Almost 50 passes are located on the territory of mountainous Crimea. Each of them is a point with the lowest absolute height in the body of a particular mountain range. The Baidar Gate, Gurzuf Saddle and the famous Angarsky Pass, which is overcome by everyone who moves along the Simferopol-Alushta highway, are widely known. The hero of south-western Crimea and the highway H-19, leading from Yalta to Sevastopol, unanimously recognized Laspinsky Pass. Its height is equal to 355 meters. It is the highest point of the magnificent road stretching parallel to the Black Sea coast.
So, determined, on one side of the Laspinsky Pass spread legendary Pontus Aksinsky, that is, the Black Sea. It is in this place its waters are recognized as the cleanest. The reason is simple — there are no industrial facilities, military bases or ports receiving oil. In addition, the coastal zone records an average annual air temperature of +15ºC. In sum, the local climate and waters are very similar to those that are the main advantages of the French Cote d’Azur and its resorts — Nice, Monaco, Villefranche and Saint-Tropez.
Only 700 meters from the Laspi Pass begins the territory of the famous Laspi Cove. Many «know» it by the landscapes brought to the screen in the movie «Amphibian Man». Connoisseurs claim that in the film Chebotarev-Kazansky Laspi Bay looked no worse than Anastasia Vertinskaya and Mikhail Kozakov, the recognized beauties of the Soviet cinematography. So those who «take» the Laspi Pass will enter the enchanting world of Laspi Bay. Playing dolphins, remnants of scenery, small pebbles on the beach and the air filled with the smell of juniper and Crimean pine will be an excellent reward for easygoing travelers.
And what is Laspinsky Pass limited by from the opposite side? It is a rock. Huge, regular conical shape, a fragment of the Crimean mountain system. It bears the name of Garin-Mikhailovsky. Who is he? First, thanks to his calculations and the power of engineering thought, the road through the pass was built. Secondly, he planned to create an electric railroad from Yalta to Sevastopol — well, just like on the Cote d’Azur, but did not have time and died. But all his calculations, engineering studies and 22 variants of the route formed the basis of today’s trolleybus line stretching from Simferopol through Alushta to Yalta.
Thirdly, Garin-Mikhailovsky was a writer, traveler and prominent public figure of the century before last, so the rock overhanging the pass was given a most worthy name.
On the Laspinsky Pass itself, a chapel appeared in 2003. White pseudo-classical «pillar», round dome and white fence consisting of mini-columns and balls. The customer was the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, though of the Moscow Patriarchate. The occasion was the 2000th Christmas, but the completion of construction was delayed by 3 years. The main architect of the «chapel over Laspi» was Mr. Grigoryants, the author of many modern sacral structures in Sevastopol and its surroundings.
For those who came on holiday in Foros, and intend to enjoy the best views of the South Coast of Crimea, it is worth driving or even walking along the road Yalta-Sevastopol. Climbing up to the Laspi Pass, they will be able to see not only the sights of Foros — the Church of the Resurrection and the presidential dachas, but also admire the blurred profile of the protected Aya Cape, and marvel at the shimmering sea, bounded by the shores of Batiliman and Laspi bays.