Genoese fortress of Feodosia Kafa

Genoese fortress of Feodosia - an ancient monument to the history and slave trade of the Black Sea region. This is the most famous and interesting historical sights of Feodosia. One of its towers – the tower of Constantine, is a symbol of the city and is depicted on its coat of arms.

The Genoese fortress of Kafa is considered one of the most powerful fortifications in Europe. Its design included two walls that protected almost 70 hectares of land. In the architecture of Feodosia from the period of antiquity, absolutely nothing has been preserved, since it fell from the invasion of the Huns in the IV century.

On the ruins in the XIII-XIV centuries, the city of Kafa appeared, which was the possession of the Genoese for 200 years. Defensive structures, the remains of which have survived to this day, were erected according to the Italian type. It was possible to build the city that the Genoese merchants managed in 1226 to bargain for the ruins from Oran-Timur, the Turkish Khan. KAFA quickly became the largest transit center of trade and the center of Genoa's colonies in the Black Sea region. Through this point, wheat, oriental spices, precious stones and gold were exported to Europe. Kafa was also the center of the slave trade in the Black Sea region, both during the Genoese and during the period of later Turkish rule. The population of the city consisted of many nationalities: Greeks, Armenians, Italians, Bulgarians, Jews, Ukrainians, Tatars, Karaites.

In the cafe there were about 20 thousand houses, more than 100 mosques and churches, fountains, there was a system of drainage Wells, grottoes and pools, the remains of which are found even now. The administrative center was located in the inner part of the fortifications.

One of the most tragic events in the history of medieval Europe – the plague epidemic of 1347-1351 is associated with KAFA. During its siege, a plague broke out among the Golden Horde troops, while they began to throw corpses over the walls of the city with the help of catapults. The Genoese fled the disease by sea, but wherever they stopped on the way, there were pockets of plague. As a result, a terrible disease claimed a quarter of the population of Europe at that time – 75 million people.

Today, not much remains of the fortress in Feodosia, since most of the fortifications of ancient Kafa were dismantled for building materials in the XIX century by local residents. Walking through the areas nearby you can see private fences and houses built of ancient masonry. The remains of two towers, a bridge, several churches and Turkish baths have been preserved in good condition to this day. The preserved objects are scattered around the southern part of the city, and begin from the lone standing tower of Constantine in Jubilee Park, and the main preserved part of the fortifications is located in the very southeast of the city.

How to inspect: It is best to explore the fortress with guides who will tell the story in detail and pay attention to the most interesting parts of the fortress. However, group tours or electric car tours only include a visit to the most basic remains of the fortress. If you want to see everything, including rarely visited by tourists, it is best to arm yourself with a map and walk along the streets of the Old Town. The fee for access to any object of the fortress is not charged. All the preserved monuments of the fortress are marked on our map of Feodosia with sights.

Photo of the fortress of Feodosia