Skip to content

← Home

Sudak Fortress (Genoese Fortress)

Sudak (Genoese) Fortress is a complex of medieval fortifications in Sudak, one of the most famous monuments of fortification art in Crimea. Following the 2014 russian occupation, it suffered damage and unprofessional "restorations" that threaten its preservation as a unique monument.

Overview

The complex of fortification structures in Sudak, known today as the Genoese Fortress, has repeatedly suffered destruction, changed its name, ownership, and been restored. According to historians, walls began to be erected here (in Surozh / Soldaia) in the 3rd century AD; later, Khazars, Goths, Byzantines, Venetians, Genoese, and Ottomans possessed the fortress. The fortress suffered a new destructive "invasion" in 2014 — and, as often in its history, the horde came from the East once again.

Since 1958, the Genoese Fortress has been a branch of the National Preserve "Sophia of Kyiv". Ukraine submitted it as a candidate for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List (2007), but consideration of the application was suspended due to the occupation. The occupational authorities created the so-called "State Budgetary Institution of Culture of the Republic of Crimea Museum-Reserve Sudak Fortress", which receives about 200,000 tourists annually.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • Historical reconstructions: The Ottomans turned the Catholic church into the Padishah Jami mosque; starting in 1771, the russians stationed the Cyril Regiment in the fortress and built barracks, and converted the mosque into an Orthodox church.
  • "Genoese Helmet" Festival: Since 2001, an annual festival of medieval martial arts has been held in the fortress; in 2014, the organizers banned four Ukrainian reenactor clubs from attending. A ticket to the festival cost 600 rubles (visiting the fortress at other times cost 200 rubles).
  • Tower collapse (November 2015): On the night of November 16–17, 2015, one of the fortress towers collapsed — a result of economic activity (construction of hotel facilities and toilets) under the direction of "museum" operators. Instead, a "restoration" was carried out by hired construction workers with no experience — a concrete foundation was built and a replica of the tower was constructed on authentic stones using modern cement mortar.
  • Threat of landslides: Two landslide tongues hang over the fortress; according to Nelya Kukovalska, there is a threat of their movement towards the western wall due to increasing seismic activity. Monitoring markers were installed in 2006–2008 when a vertical crack was recorded.
  • "Meandr" Company: Since last year, restoration was entrusted to the St. Petersburg firm "Meandr", which is simultaneously conducting work on a dozen monuments across the peninsula (Bakhchysarai Palace, Mithridates Stairs in Kerch, Vorontsov Palace-Museum in Alupka, Surb-Khach Monastery, Pallas Estate in Simferopol, Chekhov House in Yalta, "Swallow's Nest").
  • Film shootings: Movies are filmed in the fortress; set decorations for a russian film have been standing on the territory for more than a year, ruining the panorama (including an additional arch).

Controversies and Open Questions

  • Professional restoration vs. "concrete replica": Experts of the National Preserve "Sophia of Kyiv" (Nelya Kukovalska) call the actions of the occupation authorities and the newly created museum "barbaric interference in the body of the monument" and "criminal negligence", while the occupiers continue construction work and digging pits under the walls of the fortress (2016).
  • Status under occupation: De jure, the fortress is still subordinate to the Ukrainian institution led by N. Kukovalska, but de facto controlled by the occupation "SBI RC". Ukraine continues to promote the monument to UNESCO, but without access for international experts to the temporarily occupied territory, completing the project is problematic.