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RussiaWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
Coastal Battery No. 19 named after Drapushko, in our opinion, is one of the most interesting places to visit by the most curious tourists in Balaklava. But, oddly enough, this landmark is poorly known: excursions are rarely conducted here and guidebooks rarely tell about the Battery. Therefore, we recommend that you visit it at least on your own.
The battery is located on a high hill of Balaklava Cape on the right (western) shore at the entrance to the bay. It offers an excellent view of the entire bay, the tourist part of Balaklava and the Black Sea, and therefore the place turned out to be very successful from a military point of view. And for tourists it is also an opportunity to take great pictures from the observation deck, which is located nearby.
The battery itself is a protected monument of cultural heritage of federal significance. Nevertheless, you can visit it completely freely and for free, at least for now. Through the preserved open entrances, you can get inside and walk through the labyrinths of underground passages, climb inside the pillbox hood. Even heavy protective doors have been preserved inside, although not original, but installed later during the post-war restoration of the facility. It's creepy inside, but in general the place is considered safe. But in no case do not leave garbage in the catacombs and do not relieve yourself, after all, this is a memorable and heroic place.
A bit of history
The battery was built in 1924 and is equipped with four naval rapid-fire guns of French origin, designed to fire at cruisers and battleships at a distance of up to 20 km. They were not used before the Great Patriotic War, but they played a very important role in the second heroic defense of Sevastopol. The battery was commanded by Captain Drapushko M. S. The defensive structure had weak protection from aviation, there were no armored gun racks and anti-aircraft cover, and therefore it was often bombed.
Nevertheless, under the skillful and courageous command of Drapushko, the battery continued to function, causing great damage to the German troops. On June 17, 1942, during a German air raid, the underground command post of the battery was overwhelmed, and the Drapushko and Kazakov fighters who were in it were killed.
After the end of the war, the battery was restored and rearmed with 130-mm B-13 guns. Until recently, it was an active military facility that could not be visited, but after the collapse of the USSR, everything was abandoned here, the guns were dismantled, and the battery became available for visiting.
🕐 Working hours
around the clock.
💵Entrance fee / ticket price
free of charge, it is better to visit during the day.
🚶 How to get there
Coastal BatteryNo.19 named after Drapushko is located on the hill of Balaklava Cape on the right (western) shore at the entrance to the bay (Battery on the map). If you are resting in the Balaclava itself, then the easiest way to walk here is on foot. To do this, you need to walk along the Tavrichesky embankment to the very end, and at the Marble beach, start climbing uphill along the path, or walk along a more gentle, but longer dirt road. And so and so you will not get lost: just stick to the direction of the battery, it is clearly visible. It will take 5-10 minutes to climb.
If you want to visit the battery during a day trip to Balaklava from other resorts or from the center of Sevastopol, you can read our detailed instructions How to get to Balaklava and How to get to Balaklava from Sevastopol on your own. From Sevastopol there are direct city buses No. 33, 34, 35, 94 and 126. You can also get there with a transfer through the famous stop "5th km of Balaklava highway" at the Seamall shopping center. Travel costs from 26 rubles, about an hour on the way. When you arrive in the village, it is better to get out not at the final stop "May 1 Square", but earlier at the stops "Obolon" or "Kalich Street". Then from these stops you need to go in the direction of submarine Museum to the end of the embankment, and then you will get to Marble beach.
You can get almost to the battery itself and by private car, however, for this you will have to break the rules. The fact is that at the entrance to the Tavrichesky Embankment there is a sign "Traffic is prohibited", but in practice resort guests usually ignore it and drive on. You will need to get to the end of the embankment and drive down to the Marble beach on a dirt road, which, winding, will lead you up to the site next to the Battery.
We remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Balaklava with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at online booking options on these proven search and price comparison sites:
- 📷 Search for excursions in Balaclava on Sputnik8.com
- 📷 Search for excursions in Balaclava on Tripster.ru