Founded 2,600 years ago, Kerch is considered to be one of the most ancient cities in Ukraine. It is now one of the country’s most important industrial, transport and tourist centres.
Archeological digs at Mayak village near the city ascertained that the area had already been inhabited in 17th–15th centuries BC.
Kerch as a city starts its history in 7th century BC, when Greek colonists from Miletus founded a city-state named Panticapaeum on Mount Mithridat near the mouth of the Melek-Chesme river. Panticapaeum subdued nearby cities and by 480 BC became a capital of the Kingdom of Bosporus. Later, during the rule of Mithradates VI Eupator, Panticapaeum for a short period of time became the capital of much more powerful and extensive Kingdom of Pontus.
city in the east of the Kerch Peninsula , Crimea, Ukraine .
Big and Relefmestnosti melkoholmisty , many gullies and ravines . Hills up from 40 to 90 m (Mount Mithridates – 91.4 m) .
According to the city of rivers :
Melek- Cesme – with little water river flowing through the city of Kerch. The river – underground and rain . In the upper reaches of the river valley trough below the village Michurino Melekdolina becomes yaschikoobraznoy . Strongly dissected slopes , the valley runs many ravines, gullies . Tributaries of a temporary nature and dry up in summer . In the lower reaches of the river bed and banks of artificially straightened enclosed in concrete.
Katerlez length of 10 km, which is a tributary of the river Melek- Cesme (river Katerlez conditionally divides Kerch the Old Town and New Town . ) And
Bulganak . -Near the town off the coast of the Azov Sea is a unique valley active mud volcanoes.
In the 7th century, the Turkic Khazars took control of Bospor, and the city was named Karcha from Turkic “karşı” meaning ‘opposite, facing.’ The main local government official during Khazar times was the tudun. Christianity was a major religion in Kerch during the period of Khazar rule. Kerch’s Church of St. John the Baptist was founded in 717, thus, it is the oldest church in Ukraine.[citation needed] The “Church of the Apostles” existed during the late 8th and early 9th centuries, according to the “Life of the Apostle Andrew” by Epiphanus. Following the fall of Khazaria to Kievan Rus’ in the late 10th century, Kerch became the centre of a Khazar successor-state. Its ruler, Georgius Tzul, was deposed by a Byzantine-Rus expedition in 1016.
Main street Kerch (now Lenin) to 1921. bore the name of MS Vorontsov. It was a meeting place and walks. It was located Mesaksudi tobacco factory (now the ship-repair plant).
Kerch once started at the town gates, where there was a gate and a guard was on duty. Entry decorated griffins, and by now.
Main Square (named after Lenin) was formed in the ’30s. 19th century on the site of the demolished Turkish fortress and called by the name of John the Baptist-church. Later on it was located bazaar appeared cabrank.
Movies filmed in Kerch (in whole or in part):
Street-youngest son (1962)
Time-forward! (1965)
-All hands on deck! (1970)
-With joy and courage (1973)
-Descended from heaven (1986)
-Stalingrad (1989)
Tyne mercy (1989)
-Starfall (198?)
-Return to Zurbagan (1990)
-Deerslayer (1990)
-The Flying Dutchman (1991)
Full-breath (2007)
-House of the Sun (2007)
-The Inhabited Island (2008)
Kerch has a harbour on the Kerch Strait, which makes it a key to the Sea of Azov, several railroad terminals and a small airport. Ferry transportation across the Kerch Strait was established in 1953, connecting Crimea and the Krasnodar Krai (Port Krym – Port Kavkaz line); (as of November 2009) there are also plans for a Kerch-Poti ferry route.
There are several ports in Kerch, including Kerch Maritime Trading Port, Kerch Maritime Fishing Port, Port Krym (ferry crossing), Kamysh-Burun Port.
The railroad terminals include: Kerch, Kerch I, Kerch Factory, Arshyntsevo, and Krym.
Bus network connects Kerch to other cities in Crimea and Krasnodar Krai.