The coast of the Azov Sea has an extremely picturesque view. It is a series of sandy spits formed by the creative power of waves. From the Crimean peninsula to the Gulf of Taganrog, like lazy snakes, spread spits: Biryuchy Island, Obytichnaya, Berdyanskaya, Long and Belosarayskaya. The only «misunderstanding» in this magnificent row was the Krivaya Spit.
Krivaya Spit is located in the northeastern part of the Sea of Azov, which is considered the most calm and inert part of the reservoir. Therefore, the local waves «got lazy» and did not provide its shore with a long-luxury reclaimed sandy spit. Its length does not exceed 9 km and its area is only 5 hectares. If you look at an aerial photo of the spit, you will see that its shape resembles a saber or a yatagan, but certainly not a snake. Or an arrow, like the famous Arabatskaya Strelka.
Because of the formation, the profile of Crooked Spit is asymmetrical. The outer, eastern shore, which is the main impact of the waves, is steep and high. The western, inner shore is soft, gentle, slightly marshy, blackened by bays, covered with algae and overgrown with reeds. Between the inner shore and the «mainland», i.e. Donetsk region, there is Krivokosskij liman.
This territory is so unique that already in 1978 there were found enthusiasts who achieved the declaration of Krivokosskij Spit as a natural monument. The status of «natural monument» did not bring special privileges to this territory, but no one could engage in any kind of economic activities, except for the original crafts.
Another value of the Crooked Spit is that it is a favorite habitat for so-called hydrophilic birds, that is, those that prefer wetland habitats. Tens of thousands of birds such as skuas, martins, gulls, sandpipers, bluebirds and chegraves live and breed on Krivaya Kosa.
In 1981, on the basis of the nature monument and the adjacent estuary, an object with a higher level of ecological protection was established — the Krivokossky estuary ornithological reserve. Its main task was to protect the last safe nesting place of these animals in the Azov Sea water area.
In 2000, the level of safety of Krivaya Spit was further increased by the creation of landscape park «Meotida» with staff, office and participation in effective European conservation programs.
At the base of Krivaya Spit is the settlement of Sedovo. Over the years of the Soviet Union and independent Ukraine, about 20 very inexpensive boarding houses and a dozen private hotels have appeared there. All of them are located at a distance of 20-100 meters from the sea shore. Remember about the calm character and lazy waves of this part of Azov, which allowed people to build in close proximity to the water.
Despite the remoteness from civilization, the village of Sedovo has an attraction, which would be envied by any more illustrious and brilliant resort. This is the museum of G.Y. Sedov, a local native and legendary Arctic explorer. The panopticon is made of wood in the form of the hold of the ship «St. Martyr Foka», on which Sedov made his way to the North Pole in 1912.
If you plan to visit Priazovye, look to the extreme southeast of Donetskaya Oblast, at the point where it closely approaches the Russian Federation. When you come to holiday in Sedovo, you can spend time in benevolent silence against the backdrop of luxurious, almost pristine nature.