Kerch

{{short description|City in Crimea}}

{{other uses}}

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{{Redirect|Bospor|the strait between Europe and Asia|Bosphorus}}

{{Expand Ukrainian|topic=geo|date=July 2022}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}

{{Infobox settlement

| image_skyline = Kerch_ObeliskOfGlory.jpg

| imagesize = 250px

| image_caption = The Obelisk of Glory on Mount Mithridates

| settlement_type = City

| subdivision_type = Country {{nobold|(de facto)}}

| subdivision_name = {{flagicon|Russia}} Russia

| subdivision_type1 = Federal Subject (Republic) {{nobold|(de facto)}}

| subdivision_name1 = Crimea

| timezone =

| utc_offset = +3

| timezone_DST =

| utc_offset_DST =

| official_name = Kerch

| native_name = {{ubl | {{native name|uk|Керч|italics=no}} | {{native name|ru|Керчь|italics=no}} | {{native name|crh|Keriç}} | {{native name|crh|Керич|italics=no}} }}

| image_shield = Kerch coat.svg

| image_flag = Flag_of_Kerch.svg

| subdivision_type2 = City {{nobold|(de facto)}}

| subdivision_name2 = Kerch

| pushpin_map = Crimea#Ukraine#European Russia#Europe

| pushpin_label_position =

| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Kerch in Crimea##Location of Kerch in Ukraine##Location of Kerch in European Russia##Location of Kerch in Europe

| pushpin_mapsize =

| pushpin_map1 =

| pushpin_label_position1 =

| pushpin_mapsize1 =

| coordinates = {{coord|45|21|43|N|36|28|16|E|region:RUS|display=inline,title}}

| elevation_m = 10

| area_total_km2 = 108

| population_as_of = 2017

| population_total = 149,566

| population_density_km2 = 1464.49

| postal_code_type = Postal code

| postal_code = 298300 – 298399

| area_code = +7-36561

| blank_name = Former name(s)

| blank_info = Panticapaeum, Bosporus, Vosporo, Korchev, Cerchio

| blank1_name = Sister cities

| blank1_info = Mogilev, Smolensk, Çanakkale, Oryol, Odintsovo, Sochi

| blank2_name = Climate

| blank2_info = Cfa

| website = [http://горсовет-керчь.рф/ горсовет-керчь.рф] (de facto)

| footnotes =

| subdivision_type3 = Country {{nobold|(de jure)}}

| subdivision_name3 = {{flagicon|Ukraine}} Ukraine

| subdivision_type4 = Autonomous republic {{nobold|(de jure)}}

| subdivision_name4 = Crimea

| subdivision_type5 = Raion {{nobold|(de jure)}}

| subdivision_name5 = Kerch

| module = {{Infobox mapframe |wikidata=yes |zoom=10 |height=250 |stroke-width=2 | {{WikidataCoord|display=i}}}}

}}

Kerch,{{efn|{{langx|uk|Керч}}, {{IPA|uk|ˈkɛrt͡ʃ||audio=Uk-Керч.ogg}}; {{langx|ru|Керчь}}, {{IPA|ru|ˈkʲertɕ|pron}}; Old East Slavic: Кърчевъ; Ancient Greek: {{lang|grc|Παντικάπαιον}}, Pantikápaion; Medieval Greek: {{lang|grc-x-medieval|Βόσπορος}}, Bosporos; {{langx|tr|Kerç}}}} also known as Keriç or Kerich ({{crh|Keriç|Керич}}), is a city of regional significance{{cn|date=February 2024}} on the Kerch Peninsula in the east of Crimea. It has a population of {{Crimea-census2014|147,033|punct=.}}{{Historical populations|5=1939|6=104443|7=1959|8=98769|9=1970|10=127804|11=1979|12=156827|13=1989|14=174365|15=2001|16=157007|17=2014|18=147033|19=2021|20=154621|type=|footnote=Source: Census data}}

Founded 2,600 years ago as the ancient Greek colony Pantikapaion, Kerch is one of the most ancient cities in Crimea. The city experienced rapid growth starting in the 1920s and was the site of a major battle during World War II.

Today, it is one of the largest cities in Crimea and is among the area's most important industrial, transport and tourist centres. As with the rest of Crimea, it has been occupied by Russian forces since the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014.

History

{{stack|File:Kerch Pantikapaeum.jpg from the 6th century BC]]}}

=Ancient times=

Archeological digs at Mayak village near the city ascertained that the area had already been inhabited in the 17th–15th centuries BC. While many finds from Kerch can be found in the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg and the local museum, a large number of antique sculptures, reliefs, bronze and glassware, ceramics and jewellery were excavated in 1855–1856 during the Crimean War by Duncan MacPherson, a surgeon from the British Army, and later donated to the British Museum in London.{{cite web| url = https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG61062| title = British Museum Collection}}{{cite web| url = https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG59348?id=BIOG59348&page=1#page-top| title = British Museum Collection}}{{cite web| url = https://opacplus.bsb-muenchen.de/Vta2/bsb10221604/bsb:BV020307300?page=7| title = Antiquities of Kertch, and Researches in the Cimmerian Bosphorus, with Remarks on the ethnological and physical History of the Crimea by Duncan MacPherson ( 1857 ) }}

Kerch as a city starts its history in the 7th century BC, when Greek colonists from Miletus founded a city-state named PanticapaeumSee Talk:Kerch#Meaning of Greek name? for discussion about the Greek name Panticapaeum. on Mount Mithridat near the mouth of the Melek-Chesme river. Panticapaeum subdued nearby cities and by 480 BC became the 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 the much more powerful and extensive Kingdom of Pontus.

The city was located at the intersection of trade routes between the steppe and Europe. This caused it to grow rapidly. The city's main exports were grain and salted fish; wine-making was also common. Panticapaeum minted its own coins. According to extant documents the Melek-Chesme river (small and shallow nowadays) was navigable in Bosporan times, and sea galleys were able to enter the river. Much of the city's population is thought to have been ethnically Scythian, later Sarmatian, as implied by the large Royal Kurgan at Kul-Oba.

In the 1st century AD, Panticapaeum and the Kingdom of Bosphorus suffered from Ostrogoth raids; then the city was devastated by the Huns in AD 375.

The settlement of Myrmekion was founded by Ionians in the eastern part of what is now Kerch, some four kilometers north-east of ancient Panticapaeum, in the first half of the 6th century BC.{{cite web|last=Butyagin |first=Alexander|url= http://blacksea.ehw.gr/forms/filePage.aspx?lemmaId=10725 |title=Myrmekion|publisher=Foundation of the Hellenic World|date=29 July 2008|access-date=29 October 2018}}

= Middle Ages =

File:Yenikale fortress in Kerch.jpg

From the 6th century the city was under the control of the Byzantine Empire. By order of Emperor Justinian I, a citadel named Bospor was built there. Bospor was the centre of a bishopric, the diocese of Bosporus and developed under the influence of Greek Christianity. In 576, it withstood a siege by the Göktürks under Bokhan, aided by Anagai, the last khan (ruler) of the Uturgurs (tribe of Huns).

File:Kerch ChurchOfStJohn.jpg

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.

During Khazar rule, Kerch was used as a major port for the Khazar slave trade, through which slaves were exported to the Black Sea slave trade.The World of the Khazars: New Perspectives. Selected Papers from the Jerusalem 1999 International Khazar Colloquium. (2007). Nederländerna: Brill. p. 233

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.{{Cite book |last=Cohen |first=Saul Bernard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C6PLxz8EMk0C&dq=Kerch+John+Baptist+oldest+church+in+Ukraine&pg=PA1876 |title=The Columbia Gazetteer of the World: A to G |year=2008 |pages=1876}} The Church of the Apostles existed during the late 8th and early 9th centuries, according to the Life of the Apostle Andrew by Epiphanius of Salamis.

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.

From the 10th century, the city was a Slavic settlement named Korchev, which belonged to the Tmutarakan principality. Kerch was a center of trade between Russia', Crimea, Caucasus and the Orient.

In the 13th century, Crimea including Korchev was invaded by Mongols. After the Mongols, the city became the Genoese colony of Cerco (Cherkio) in 1318 and served as a sea harbour, where townspeople worked at salt works and fishery.

In 1475, the city was passed to the Ottoman Empire. During the Turkish rule Kerch fell into decay and served as a slave-market.{{cite book|last=Inalcik |first=Halil|chapter=Servile Labor in the Ottoman Empire |chapter-url= http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu:80/~fisher/hst373/readings/inalcik6.html |editor1-last=Ascher |editor-first1=Abraham |editor2-last=Király |editor-first2=Béla K. |editor2-link=Béla Király|editor3-last= Halasi-Kun |editor-first3= Tibor|title=The Mutual Effects of the Islamic and Judeo-Christian Worlds: The East European Pattern|place=Brooklyn, N.Y.|publisher=Brooklyn College Press|year=1979|pages=25–43|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170504102244/http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu:80/~fisher/hst373/readings/inalcik6.html|archive-date=4 May 2017}} It repeatedly suffered from raids of Zaporizhian Cossacks.

{{clear}}

=18th–20th centuries=

File:Kerch aivazovsky.jpg, 1839]]

In response to the strengthening of Russian military forces in Azov area, the Turks built a fortress, named Yenikale, near Kerch on the shore of Kerch Strait. The fortress was completed by 1706. In 1771 the Imperial Russian Army invaded Crimea and approached Yenikale. The Turks decided to abandon the fortress, though reinforcements from the Ottoman Empire had arrived a few days earlier. By the Peace Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainarji in 1774, Kerch and Yenikale were ceded to Russia. As a result, the Turkish heritage has been almost completely wiped out.

In 1790 Russian naval forces under the command of admiral Fyodor Ushakov defeated the Turkish fleet at the Battle of Kerch Strait.{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/mf-black.htm| title= Black Sea Fleet (BSF) Morskoyo Flota ( Naval Force)|website=GlobalSecurity.org|access-date=29 October 2018}}

Because of its location, from 1821 Kerch developed into an important trade and fishing port. The state museum of ancient times and a number of educational institutions were opened in the city. The ironwork factory was built in 1846 based on a huge iron ore deposit found on Kerch Peninsula.

During the Crimean War the city was devastated by British forces in 1855.

In the late 19th century, mechanical and cement factories were built, and tinned food and tobacco factories were established. By 1900, Kerch was connected to a railroad system, and the fairway of Kerch Strait was deepened and widened. At this time, the population had reached 33,000.

After suffering a decline during the First World War and the Russian Civil War, the city resumed its growth in the late 1920s, with the expansion of various industries, iron ore, and metallurgy in particular, and by 1939 its population had reached 104,500.

=Kerch in World War II=

File:Керчь. Обелиск Славы на вершине горы Митридат..jpg

On the Eastern Front of World War II from 1941 to 1945, Kerch was the site of heavy fighting between Red Army and Axis forces. After fierce fighting, the city was taken by the Germans in November 1941. On 31 December 1941, the 302nd Mountain Rifle Division recaptured the city following a naval landing operation at Kamysh Burun, to the south of the city, five days earlier.{{cite book|last=Forczyk|first=Robert|title=Where the Iron Crosses Grow|publisher=Osprey Publishing|place=Oxford, UK|year=2014|pages=103, 110}} In 1942 the Germans occupied the city again. The Red Army lost over 160,000 men, either killed or taken POW at the Battle of the Kerch Peninsula. On 31 October 1943 another Soviet naval landing operation was launched. Kerch returned to Soviet control on 11 April 1944.

The German invaders killed about 15,000 citizens and deported another 14,000 during their occupation. Evidence of German atrocities in Kerch was presented in the Nuremberg trials. After the war, the city was awarded the title Hero City.

The Adzhimushkay catacombs in the city's suburbs were the site of guerrilla warfare against the occupation. Thousands of soldiers and refugees found shelter inside and were involved in counterattacks. Many of them died underground, including those who died of numerous alleged poison gas attacks. Later, a memorial was established on the site.

=Kerch in the Soviet Union=

{{expand section|date=October 2023}}

=Kerch in Independent Ukraine=

{{expand section|date=October 2023}}

On 11 November 2007, a powerful storm passed through the city, causing much damage and an ecological disaster as a few ships, including an oil tanker, were shipwrecked and blocked the Kerch Strait.

=Russian occupation=

{{expand section|date=September 2023}}

As with the other parts of Crimea, {{as of|2023|lc=yes}} Kerch is occupied by Russian forces following the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014.

On 17 October 2018, a student killed 20 people and himself at Kerch Polytechnic College.

Geography

=Climate=

Kerch has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa){{cite journal| last = Kottek | first = M.|author2=J. Grieser |author3=C. Beck |author4=B. Rudolf |author5=F. Rubel | title =World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated| journal =Meteorol. Z.| volume =15 | pages =259–263| url =http://www.schweizerbart.de/resources/downloads/paper_free/55034.pdf| doi =10.1127/0941-2948/2006/0130| access-date = 11 December 2012| year =2006| issue = 3| bibcode = 2006MetZe..15..259K}} with cool to cold winters and warm to hot summers.

{{Weather box

|width = auto

|location = Kerch (1991–2020, extremes 1936–present)

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

| Jan record high C = 17.3

| Feb record high C = 17.8

| Mar record high C = 23.4

| Apr record high C = 27.6

| May record high C = 30.6

| Jun record high C = 35.2

| Jul record high C = 37.7

| Aug record high C = 37.9

| Sep record high C = 35.5

| Oct record high C = 30.9

| Nov record high C = 23.2

| Dec record high C = 19.4

| year record high C = 37.9

| Jan high C = 3.8

| Feb high C = 4.5

| Mar high C = 8.8

| Apr high C = 14.9

| May high C = 21.0

| Jun high C = 26.0

| Jul high C = 29.0

| Aug high C = 28.9

| Sep high C = 23.4

| Oct high C = 16.9

| Nov high C = 10.2

| Dec high C = 5.8

| year high C = 16.1

| Jan mean C = 0.7

| Feb mean C = 1.1

| Mar mean C = 4.7

| Apr mean C = 10.1

| May mean C = 16.0

| Jun mean C = 21.2

| Jul mean C = 24.1

| Aug mean C = 24.0

| Sep mean C = 18.6

| Oct mean C = 12.6

| Nov mean C = 6.6

| Dec mean C = 2.8

| year mean C = 11.9

| Jan low C = -2.0

| Feb low C = -1.9

| Mar low C = 1.2

| Apr low C = 5.8

| May low C = 11.3

| Jun low C = 16.3

| Jul low C = 19.1

| Aug low C = 19.2

| Sep low C = 13.9

| Oct low C = 8.7

| Nov low C = 3.5

| Dec low C = 0.1

| year low C = 7.9

| Jan record low C = -23.7

| Feb record low C = -23.1

| Mar record low C = -15.6

| Apr record low C = -6.5

| May record low C = -1.1

| Jun record low C = 2.8

| Jul record low C = 9.9

| Aug record low C = 7.5

| Sep record low C = 1.0

| Oct record low C = -5.4

| Nov record low C = -11.8

| Dec record low C = -17.6

| year record low C = -23.7

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 38

| Feb precipitation mm = 29

| Mar precipitation mm = 33

| Apr precipitation mm = 29

| May precipitation mm = 31

| Jun precipitation mm = 53

| Jul precipitation mm = 33

| Aug precipitation mm = 41

| Sep precipitation mm = 35

| Oct precipitation mm = 31

| Nov precipitation mm = 39

| Dec precipitation mm = 37

| year precipitation mm = 429

| Jan snow depth cm = 1

| Feb snow depth cm = 2

| Mar snow depth cm = 1

| Apr snow depth cm = 0

| May snow depth cm = 0

| Jun snow depth cm = 0

| Jul snow depth cm = 0

| Aug snow depth cm = 0

| Sep snow depth cm = 0

| Oct snow depth cm = 0

| Nov snow depth cm = 0

| Dec snow depth cm = 1

| year snow depth cm = 2

| Jan humidity = 86

| Feb humidity = 83

| Mar humidity = 79

| Apr humidity = 75

| May humidity = 74

| Jun humidity = 70

| Jul humidity = 66

| Aug humidity = 65

| Sep humidity = 71

| Oct humidity = 78

| Nov humidity = 83

| Dec humidity = 85

| year humidity =

| Jan rain days = 10

| Feb rain days = 9

| Mar rain days = 11

| Apr rain days = 11

| May rain days = 9

| Jun rain days = 10

| Jul rain days = 6

| Aug rain days = 6

| Sep rain days = 8

| Oct rain days = 9

| Nov rain days = 11

| Dec rain days = 11

| year rain days = 111

| Jan snow days = 8

| Feb snow days = 8

| Mar snow days = 5

| Apr snow days = 0.2

| May snow days = 0

| Jun snow days = 0

| Jul snow days = 0

| Aug snow days = 0

| Sep snow days = 0

| Oct snow days = 0.1

| Nov snow days = 2

| Dec snow days = 7

| year snow days = 30

| Jan sun = 64.5

| Feb sun = 96.9

| Mar sun = 142.7

| Apr sun = 207.2

| May sun = 282.3

| Jun sun = 307.7

| Jul sun = 349.0

| Aug sun = 322.3

| Sep sun = 246.7

| Oct sun = 172.5

| Nov sun = 92.9

| Dec sun = 59.9

| year sun =

|source 1 = Pogoda.ru.net

{{cite web

| url = http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/33983.htm

| script-title=ru:Климат Керчи

| access-date = 8 November 2021

| website = pogodaiklimat.ru

| language = ru}}

|source 2 = NOAA{{cite web

| url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/RussianFederation/CSV/Kerch_33983.csv

| title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020: Kerch-33983

| publisher = National Centers for Environmental Information

| format = CSV

| access-date = 17 July 2021}}

|date=April 2012

}}

Administration

The city municipality stretches over a substantial area and includes several separate neighborhoods that are part of the Kerch city: Eltigen (Heroyevskoe), Kamysh-Burun (Arshyntsevo), Port Krym, Adzhimushkai, and Tuzla Island.

Economy

Today Kerch is home to many metallurgists, shipbuilders, and fishermen. It also has a significant tourism sector.

=Industry=

The largest enterprises in the city are:

  • Kerch Metallurgical Works Factory launched in 1900{{Cite journal |last=L. |first=S. |date=1 May 1952 |title=Iron and Steel in the Soviet Union |journal=The World Today |volume=8 |issue=5 |pages=210–222}}
  • Kamysh-Burun Iron Ore Plant
  • Zaliv Shipyard that produces and repairs tankers and cargo ships.

Construction-materials, food processing, and light industries play a significant role in the city's economy. Kerch is also a fishing fleet base and an important processing centre for numerous fish products.

  • Kerch Aircraft Repair Plant KeARZ
  • KMZ KMK Metallurgical Plant, Kerch east
  • Oil and Gas extraction industry petrochemical and storage
  • Zaliv Shipyard, (Kamysh Burun Zheleznogoroda)
  • Kvartz Quartz Glass Factory Plant KSZ (Glass (various) and optics, optical materials and instruments) (Kerch)
  • PSZ Albatros, PSZ KMPZ Vityaz Priladobudivni (Instruments and Instruments making, Machinery, Engineering)
  • Kamysh Burun Iron Metallurgy Plant
  • KMZ KMTP SV Fregat floating docks yard and ship repair yard
  • KSRZ uvas-trans floating docks yards and ship repair (also lesser Kerch ship repair yards around)

=Tourism=

File:Grand_Mithridates_stairs_2021-05-09.jpg

File:Керчь.Главная улица .Сентябрь. ..jpg

Because of its location on the shores of the Azov and Black seas, Kerch became a popular summer resort among people of the former USSR. Also, several mud-cure sources are located near the city. Despite the seaside location, the tourist appeal of Kerch today is limited because of the industrial character of the city and associated pollution.

Despite the lack of beaches in the town's area, there are a lot of them at a distance of 20 minutes' travel by bus, train or taxi.

Kerch has a number of impressive architectural and historical monuments. Ancient historical heritage of the city makes it attractive for scientific tourism. The most notable of Kerch's sights are:

  • Site of ancient settlement Pantikapaeum (5th century BC–3rd century AD).
  • Tsarskiy Kurghan (4th century BC) – burial mound for one of the Bosporian kings
  • Church of St. John the Baptist (AD 717)
  • Fortress of Yenikale (18th century)
  • The Great Mithridates Staircase leading on top of the Mount Mithridat, contains 428 footsteps, built in 1833–1840 under the guidance of Italian architect Alexander Digbi
  • Obelisk of Glory on the Mount Mithridat, built after World War II
  • Lapidarium
  • Memorial of heroic guerilla warfare in Adzhimushkay mines
  • Kerch Fortress; restricted area in Soviet times but free to enter in present days. The fortress was built by the Russian military architect Totleben in the middle of 19th century.
  • Sites of ancient settlements Mirmecium, Tiritaka and Nimphei. There are also some settlements which have gone underwater due to earthquakes.
  • So called Demetra's Crypt, a crypt with numerous frescos dated 1st century BC.

=Transport=

File:Kerch Housing.jpg

Kerch has a harbour on the Kerch Strait, which makes it a key to the Sea of Azov. It has several railroad terminals and a small airport. The Kerch Strait ferry line across the Kerch Strait was established in 1953, connecting Crimea and the Krasnodar Krai (Port KrymPort Kavkaz line); (as of November 2009) there are also plans for a Kerch-Poti ferry route.{{cite news|url=http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/53185/ |title=Yushchenko says Ukraine to try quickly implement Kerch-Poti ferry route project|agency= Interfax-Ukraine|via=Kyiv Post|date=19 November 2009}}

Tavrida Highway work in progress along Kerch railway (two rails) highway (four lanes) bridge to connect Rostov Krasnodar with peninsula.

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.

A bus network connects Kerch to other cities in Crimea and Krasnodar Krai.

== City transport ==

File:Kerch-tram-opendates.png

Kerch had a tram system that was established in 1935 and destroyed in 1941.

File:Kerch-trolleybus-opendates.png

A trolleybus system was established in 2004, and has one line.

==Crimean Bridge==

{{main|Crimean Bridge}}

On 25 April 2010, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed an agreement to build a bridge across the Kerch Strait. In January 2015, with Russia now in control, the contract for the construction of the bridge was awarded to Arkady Rotenberg's S.G.M. Group. In May 2015 construction commenced, and the road section of the bridge was opened to traffic in May 2018. The rail section was opened in 2019, with Russian President Vladimir Putin taking the first train across on 23 December.[https://www.france24.com/en/20191223-putin-takes-first-train-across-crimea-bridge Putin takes first train across Crimea bridge], AFP, 23 December 2019. It was heavily damaged by an explosion on 8 October 2022.

Culture

=Festivals and celebrations=

  • Liberation Day (11 April)
  • Day of Fishermen (the second Sunday of July)
  • Day of the {{not a typo|City}} (the second Saturday of September)

=Education=

File:Керчь.Памятник.jpg

Kerch hosts (2004):

  • 28 schools,
  • 9 institutes and branches of Ukrainian and Russian universities,
  • shipbuilding and polytechnical colleges,
  • medical school,
  • 6 PTU schools,
  • a number of pre-school child institutions

=Archaeology=

File:Panticapaea excavations.JPG

Archaeological digs in Kerch were launched under Russian auspices in the middle of the 19th century. Since then the site of ancient Panticapaeum city on Mount Mithridat has been systematically excavated. Located nearby are several ancient burial mounds (kurgans) and excavated cities. Kerch takes part in UNESCO's "Silk Road" programme.

Treasures and historical findings of Kerch adorn the Lapidarium in Kerch and the collections of major museums around the world. Such as: the Hermitage, the Louvre, the British Museum, the Berlin Museum, the Moscow State Museum of fine arts and many others.

Currently, excavations at ancient fortresses of Kerch are led by scientists from Russia, Ukraine, and Poland.

=Twin towns – sister cities=

class="wikitable" style="background:white;"
City

! Country

! Year

Mogilev

| {{flagicon|BLR}} Belarus

| 1998

Smolensk

| {{flagicon|RUS}} Russia

| 1998

Çanakkale

| {{flagicon|TUR}} Turkey

| 1999

Oryol

| {{flagicon|RUS}} Russia

| 2004

Odintsovo

| {{flagicon|RUS}} Russia

| 2004

Sochi

| {{flagicon|RUS}} Russia

| 2005

Kyiv

| {{flagicon|UKR}} Ukraine

| 1997

Tula, Russia

| {{flagicon|RUS}} Russia

| 2014

{{clear}}

Notable people

Honours

A minor planet 2216 Kerch discovered in 1971 by Soviet astronomer Tamara Mikhailovna Smirnova is named after the city.{{cite book | last = Schmadel | first = Lutz D. | title = Dictionary of Minor Planet Names | pages = 180 | edition = 5th | year = 2003 | publisher = Springer Verlag | location = New York | isbn = 3-540-00238-3}}

Gallery

class="graytable"

|+

| width="29%"|File:Крепость Керчь 14.JPG

| width="5%"|

| width="32%"|File:Церковь Иоанна Предтечи (интерьер).jpg

| width="5%"|

| File:Crimea Kerch Tsar's barrow-12.jpg

align="center"|Kerch Fortress

|

| align="center"|Interior of the Church of Saint John the Baptist

|

| align="center"|Royal Kurgan (Kerch)Royal Kurgan entrance.

See also

Footnotes

{{notelist}}

References

{{Reflist}}