Kerch is not only an ancient, beautiful and interesting city, it is also a hero-city, where important historical events took place during World War II. Adzhimushkay quarries is one of the most famous military-historical monuments of the city. Everyone who came on vacation to Kerch, visit this place should definitely — it is an impressive, fascinating event.
Quarries on the northern outskirts of Kerch in the area of Adzhimushkay for a long time were the place of extraction of limestone stone. Over many years of mining, a huge network of catacombs was formed underground. By the will of fate, it was here that the events that have become legendary today took place during World War II.
On May 16, 1942 the Germans captured Kerch, and defending the city Soviet troops of the Crimean Front evacuated to the Taman Peninsula. Covering the withdrawal of troops numbering more than 10 thousand people were cut off from the main forces and were forced to take up the defense in Adzhimushskaya quarries, where some of the city’s residents also took refuge. Thus began the heroic defense, which lasted more than five months. Thousands of lives were cut short here, soldiers and residents of Kerch performed heroic feats, fighting for their own lives, homeland and freedom.
The defense of Adzhimushkay quarries was headed by Colonel Yagunov P.M., Lieutenant Povazhny M.G., Lieutenant Colonel Burmin G.M. and Ermakov A.S., commissars Parakhin IP and Karpekhin MN The Germans surrounded the entrances to the quarries with rows of barbed wire, blocked the entrances, launched into them deadly gas, but all this did not stop the Soviet soldiers. Forced to live underground, in conditions of shortage of food, water, ammunition and medicines soldiers made sorties and dealt serious blows to the enemy. The Germans threw here significant forces — more than half of all troops from Kerch, but could not break the resistance from mid-May to late October 1942.
During the defense one of the most serious problems was the lack of access to drinking water wells, the approaches to which were blocked by the Nazis. As a result, the thirsty soldiers were able to dig a well directly underground. When some soldiers died because of gas attacks, others continued to build gas shelters. Subsequently, the residents and soldiers were able to shelter from the suffocating gases in these shelters. Will, fortitude, courage helped those who found shelter underground not to lose hope and continue to fight, living underground. The Germans managed to capture the last surviving soldiers, exhausted, tortured by battle and hunger, only at the end of October.
Over the years the defense of Adzhimushkay quarries became one of the most heroic pages in the military history of Kerch. In 1967, the artist N. But completed the cycle of his paintings «Adzhimushkay. 1942», which became one of the most vivid illustrations of those events. Today they can be seen in Kerch Picture Gallery. And in May 1982 over the entrance to the quarries was opened the most beautiful memorial of huge size by Kiev sculptors E. Gorban, B. Klimukh, B. Klimukh. Gorban, B. Klimushko and architect S. Mirgorodsky. But, nevertheless, you can get the fullest impression, truly feel those events only by going underground and seeing their traces where they took place.
Visiting the Museum of the History of Defense of Adzhimushkay quarries, opened here in 1966, you will see gas shelters, hospital, barracks, burial places of the victims, field kitchen, headquarters and other caves keeping the memory of that terrible time. During the reconstruction of the exposition in 2008, the catacombs were brought as close as possible to the way they looked in 1942 during the defense, gas mask partitions, defensive walls and many other details of the quarries were restored. Part of the exposition are also war relics, discovered during many years of search work. The excursion route is 440 meters long, and those who wish to learn even more can take part in exclusive guided tours of the «wild» part of the quarries.
A visit to this most important attraction of Crimea is sure to leave a lot of impressions, remind you of the feats our ancestors accomplished so that we could live and be free.