"The Nature Paradise" Sudak by om_212

a seaside resort on the east south of Crimea. a mild climate, beautiful nature and the longest bathing season (beginning of June +18C till mid-October +17C) makes Sudak a popular tourist destination.

The Genoese Fortress

Sugdeya is believed to be founded by Alans, an Iranian language tribe, in the 2-3rd century (Sugda in Iranian means "Saint") as their main port. Having got a great geographical location, Sugdeya was a lucrative piece for the neighboring rulers who constantly had fought for it. the settlement has changed owners and names, passing from Byzantine empire (8th cent.) to Khazars (9th cent.), then to Kyivan Rus (9th cent) and Venetians (13th cent.). the latter turned it into the biggest trading center of their time. In 1365, the Genoese seized the city and rebuilt Sudak's landmark - the fortress, which still bears their name. after more than 300 years of Turkish rule (1475 - end of 18th cent.), Catherine II presented the place to her favorite, Prince Potyomkin, who tried to revive it by planting gardens and vineyards. after his death it has been divided into plots (dachas) for Russian nobility. Sudak got a status of the city only in 1979 (with population around 18,000).

Crimea is well-known for its picturesque scenery. while hiking from Sudak to Novyi Svet (7 km) one can see unique flora, including treelike juniper, a relic plant of Crimea, which can live up to 1000 and survives only in the areas with extremely clean air.

• Pros:increadible nature and climate
• Cons:overpriced in summer, dead in other months, still in many ways Soviet infrustructure
• In a nutshell:nature paradise