In a letter to a friend, Paustovsky noted: “For a dozen, rooms are rented here in the former Apraksin Palace, by the sea. It is very quiet, deserted, you can work perfectly. Come."
And who else praised the Crimea?

Vsevolod Vishnevsky

The revolutionary and playwright, a participant in the Crimean landing in the rear of Wrangel, preparing to create a play about the fate of the revolutionary regiment, wrote in 1932 in an article for the Krasnoflotets newspaper: “Tavria is an amazing combination of historical memories: the German war, Admiral Kolchak, the battles of 1917, right next to the monuments of Greek and Roman times, monuments of the Genoese. You are always under the influence of the complex influences of history ... The Sevastopol campaign, and right there in contrast is a modern sailor ... "

Mikhail Kotsiubinsky

The famous playwright of the turn of the 19th–20th centuries (“Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors”, “At a High Price”) worked in the Crimea in 1897, which, according to contemporaries, “ignited his creative imagination”. His review of the peninsula during his stay in Alushta has been preserved: “Today we have a holiday, we didn’t go to work. I spent most of the day at sea. Quiet, sunny, the air is so clear that Demerdzhi seems just about behind. Such days happen only in the Crimea, and then in the fall.

Lev Tolstoy

The first impressions of what he saw on the Sevastopol bastions on November 7, 1854 formed the basis of the lines of the famous “Sevastopol Tales”: “It cannot be that at the thought that you are in Sevastopol, a feeling of some kind of courage, pride and blood did not begin to turn faster in your veins!

Dubois de Monperet

The Swiss scientist and archaeologist Frederic Dubois de Montpere, having traveled the entire peninsula in 1836 and writing the book Journey to the Crimea, admired Massandra most of all. “There is no other mountain landscape in the entire Crimea, which, in its beauty, could be compared with the Massandra views,” he noted.

Stepan Wanderer

In 1908, the Russian poet and prose writer built a dacha in the Baidar Valley, in the village of Skeli, where he later liked to retire. However, he dedicated his famous lines to Balaklava: “Long live Balaklava with its institutions - a library, a coffee shop and a post office!”

Crimea in literature

Ancient Taurida, 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 inspiring romantic pathos with nature, has long served as a place of attraction for Russian writers. People used to come 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 in the terrible years of the wars for the Fatherland, there are those who ended their earthly journey in Crimea. For many representatives of the pre-revolutionary Russian intelligentsia, the Crimea turned out to be a place of farewell to the Motherland, where they stepped on the deck of a steamship that was leaving for 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 in 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.

Planet Crimea - a popular portal with reviews about holidays in Crimea publishes quotes from reviews about Crimea written by famous writers and poets of the 19th and 20th centuries. Reviews about the rest in the Crimea of our time are both enthusiastically positive and sharply negative. And among them there are many that begin with the words "it used to be better"! But it turns out that the reviews of writers and poets about the Crimea were also very versatile. Among the famous people of the past centuries were both ardent fans of recreation in the Crimea, and active opponents. They praised or scolded, but always - they said, they wrote! The nature of Crimea, its cities, its sea, its people do not leave anyone indifferent for many centuries in a row.

Crimean nature has always captivated travelers with its diversity: the lush vegetation of the South Coast, the bright blue sky, the dazzling sun, the whitening tops of the mountains, the infinity of the steppes and the bright colors of orchards.

All this beauty just asks for canvas and paper. The Crimean land has been sung many times in poems, stories, novels and travel notes.

Traveling around the Crimea was not always easy and pleasant, but tourists in the 19th century sought to conquer the southern coast of the peninsula, despite the inconvenience. What is written evidence of those times:

“...Sick with curiosity, travelers go to marvel at the picturesque nature of the South Coast. Even the ladies, despite the fact that they have to ride 250 miles and be exposed to unusual worries and dangers, undertake this difficult journey - of course, they cry, repent of continuing it, but at the end they enthusiastically talk about the miracles they have seen.
V. Bronevsky. 1815

Great poets inspiredly described the beauties of the Crimea. From a letter from Alexander Pushkin in the summer of 1820:

“Before dawn, I fell asleep, meanwhile the ship stopped in sight of Yurzuf. Waking up I saw a captivating picture: multi-colored mountains shone, flat roofs of huts ... from afar seemed to be beehives stuck to the mountains, poplars, like green columns, slenderly towered between them, on the right is a huge Ayu-Dag ... And all around this blue, clear sky, and a bright sea, and shine, and midday air...

In Yurzuf I lived alone, swam in the sea and gorged myself on grapes ... I loved, waking up at night, listening to the sound of the sea - and I listened for hours. A young cypress grew a stone's throw from the house; every morning I visited him and became attached to him with a feeling similar to friendship.

Five years later, the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz admired the southern coast of Crimea: “The part of Crimea between the mountains and the sea is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The sky is as clear and the climate as mild as in Italy, but the greenery is more beautiful ... "

« The sea and the local nature conquer and touch me. Now I leave every day - most often to Oreanda - this is the best thing I have seen here so far ”- these lines belong to the pen of Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov, who in 1876 was treated in the Crimea under the supervision of the outstanding Russian doctor S.P. Botkin.

The name of another doctor and brilliant playwright, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, is inextricably linked with Yalta.

“My Yalta dacha came out very comfortable. Cozy, warm and nice view. The garden will be extraordinary. I planted it myself, with my own hands." Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, 1899.

However, like many creative personalities, Chekhov was not constant in his passions. Here are notes from his first visit to Crimea:
"The Tauride steppe is dull, monotonous, devoid of distance, colorless ... and in general looks like a tundra ... Judging by the steppe, by its inhabitants and by the absence of what is cute and captivating in other steppes, the Crimean peninsula does not have a brilliant future and cannot have."

"Yalta is a mixture of something European, reminiscent of the views of Nice, with something bourgeois-fair. Box-shaped hotels in which the unfortunate consumptives wither ... these faces of idle rich people with a thirst for penny adventures, a perfume smell instead of the smell of cedars and the sea , a miserable, dirty marina, sad lights in the distance on the sea, the chatter of young ladies and gentlemen who have come here to enjoy nature, in which they understand nothing. (about Yalta)

"For two weeks I've been sitting alone in a one and a half ruble room in the Tatar-hairdressing city of Yalta... There are many young ladies in Yalta and not a single pretty one. Many writers, but not a single talented person. A lot of wine, but not a single drop of decent." (again about Yalta)

The people of Yalta have long forgiven their beloved writer for harsh statements and sacredly honor the memory of the playwright: his house-museum is one of the main attractions of the city.

Yalta was also disliked by another great pen of the 20th century, Mikhail Bulgakov. After reading his remarks, it is unlikely that anyone would want to rush to the Crimea with an arrow:
"People with a very upset nervous system should not go here.. I explain Koktebel: the wind in it blows all year round every day, nothing happens without wind, even in the heat. And the wind irritates neurasthenics." (about Koktebel)

"Yalta is good, Yalta is disgusting, and these properties are constantly mixed in it. You must immediately bargain brutally. Yalta is a resort city: visitors ... are looked upon as a profitable catch." (about Yalta)

"It can't be worse than swimming in Yalta... Imagine a ruined large-cobblestone Moscow pavement. This is a beach. It goes without saying that it is covered with scraps of newsprint... and, of course, there is not an inch where one could spit without hitting someone else's pants or bare stomach." (again about Yalta)

"There is not a soul on the streets and no signs of life ... We went to look for people, to look for impressions, but there were neither people in the full sense of the word, nor public places in Yalta. There was only one stale city club, in which, in our opinion, there were , some freaks, but they didn’t let us in there as not members of the club. (about Yalta in winter)

"This picturesque white town in summer ... in winter looked as bankrupt as Yalta. The Khan's Palace was locked, and this was almost the only attraction that Bakhchisaray hunted at that time. In spite of everything, they went to look for the colors of this legendary corner, but, having searched city, found nothing but an oppressive silence." (Bakhchisaray)

But not all writers were so strict with Crimea and its cities. Sevastopol - a city worthy of worship can rightfully be proud of the volumes of poems, songs and novels dedicated to him.

In the famous Sevastopol Tales, Leo Tolstoy describes his feelings from his first stay in Sevastopol during the Crimean War:

“It cannot be that at the thought that you are in Sevastopol, a feeling of some kind of courage, pride does not penetrate into your soul and that the blood does not begin to circulate faster in your veins ...”

And these are the lines of Konstantin Paustovsky about Sevastopol:

“On the day of departure, Sevastopol again appeared before me majestic, simple, full of consciousness of its prowess and beauty, appeared as the Russian Acropolis - one of the best cities on our earth.”

We will end with the words of not a poet, not a writer, but a man who spent a lot of time in the Crimea, who sincerely loved him and did a lot for the development of the peninsula. The last Russian emperor, Nicholas II, walking along the paths of the park near the Livadia Palace, often said: "I wish I never left here."And under these words, many travelers who were forever conquered by the Crimean land would have willingly signed.

Source: Crimean blog. Unexplored places, secrets and riddles, historical facts about Crimea and cities of Crimea.

selection made by Valery Chekalin

"Crimean Journal" has collected 20 most striking and iconic quotes from statesmen, politicians, artists, musicians and athletes about Crimea in 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 practically a 100% will of the inhabitants 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 for the right of the population and residents of Crimea to determine their own destiny. There are no compromises here."

Sergey 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” can there be (Russia from the Crimea. - Ed.)? Perhaps our Western opponents judge Russia by themselves and for them the will of the people, the opinion of the people, historical memory really do not mean anything.”

Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation:

“After a hard, exhausting voyage, Crimea and Sevastopol are returning to their native harbor, to the port of permanent registration - Russia. Thanks to the Crimeans and Sevastopol residents for their consistent position. We were very worried about them, and Russia opened all its heart, all its 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 a restoration of historical justice, comparable in strength and significance to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification 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 taken by the Russian Federation. I think Crimea is a special, unique case from all points of view. Historically, geopolitically, patriotically, if you will."

Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Chechen Republic:

“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 the entry of Crimea into the Russian Federation was mass bloodshed on the peninsula. Therefore, I am convinced that the world community should thank us for Crimea. Thank you for the fact that in this region, unlike the Donbass, there were no mass deaths of people.”

Mikhail Gorbachev, the first and last president of the USSR:

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

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party:

“Crimea can become a residence, a political Mecca. You can build a residence there, 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 big future in all respects.”

Nikita Mikhalkov, Russian film director, actor, screenwriter:

“I invited several (foreign movie stars. - Ed.) Not even to the 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 nowhere such a sea and such a coast, such a drunken air, 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 Force and the Law of Truth - and everything returns to normal, and no one can cancel this law, as well as 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 their villas, dachas, income, and business in Crimea. But when Crimea was stolen from Russia, God took it and gave it back. And excuse us for taking Crimea, but everyone should come there - let Ukrainians and Americans live there, let them come and swim. Let's live together as we have lived before. And we won't fight."

Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus:

“You know my position on Crimea. They set themselves up (Ukrainian authorities. - Ed.): You think that this is your land - you had to fight for it. If you didn’t fight, then it’s not yours, and there’s nothing to suffer and groan today.”

Nicolas Sarokozy, ex-president of France:

“Crimea chose Russia. We cannot 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: here even the smells are the same as in my homeland. This morning, when I woke up, I heard cicadas chirping. From this sound I wake up and 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 inhabitants of Crimea to make a choice in favor of joining Russia, because Crimea, as you know, is Russian territory. There should be no other way of looking at it. I believe that the European Union did not admit its mistake in the Crimean 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 the inhabitants of Crimea participated in the referendum, 93 percent voted for secession from Ukraine, for becoming an autonomous republic, for becoming part of the Russian Federation. You should have seen how much love, respect and friendliness they greeted Putin with. Women throw themselves on his neck with the words “Thank you, Vladimir.”

Janusz Korwin-Mikke, MEP from Poland:

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

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

“Here (in Crimea. - Ed.) Only positive things will happen, since the truth is on your side. I am not afraid of sanctions. Are they (US authorities. - Ed.) Will they put me in jail? It's against God, it's unfair, it's all Western propaganda. In the West, there is not a word of truth 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, 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 the Crimea.”

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

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

So the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II often said, walking along the paths of the park of the Livadia Palace.

And indeed - the summer residence of the king was a favorite vacation spot for his entire family.

Here, Alexander III also enjoyed spending the summer months.

Pablo Neruda
No. 2. "Order on the chest of the planet"

The Chilean poet and politician Pablo Neruda traveled the world extensively. Since Neruda was an ardent communist, he was welcomed in the USSR.

He had a chance to travel almost the entire Soviet Union. After visiting Crimea, his world-famous phrase was born: “Crimea is an order on the chest of planet Earth!”

Sergei Naydenov
No. 3. "Piece of the sky that fell to the ground"

The Russian writer Sergei Naydenov wrote: “It’s better to be a peaceful Balaklava fisherman than a writer, that’s a sad thought, which, I’m sure, not one of the writers who visited Balaklava came to mind under the impression of gray, ancient mountains that kept the eternal peace of a bluish lake - a piece of sky that fell to the ground” .

Nikolai Nekrasov
No. 4. "The sea and the local nature conquer and touch"

And in 1876 he wrote in his diary: “The sea and the local nature conquer and touch me. Now I leave every day - most often to Oreanda - this is the best thing I have seen here so far.

Adam Miscavige
No. 5. “The sky is just as clear, and the greenery is more beautiful…”

Another well-known poet, Polish political publicist Adam Mickiewicz lived in Russia from 1824 to 1829, being in exile.

Including in 1825 he visited the Crimea. Most of all he admired the South Bank: " The part of Crimea between the mountains and the sea is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The sky is as clear and the climate as mild as in Italy, but the greenery is more beautiful!”

Pavel Sumarokov
No. 6. “All invented landscapes are nothing compared to these paradise places”

Traveling around Taurida, writer, senator and member of the Russian Academy Pavel Sumarokov immortalized his delight from what he saw: “ Here nature did not spare itself: she wanted to show off her masterful hand, to show that art is her weak imitator ... Here everywhere the eye is delighted, the heart feels pleasure and the soul, filled with delight, soars ... In a word, the brush is weak, the pen is not enough to depict at least a little those beauties."

Dmitry Mamin-Sibiryak
No. 7. “I would arrange a sanatorium for writers here ...”

Russian prose writer and playwright Dmitry Mamin-Sibiryak in 1905 was fascinated by Balaklava. On the third of September he left an entry in his diary: “A wonderful place, happy so far in that very little favorable attention of “his majesty the public” has been paid to it.

If it depended on me, I would arrange here a sanatorium for writers, artists and artists.

Ivan Matveevich Muraviev-Apostol
No. 8. "Lock up here with Ariosto and 1001 Nights"

The Russian diplomat, father of three Decembrists Ivan Matveyevich Muravyov-Apostol, traveling across the Crimea in 1820, visited the Chorgun tower in the village of Chernorechensky (now the Balaklava district of Sevastopol), after which he wrote admiringly: “Lovely place! If ever I decide to write a novel in the style of a knight, I'll lock myself up here with Ariosto and with "1001 nights"!

Shishkin Olympics
No. 9. “You can have a good time in Sevastopol ...”

The maid of honor of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna Olimpiada Shishkin loved to visit Sevastopol.

In her “Notes and Memoirs of a Traveler in Russia in 1845”, which she dedicated to Nicholas I, the writer noticed a curious fact that “ living in Sevastopol is not cheap, but you can have a good time ... "

Konstantin Paustovsky
No. 10. “Rooms are rented here for a dozen ... Come!”

In the summer of 1929, the Russian writer Konstantin Paustovsky settled in Balaklava, at the former dacha of Count Apraksin. In a letter to a friend, Paustovsky noted: “For a dozen, rooms are rented here in the former Apraksin Palace, by the sea. It is very quiet, deserted, you can work perfectly. Come."

Vsevolod Vishnevsky

The revolutionary and playwright, a participant in the Crimean landing in the rear of Wrangel, preparing to create a play about the fate of the revolutionary regiment, in 1932 wrote in an article for the Krasnoflotets newspaper: “ Tavria is an amazing combination of historical memories: the German war, Admiral Kolchak, the battles of 1917, nearby monuments of Greek and Roman times, Genoese monuments. You are always under the influence of the complex influences of history ... The Sevastopol campaign, and right there in contrast is a modern sailor ... "

Mikhail Kotsiubinsky

The famous playwright of the turn of the 19th–20th centuries (“Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors”, “At a High Price”) worked in the Crimea in 1897, which, according to contemporaries, “ignited his creative imagination”. His review of the peninsula during his stay in Alushta has been preserved: “ Today we have a holiday, we did not go to work. I spent most of the day at sea. Quiet, sunny, the air is so clear that Demerdzhi seems just about behind. Such days happen only in the Crimea, and then in the fall.

Lev Tolstoy

The first impressions of what he saw on the Sevastopol bastions on November 7, 1854 formed the basis of the lines of the famous Sevastopol Tales: “It cannot be that at the thought that you are in Sevastopol, a feeling of some kind of courage, pride does not penetrate into your soul and that the blood does not begin to circulate faster in your veins!”

Dubois de Monperet

The Swiss scientist and archaeologist Frederic Dubois de Montpere, having traveled the entire peninsula in 1836 and writing the book Journey to the Crimea, admired Massandra most of all. “There is no other mountain landscape in the whole of Crimea, which, in its beauty, could be compared with the Massandra views”, he remarked.

Stepan Wanderer

In 1908, the Russian poet and prose writer built a dacha in the Baidar Valley, in the village of Skeli, where he later liked to retire. However, he dedicated his famous lines to Balaklava: “ Long live Balaklava with its institutions - a library, a coffee shop and a post office!

Prepared by Alexey PRAVDIN
The material was published in the Crimean Telegraph newspaper No. 248 dated September 13, 2013.

"Do you want to poke around? And I really want to. Draws to the sea like hell. To live in Yalta or Feodosia for one week would be a real pleasure for me. It's good at home, but it seems to be 1000 times better on a steamer. I want freedom and money. Sitting on deck, cracking wine and talking about literature, and ladies in the evening. Are you going south in September? Yours A. Chekhov.”
Chekhov A.P. - Suvorin A.S., July 28, 1893.