Is it possible to get to the Chersonesos lighthouse? Journal of Yuri Yuganson
The Chersonesos lighthouse was built in 1816 on a cape near the entrance to Sevastopol Bay. Despite its considerable age, the structure is still functioning properly and is located on the territory of a military unit. For this reason, you can get to know the lighthouse better only by coordinating an excursion with the commander of the Black Sea Fleet.
The birth of the “eye” of Cape Chersonesus
Before 1783, there were several attempts to build a lighthouse on the site of a modern military facility. However, the structures in those days looked more like a large fire, surrounded on all sides by stone slabs.
In 1789, a so-called temporary shelter appeared at the same place, which illuminated the path for Russian sailors and helped them get to the Sevastopol shores. By 1814, the Black Sea Fleet had become sufficiently strengthened, and its command decided to build two strategically important objects - the Tarkhankut and Chersonesos lighthouses.
The project of the Chersonesos lighthouse involved the construction of a cone-shaped structure with walls 2 meters thick at the foot. As the structure rises, the thickness of the walls decreases and already at the peak of the lighthouse reaches 1 meter. This allowed the Khersones lighthouse to survive powerful storms and hurricanes and the strongest earthquake that occurred in 1827, which destroyed many historical monuments of the Crimean peninsula.
However, the lighthouse still could not withstand the onslaught of the Nazis during the Second World War - in 1944 it was completely destroyed. The reconstruction of the building was carried out in 1950. The Chersonesos lighthouse was completely restored and put into service with the Black Sea Fleet.
Note to tourists
You can take photos and videos inside the lighthouse. There is no guide on site.
You can visit the Khersones lighthouse all year round, 24 hours a day. The nearest food outlets are in Sevastopol. You can also stay overnight in a hotel or hostel.
How to get to the Khersones lighthouse?
You can visit the Chersonesos lighthouse when you reach the southwestern shore of Sevastopol Bay. Access to the structure is limited and permission is required. Admission is free.
The Chersonesos lighthouse is located almost at the very entrance to Sevastopol Bay, in its southwestern part. Geographically, the lighthouse is located on the westernmost outskirts of the city of Sevastopol, on the very cliff of Cape Chersonese.
Geographical coordinates of the Chersonesos lighthouse on the map of Crimea GPS N 44.583308, E 33.378867.
The location for the construction of the lighthouse was not chosen by chance. Before 1783, there were several attempts to build structures in these places that vaguely resembled modern lighthouses. In those days, the structure looked more like a large fire, closed on three sides by stone walls.
Already in 1789 at the site of the future Chersonesos lighthouse a temporary shelter appeared that helped Russian sailors get to Sevastopol. At that time, navigation on the Black Sea significantly revived. The Turks lost complete control over the Azov and Black Seas, and the construction and fortification of the city of Sevastopol required more building materials.
In addition to the expansion of Sevastopol, the Black Sea Fleet is also being significantly strengthened, which has entailed the development of maritime infrastructure. So in 1814 at the supreme headquarters black sea fleet a decision is made to build two lighthouses in a special dangerous places Crimean peninsula, on the Tarkhankut and Chersonesus capes.
People from the Gulf of Finland are invited to select a location and build lighthouses. Leontia Spafareva, commander of the lighthouses at that time in the Gulf of Finland. It is under the leadership of Leonty Spafarev that the design of lighthouses is underway. Both lighthouses were approved according to the same design and construction began in 1816. That is why the Chersonesos and Tarkhankut lighthouses are called twin brothers.
The Chersonesos lighthouse was designed as a cone with walls two meters thick at the base, and as the lighthouse grows, the walls become smaller, already at the top point having a thickness of about one meter. The height of the Chersonesos lighthouse from the base to the spire is 36 meters.
It was this design of the lighthouse that allowed it to recently celebrate its 200th anniversary. The lighthouse survived the strongest storms, storms and hurricanes, and even the most powerful earthquake in Crimea in 500 years in 1827, which destroyed many historical objects in Crimea, including the collapse of the foundation of the most famous palace in Crimea -.
During the Russian-Turkish period and the First World War, the Chersonesos lighthouse was practically not damaged. There was minor damage to the optics, but the building survived everything. But during the Second World War in 1942, the lighthouse was destroyed. It was near the lighthouse that the last battles for the defense of Sevastopol were fought. The Nazis shot the defenders with almost direct fire from all guns. The Luftwaffe also dropped bombs from the air. The lighthouse received serious damage but survived. And already in 1944, during the liberation of Crimea, in the battles for the liberation of Sevastopol, the Chersonesos lighthouse took on the fire. Several accurate hits to the base of the lighthouse lead to the death of the remaining structure.
In 1950, the reconstruction of the lighthouse began according to old drawings, the Chersonesos lighthouse was partially rebuilt from old stone, Inkerman stone was partially used. In mid-1951, the lighthouse was completely restored to its original form. Already in the fall of the same year, the lighthouse received new optics and began combat duty.
Now the Chersonesos lighthouse equipped with modern equipment. On the territory of the lighthouse there is a military unit, which is not only responsible for the safety of navigation in the Black Sea, but also performs many everyday and everyday work to maintain the territory and serviceability of the Chersonesos lighthouse.
Getting to the Khersones lighthouse is very simple: from the center of Sevastopol you need to take bus No. 77 or No. 105 and get off at the final stop; You will find yourself in the Cossack Bay area, not far from the Museum Historical and Memorial Complex “35th coastal battery"; from here you need to walk about 10-15 minutes along the sea and you are at your destination. You will most likely not be allowed into the territory of the Khersones lighthouse, but it is quite possible to get relatively close to it.
The Chersonesos lighthouse is one of the brightest and one of the favorite places of city guests.
2. Those who have been reading me for a long time know that the Khersones lighthouse is one of my favorite places in Crimea.
The number of times he appeared in my posts, not many places appeared. Perhaps Fiolent or Ai-Petri...
I've been near the lighthouse dozens of times, but I still haven't been able to get inside... 
3. The Khersones lighthouse is familiar and recognizable to many. It is located at the entrance to Sevastopol Bay, in its southwestern part, on the tip of Cape Chersonesos protruding far into the sea (not to be confused with the Chersonesos nature reserve, which is located directly in the city of Sevastopol).
The first information about a lighthouse in these places appeared in 1789, 6 years after Russian warships first entered Akhtiyar Bay.
Marine facilities military base and the foundation of the city of Sevastopol required, among other things, the organization of navigation structures. One of which became the Chersonesos lighthouse. 
4. Construction of the Khersones lighthouse began in 1816 together with the Tarkhankut lighthouse. The choice of location and construction was supervised by Leonty Spafarev, director of lighthouses in the most developed water area in this regard. Russian Empire- Gulf of Finland. 
5. The lighthouse tower was a 36-meter hollow stone cone with two-meter walls at the base. Towards the level of the lighthouse room, the thickness of the walls decreased to one meter. As operating experience has shown, the safety margin of the structure made it possible to successfully withstand colossal alternating wind loads, impacts of storm waves and even seismic shocks. The lighthouse survived the most serious Crimean earthquake of the 19th-20th centuries, which occurred in 1927. 
6. Back in the 19th century. houses were built near the tower for the lighthouse servants. At first, the servants huddled in just a few rooms, but later a small residential lighthouse town appeared, which, however, more than once suffered from storms and storms.
Nowadays, one of the premises is equipped as a lighthouse and technical room. It contains all the necessary radio equipment, as well as an automatic system that controls the beacon 
7. At the very beginning, in 1816, the light source at the lighthouse was fifteen Argand lamps with a cotton wick soaked in rapeseed oil. The burner, protected by a glass cap open on top, resembled the kerosene lamp we are used to (although the latter, however, was invented only 37 years later). The lamps were placed at the focus of polished parabolic mirrors.
Later, the lighting apparatus was modernized to provide flashing mode of operation. Mirrors and lamps were placed on a round float lowered into a bowl of mercury. A complex gear mechanism, the principle of which is similar to the operation of a watch with weights, gave the float uniform rotation at a given speed.
At the end of the 19th century. the mirror illuminator was dismantled. Instead, they installed a light-optical apparatus based on Fresnel lenses, consisting of concentric rings of small thickness adjacent to each other, having a prism-shaped cross-section.
After the war, the lighting system was again modernized and the flashing mode of operation was no longer ensured by the rotation of the optical apparatus, but by periodically turning the lamp on and off.
Today, there is no longer a need for the constant presence of a caretaker in the lighthouse room on the tower, manually lighting the lighthouse and monitoring that the light does not go out.
All this is controlled by an automatic system in the service building near the lighthouse. 
8. The caretaker at the appointed time only has to turn the beacon switch knob. 
9. But it's time to go inside the tower. After all, the most interesting thing is ahead 
10. Despite the signs with the year 1816, the tower itself is not 200 years old.
During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), the tower was almost completely destroyed and rebuilt in 1950-1951. made of reinforced concrete, lined with Inkerman white stone. 
11. How is the lighthouse tower constructed?
As I already said, it has a height of 36 meters. The lower part is a hollow cone with spiral staircase and four tiers of skylights to illuminate the staircase.
In the upper part there is a lighthouse room (with a round window and a fence along the contour), which initially housed the lighthouse ignition system, and also housed the keeper at night. At the very top there is a cap in which the lamp is located. The canopy has 360-degree glazing so that the light of the lighthouse can be seen from everywhere. 
12. Lighthouse room under a light dome. The ceiling is low and there is absolutely no room to turn around. A small table, an emergency phone and a small porthole window 
13. And now - the holy of holies - a lighthouse lamp appears in the hatch burning in the night 
14. Today, a system with a quartz-halogen lamp with a power of 1 kW, installed during the post-war reconstruction of the lighthouse in 1951, is used.
The flashing mode of operation is ensured not by rotating the optical apparatus, but by periodically turning the lamp on and off. Moreover, the alternation of pulse durations ensures the transmission of the “SV” - Sevastopol signal in Morse code.
In addition, the KRM-300 circular radio beacon operates on the cape, transmitting the same “SV” signal to a range of up to 150 miles (280 km). In addition to it, there is equipment for a more accurate Mayak-75 navigation system, the operating principle of which is based on measuring the time between the signals of the master and slave stations and calculating the distance to them. The Mayak-75 station operates in conjunction with similar ones located on capes Tarkhankut, Fiolent and near Genichesk. 
15. The moment of ignition of the lamp. Then it’s physically impossible to look at her 
16. View of the lighthouse town from the lighthouse tower.
The town also did not appear immediately. At first, the service personnel huddled in tiny, poorly heated houses - 20 people in 4 rooms.
In the early 1870s, the first two-story building was built to accommodate lower ranks. True, this building was severely damaged by the storm of 1876.
After the storm, a breakwater was erected around the lighthouse, protecting the tower and the lighthouse town from the sea.
Today there are several two-story buildings in which people live, who in one way or another ensure or have ensured the functioning of the lighthouse and its equipment. 
17. At night, the lighthouse offers a beautiful view of the open sea.
By the way, the light of the lighthouse on a clear night can be seen from about 16 miles (30 kilometers) away. 
18. Lighthouse tower at night 
19. This is what the 36-meter tower looks like from the sea 
20. One of dozens of sunsets I spent on the shore under the lighthouse 
21. Evening Chersonese lighthouse 
With the development of modern technologies, including in maritime navigation, optical beacons no longer play such a significant role, inferior to radio beacons and satellite systems. But they stand, still stand, like time-beaten sea wolves, towers blinking in the night on the shores of seas and bays.
Some travelers (there are such in all countries of the world) take a tour to water spaces not to swim, get a “long-lasting” tan or catch big wave, climbing onto the surf. They are attracted exclusively by the beauty of the seaside surroundings, and it consists not only of natural tracts or the picturesque sky over the ocean. It is appropriately complemented by masterpieces of engineering architecture. Sevastopol also possesses these “guardians of the sea”. Khersones lighthouse is one of them.
Where is the signal tower located in Sevastopol?
On electronic map Region 92, if we thoroughly increase its scale, we will notice several lighthouses at once. However, none of them compares to the one built on the western tip of the city - the extreme ledge. Visitors should not confuse it with the same name, which is located closer to the center of the metropolis - between and bays.
Lighthouse on the map of Crimea
Open map
History of origin at Cape Chersonesos
The westernmost cape of Bolshoy began to send signals to shipbuilders back in the Middle Ages. However, the first “lights” resembled modern lighthouses very vaguely - they were towers where a fire was lit. In the 1780s, when the Sevastopol Bay was conquered by Russian troops, a “temporary shelter” appeared here, allowing our ships to successfully return to their home port.
What we see now is not the first capital lighthouse in Sevastopol (the previous one was rebuilt in 1814-1816 - simultaneously with). This unit was destroyed during the battles for the liberation of Crimea - already in 1944, although it withstood more intense shelling two years earlier. It was restored only in the 1950s, and modernized in the 21st century.
Legends and myths
Some townspeople believe in interesting story about the lighthouse, associated with the period of the Second Defense of Sevastopol. The fact is that it was under this tower that its last defenders died. The Nazis wanted to completely destroy the structure itself - they “hit” it point-blank with naval artillery and dropped bombs from airplanes. However, the navigation aid somehow survived. At the same time, there was a constant glow in the sky above him, forcing many fighters, usually from rural areas, to believe in the power of the longtime patron of Russian sailors - St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
What is interesting about the Chersonesos lighthouse?
“A white colossus against the backdrop of a clear blue sky”, “It’s a must-visit!” — quite often these are the epithets and advice that come to mind among tourists who have seen the Chersonesos lighthouse up close. Sevastopol, as such, has already been examined, and a trip around its environs should begin precisely from Mayak-2. Why? It's simple. The equipment installed on it has no analogues in Europe - the lamp power is 1000 W, and the light range is 16 miles. 
These figures eclipse even the performance indicators of a light-signal installation near French island Ouessant (in the English Channel).
Speaking about the architecture of the building, it is necessary to mention its height (from the base to the spire) - 36 m. The tower has 5 floors, the 6th level is a platform for the lantern itself, powered by a separate substation. The excursion in question should begin from the shores closest to the lighthouse. Here you can walk completely fearlessly along the huge runway of the military airfield (the fact is that it is no longer operational) or take a photo against the backdrop of the remains of pillboxes from the Second World War.
Behind the airfield, a dirt road leads through the wasteland - to a coast completely unsuitable for swimming, to the south of which high-ranking Sevastopol soldiers hid from prying eyes. The high-rise structure is clearly visible from here, although its very base will be hidden by the fence of the military unit - today military personnel carry out maintenance of the lighthouse, in addition to performing their main tasks.
How to get there?
Once at the bus station or railway station(at the base of the South Bay), go to the Trolleybus Descent. Follow it to . Next, a guest of Sevastopol can use motor transport on route 77. Its final destination is “Mayak-2” (these are the banks of the “Kazachka”). From here you should walk 12 minutes along the road that the driver will show you, the main thing is not to turn anywhere, the perimeter of the military base is everywhere.
By car you can get to the Chersonesos lighthouse from the city center as follows:
Open map
Note to tourists
- Address: Khersonessky Mayak street, Sevastopol, Crimea, Russia.
- Coordinates: 44.583338, 33.378846.
The Chersonesos lighthouse in Sevastopol, among others, has earned several striking reviews - “The whole mood was spoiled by a fresh fence from the Ministry of Defense” or “How can you swim here - these are huge stones?...”. Friends, if you are smart enough, you will not demand that the guards at a military facility let you into the territory. And about swimming - did you really suffer for 55 minutes on a crowded bus for the sake of the beach? People come here to immortalize the most powerful lighthouse in Europe on camera! Watch a short video about him in conclusion.
