Chembalo - a fortification on the Crimean coast, is an architectural monument, which is located in the city of Balaklava. At the moment, on this site are the ruins of an ancient building, serving as the main attraction of the city.
The citadel on the mountain is a vivid representative of medieval structures on the Crimean peninsula. The complex of defensive buildings, located on Mount Castron, above the famous bay, inspires respect and reverence even in the form of ruins.
Crimea - Chembalo Fortress
At the turn of the millennium, Castron Bay was mentioned in the scriptures by such famous men as Strabo, Ptolemy, Pliny the Elder and others, but none of them mentioned any village, even the smallest. The first mention of the settlement on the mountain dates back to the X-XIII centuries.
Chembalo Fortress is separated from the city by a deep cleft. Near her recently burial sites dating from the time preceding the appearance of the Genoese in these places have been found.
No other buildings that would confirm the appearance of human settled settlements before this period were found. It is necessary to conduct more thorough archaeological excavations, which can confirm or deny the presence of settlements or villages in the area of the mountain and the Bay of Castron until the X century of our era.
How did Balaclava originate?
In the city itself, people have lived since time immemorial. So, it is known that the Greeks, who came to the outskirts of the city, found Taurus in these places, who were engaged in fishing and piracy.
The Greek village was independent until the first century AD, until it was occupied by Roman troops who decided to put an end to the pirate attacks of the Tauri.
During archaeological excavations in 1996, the temple of Jupiter, built by the Romans, was found, which together with the settlement lasted until the 4th century.
Fortress Chembalo. History of occurrence
According to historical records, the Genoese appeared in the Balaclava region in 1343, robbing the land of Greek aristocrats. In the northern part of the mountain, the new owners dug a moat, arranged a rampart and surrounded it all with a wooden picket fence.
On the northeast side of the mountain, they built a stone tower with a gate. Until now, tourists can contemplate these structures, or rather, what is left of them.
In 1354, 11 years after the Genoese set up their camp on Mount Kastron, Khan Janibek, one of the Horde warlords, approached their walls. The Latins did not want to enter into conflict with him and left their shelter, and the khan simply burned the remaining empty buildings.
Two years later, peace was concluded between the Tatars and the Genoese, and the former owners returned to their place.
The Balaklava fortress of Chembalo was soon restored, and in 1357 it was replenished with new defensive structures.
Purpose of the defensive structure
The fortress helped the Genoese safely conduct trade with the Black Sea territories and control the local population. For many years, it withstood repeated sieges and fierce battles of Cembalo. The fortress in 1433 was captured by Prince Alexei, Tsar Theodoro. A year later, troops sent from Genoa returned it to its former owners. But already in 1475 it was again taken over, only now the Turks.
In the middle of the 19th century, a battle broke out under its walls between the British and the Balaclava Greek garrison, which fought to the last bullet. In 1941–1942, a Soviet rifle regiment was stationed in the fortress, defending against advancing German divisions. It was at this time that the fortress of Chembalo received the most severe destruction of all time. Even with a powerful earthquake in 1927, not a single tower was destroyed in the fortress.
Cembalo - a museum under the sky
Currently, the ruins are a major monument of military architecture of the Middle Ages, which can be visited by anyone at any time.
Chembalo Fortress, the description of which is preserved in ancient chronicles, was built in a place convenient for strategic parameters. On one side there is a steep cliff into the sea, and on the other is a bay. Such a location of the structure allows maximum use of the terrain for the defense of the fortress and bay, as well as for control over the sea routes. After all, it was worth putting a strong wall on the land side, as the structure turned out to be almost impregnable. By the way, a medieval castle in Sudak has a similar construction. There the citadel has only three walls, and instead of the fourth there is an impregnable cliff. Chembalo was built in the same way.
The fortress begins with the promenade, from the ancient market and port. In the ancient era, its walls served as protection for the residential quarters of a small settlement. The walls are built of Crimean stone using lime mortar.
Fortress structure
Sixteen stone towers were placed along the perimeter of the defensive structure, the ruins of some of them can be seen even today. At the top of the mountain is the tallest building of the citadel, called the donjon. The structure was defended by eight additional towers arranged in a circle. Chembalo Fortress, whose photo is in the article, had a consular castle inside, customs and a church, most likely serving as the burial place of famous residents.
Donjon, as conceived by the architects, would be the last refuge if the fortress walls were captured or destroyed. It was three-story, with a flat roof. The basement was folded in the form of a cropped cone, inside which was placed a container of water. The inhabitants of the fortress took water from Kefalo Vrisi, which still serves as a source of water for modern Balaklava.
On the second floor of the citadel were living rooms. Recently, the remains of a fireplace were found there. On the third floor there was a sentinel. At night or in bad weather, the central tower served as a lighthouse. Under the dungeon were numerous cellars, which were intended to store food and ammunition.
The citadel today
Now the fortress of Chembalo is in ruins, there are four towers, part of the retaining and protective walls, as well as the ruins of the church. In 2008, due to heavy rain, which eroded the old depression in the masonry, the north-eastern wall of the citadel collapsed.
This fortress is one of the most visited places by tourists who come on an excursion to Sevastopol and its environs.
If you climb to the top of Mount Kastron, where the fortress’s dungeon is located, you will see an amazing panorama of the city of Balaclava, which is comfortably located in the bay, on the surrounding amazing terrain.
Numerous excursions are held here every summer, and in autumn knightly tournaments are organized on the ruins of an ancient fortress.
Near the ruins there is a tourist path leading to the famous Balaclava beaches, called Golden and Silver, as well as in the tract Fig.
From 2004 to 2007, Ukraine spent about 2.5 million hryvnias (about 8 million rubles) on the reconstruction and restoration of the fortress ruins, but these funds are not enough to completely restore the ruins and turn them into a tourist complex, reflecting the architectural defenses of the Middle Ages and able to attract more more visitors.
Road to Balaclava
There are no difficulties for travelers and tourists to visit the fortress of Cembalo. How to get to the ruins? To do this, you just need to get to Sevastopol, because Balaklava is its suburb. The rest is simple. A bus runs four times a day to a cozy town in the Black Sea bay with ancient ruins. Travel time is 25 minutes. You can also get hitchhiking, as there are many shuttle buses along this road.
You can go to Balaclava through Yalta by car. The distance between cities is 75 kilometers. You can get from one city to another in one hour.
There is another route that allows you to visit the fortress of Chembalo in Balaclava. You will have to travel from Simferopol, the capital of the peninsula, with one of the regular buses that run four times a day. Travel time is 2–2.5 hours.
Excursion routes to the fortress
To get to the fortress of Chembalo, you can take advantage of three popular excursion offers:
“The Secret Balaclava.” The route begins with a factory for the repair and conversion of underwater vehicles, then a boat trip and at the end - a visit to the ruins of the fortress. The duration of the tour is six hours, of which not less than half is a walk along the open sea and swimming. The length of the route is 50 kilometers.
- “Lystrigon Bay.” The duration and length of the tour is the same as in the previous route. The difference of this way is that the boat trip is carried out on a yacht to Cape Fiolent - a paradise on the Black Sea coast.
- The third excursion route begins with the sights of Balaklava and continues with a sea voyage to Cape Ayia and the Lost World tract. The tour ends on Mount Castron, where the Genoese fortress of Chembalo used to be, whose ruins with the remains of towers and walls can be seen by tourists today.
Interesting historical facts about Chembalo
The fortress itself was divided into two parts: the Upper city, dedicated to St. Nicholas and located on the top of the mountain, and the Lower - named after St. George, located on a hillside.
In the Upper City, all the administrative buildings necessary for the functioning of the fortress were built, and in the Lower City, residential buildings for the inhabitants of the citadel were built.
In the fortress lived two treasurers, a judge, a bishop, an elder, as well as messengers, trumpeters, and several dozen riflemen.
The main population of the bastion was the Genoese, who had all the power in the region, including in trade. Also in the fortress lived Greeks, Tatars, Jews, Armenians and Slavs.
Conclusion
For those who want not only to plunge into the heady beauty of nature on the southern coast of Crimea, but also to touch the memory of the medieval Balaklava, to feel the spirit of ancient structures that have seen numerous battles and sieges, victories and defeats in their lifetime, it is recommended to visit Mount Castron and those standing on it the ruins of the fortress Chembalo. The view from the top of the mountain will not leave anyone indifferent.