Sevastopol, Navy base of the former Soviet Union

Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine | 02 May 2005

Sevastopol was one of the most secret towns of the USSR, this was due to its military status, it was closed not only to foreigners, but to Ukrainian as well. But now it was opened to all to visit the city that was still a base for the Russian and Ukrainian Navy and there were so many secrets to share after so many years of silence.

We took bus from Simferopol to Sevastopol. It took about 2-3 hours.

When we reached the bus station in Sevastopol, we took trolley bus to black sea fleet.

We took a boat tour of the harbour and took photos of the subs and battleships at their berths.

We visited a lot of museums within walking distance. We also visited Sevastopol Marine Aquarium Museum. It was one of the oldest European public aquarium.

The most attractive place to visit was Panorama Museum. It was the fort of Sevastopol to defend the attack from France, Germany and British troops during the Crimean War 1853 – 56.

The Panorama occupied most of the circular building in the park on Malakhov Hill. It was a huge 360 degree re-creation of the defense of Sevastopol, consisting of a 4 metre high painting which forms a 115m circular backdrop to a actual size reconstructed view of the defense.

For the budget stay, you can rent an apartment. There were a lot of women hanging the sign ‘rental apartment available’ around their neck. It was about Hrivna 40-50 per person. You must be able to speak Russian or Ukrainian language as people here do not converse in English.

Locations Visited: Sebastopol

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