Akkerman Fortress - a medieval pearl of the South of Ukraine
Going on vacation in Zatoka, you can not only sunbathe well in the sun and swim in the sea, but also see a unique architectural landmark - the Akkerman fortress. It is located in Belgorod-Dnestrovsky, which can be reached by minibus in just 20-30 minutes. The bus station in Belgorod-Dnestrovsky is located almost at the fortress, so it will not be difficult to find it. The fortress is located at 2B Admiral Ushakov street. The price of tickets for adults is 80 hryvnia, for children and pupils / students - 40 hryvnia. In the fortress you can take a thematic excursion for 400 hryvnia if you are traveling in a group.
A bit of history
To make it more interesting for you to look at the majestic walls and observe the water surface from the towers of the Akkerman fortress, we want to tell you a little about the history of this architectural monument. After all, the fortress is the largest in Ukraine, because its area is 9 hectares. And yet, it is one of the oldest and most powerful.
The Akkerman fortress was built in the XIV-XV centuries. The peculiarity of this structure is that it is a tower-wall structure. That is, it is the walls that are the main part of the building. The fortification itself consists of four parts:
• Genoese castle (citadel)
• garrison yard;
• southern courtyard;
• port yard.
The Genoese castle has such a name for a reason. After all, it was this structure that appeared first of all - back in the XIII - the first half of the XIV century and, most likely, it was built by the Genoese. The Citadel looks like a quadrangular structure with round towers at each corner. There is a gate in the south wall. The castle courtyard is spacious, there was a place for buildings and a chapel.
The walls were 3.5 meters thick and about 15 meters high. Each of the towers housed cellars, there was a prison, which can be visited today.
There are also walls around the castle that form a fortification system. They were built in the years 1438-1454. The total length of the walls is 2 kilometers, 26 towers were also erected.
Today, visitors to the castle can see walls and defensive fortresses, as well as Ovid's Tower and Pushkin's Tower. And also walk along the huge courtyard of the fortress, climb the walls from which an incredibly beautiful landscape opens up. Since the narrow coastline separating the estuary from the sea is practically invisible, it seems that the fortress stands on the sea. It is best to meet the sunrises and watch the sunset on the walls, but at other times the landscapes are simply amazing.
Ovid's or Maiden's Tower and Pushkin's Tower are located opposite each other. Ovid's Tower is at the corner between the south and east walls. It has three tiers and an octagonal roof. And so it is called because, according to legend, in the city of Tire, where a fortress stands, once lived the famous Roman poet Ovid, who was sent there by the emperor.
As for the Pushkin tower, it has a balcony and faces the estuary. It was named after the Russian writer because he was in Ackerman in December 1821 and it was there that he decided to write the letter "To Ovid".
By the way, Akkerman fortress was visited not only by him, but also by such famous artists as Lesya Ukrainka, Maxim Gorky, Adam Mitskevich, Ivan Nechui-Levitsky.
Entertainment and lunch
On the territory of the castle there is a cafe that positions itself as Medieval. True, most of the dishes there are modern, but you can still have a pretty good lunch. As for additional entertainment, there is a shooting range on the territory of the fortress where you can shoot from bows. There is also a shop where you can rent a stylized medieval costume and take pictures in it.
In addition, there are craftsmen working in Ackerman who are engaged in blacksmithing and ceramics. There are souvenir booths where you can buy magnets and other travel souvenirs.
If you want to enjoy the beauty of the medieval building and not be in a hurry, we recommend that you set aside a few hours for your trip to Ackerman. There really is something to see.