During the Cold War, between the 50s until the early 90s, it was a super-secret place, whose identification by the capitalist enemy could have been the theme of many spy stories.
Balaklava in Crimea was one of the most important naval bases in the Soviet Union, the one where nuclear submarines docked USSR. Then, down the wall, the confederation’s pulverisers, the last Russian submarines abandoned the base(in Ukraine, in 1996). Then the government was thinking what to do with the former military base in Balaklava, in the meantime, thanks to the gorgeous location on the Crimean peninsula, they walked on the road of tourism development- by converting it simply into a museum.
The museum is open to the public from June 2003 and includes a vast underground part with a lot of arsenal, a marine jetty and several other buildings of a military nature. But perhaps the most spectacular point is is the artificial canal, which passes through the mountains, to come out in the bay of Balaklava.
Missing only a submarine, but the visit to the museum, makes a good climate and the life of the local people (almost all in Balaklava worked for the military base), during the Cold War is must-lived situation. The only drawback is that the guides speak only in Russian.
Among other attractions of Balaklava, even the ruins of the fort built by Genoa, which is called Cymbal, stands guard over their lucrative slave trade.
How to get to Balaklava:
Photos: Денис Бондюк (Subliminal db) , Slavophile
