February 10, 1783

[Martin Antonenko]

Sebastopol


On February 10, 1783, Tsarina Catherine II deigned to order the foundation of the city of Sebastopol!



This memorial reminds of this to this day



After Russia is sure of its booty after two victorious wars for possession of the Crimea against the Ottoman Empire after the Treaty of Jassy 1768, Sebastopol is now founded, at the same time a commercial and administrative center, naval port and strong (some say "impregnable") fortress. The name of the city is borrowed from the Greek and means: "City of Glory".

The deeply cut bays on the south-western Crimean coast offered themselves as ideal natural harbors, in the best strategic location, and very close to the ruins of Chersonese. Chersonese was in the 5th century BC. Was founded by Greek colonists. In 1399 it was destroyed by the Tatars of the Golden Horde and not rebuilt afterwards.

A not insignificant propagandistic triumph, because in 988 Grand Duke Vladimir was baptized in Chersonesus, which is seen as the beginning of the Orthodox Christianization of Russia.

With the new city, Russia will establish settlement continuity and at the same time position itself as a protector and promoter of the Orthodox faith.

The old Tatar towns Bakhshisserei...



... and Feodosia...



... are soon overshadowed by Sebastopol.



Within a few decades, up to the middle of the 19th century, the most modern naval base in the world was built in Sebastopol.





In 1853, Sebastopol becomes the main scene of the Crimean War ...

And almost completely destroyed in the course of the fighting up to 1854

#



Due to the restrictions of the peace treaty of 1856, the reconstruction proceeded very slowly. Only after more than two decades was Russia able to operate again unhindered in the Black Sea.

The city flourished again!

**continued next post**

 

[Martin Antonenko]

Part II

In 1941/42 Sevastopol experienced its second downfall. German troops besieged the city for 249 days, using an 80 cm cannon called "Dora" ...:

This 80cm cannon was the largest gun ever built. The 32,480 mm long tube with a weight of 400,000 kg alone was mounted on a 40-axis chassis when fired.

The total weight was 1,350,000 kg! Two tracks next to each other were required for firing. The cannon was straightened by maneuvering it back and forth in a curve with two diesel locomotives.

The commander of this gun monster was Oberstleutnant Robert Böhm.

7,100 kg tank shells with a maximum firing range of 37,000 m were fired. There was also a 4,800 kg high explosive grenade, which reached a range of 48,000 m at a V0 of 820 m / s.

The bombardment of Sebastopol was the only combat use of this cannon. The Hitler Wehrmacht had a second cannon of this type, but it was never used ...

500 soldiers alone operated the gun themselves; the entire manpower, including engineers, railroad workers, anti-aircraft guns, security units, etc., was 4,000 men.

After the reconquest by the Red Army in 1944, only three intact houses remained in Sevastopol.

After the Second World War, Sevastopol received the status of a "hero city" and was preferably rebuilt. The center is characterized throughout by late Stalinist architecture, a style based on pomp and imperial effect with preferably classicist and Renaissance elements.

Sevastopol is shaped by its military importance and history. The city is not open until 1994 and can be entered without a special permit. At every turn the visitor comes across military-historical monuments and monuments, over 1000 of them exist.

Here I would like to highlight the famous large panorama that - similar to the Waterloo panorama in Belgium, only made bigger and better! - depicts the siege of the city during the Crimean War by the French, English, Ottomans and Piedmontese.

Today Sebastopol has over 380,000 inhabitants.



When the Soviet Union collapsed and Ukraine (including Crimea) declared itself independent, a dispute arose with the Russian Federation over the Black Sea Fleet and its home port of Sevastopol. In addition to its importance as an important naval base of the former Soviet Union, the city is also considered a national symbol, including. because of their role in the Crimean War and World War II.

In July 1993 the Russian parliament declared Sevastopol a Russian city on foreign territory modeled on Gibraltar.


Despite a treaty between Russia and the Ukraine, there were endless quarrels about the role of Sebastopol and the fleet stationed there...:

Then in 2014 the Russian Federation created facts:

Thousands of the famous "green men", soldiers with heavy weapons but without badges, occupied the Crimea in a flash. They were armed forces of the Russian Federation.





Under their "protection", a referendum took place on March 16, 2014 on the status of Crimea, in which, with a turnout of 83.1%, according to the official final result, 96.77% of the voters were in favor of joining Russia.



On March 18, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, informed the public about the application of the Republic of Crimea to join the Russian Federation...



... while the West and Ukraine speak of an annexation in violation of international law.

A connection between the Crimea and Russian territory has now been created by building the longest road bridge in the world, which spans the Kerch Strait and was inaugurated last year ...:





By the way, there are eight other places in the world that are called "Sebastopol": two in Australia, one in Great Britain (Wales) and five in the USA (one each in the states of Texas, Illinois, California, Louisiana and Mississippi)

 

[Nap]

Hi Martin

Great thread showing the birth , ups and downs and growth of the city , a mass of information again not only about the city but also events ...amazed about the manpower needed on the 80cm weapon !

And never knew there was a place in Wales named the same

Cheers

Nap

 

[Martin Antonenko]

And never knew there was a place in Wales named the same

Cheers

 

[Airkid]

Quality post again Martin. My late aunt lived in Sebastopol ( Gwent) up to her death in 2015 - she had moved there from Pontypool (just to the north) on her marriage in 1946.

Phil