Feodosia is over 2500 years old. At the crossroad of times and cultures, the city offers Armenian churches, fortress walls, Muslim mosques and the Black Sea. Feodosia was founded by ancient Greeks in the middle of the 6th century under the name of Cafa.
Stamboli Villa – the most beautiful building of the city was built from 1909 to 1914. According to the legend, its creator was the leader of the Vienna secession, Otto Wagner. The cottage in Moorish style was built on the order of tobacco manufacturer Josef Stamboli
Another place to visit is the Ivan Aivazovsky National Art Gallery. In Feodosia you can also find the fountain in Eastern style, designed by Aivazovsky. It was built in the centre of the city in 1888. Drinking its water was free and over the tap there was a silver mug with the inscription: "Drink to Ivan Kostiantynovych and his family". In 2007 the fountain got its own voice: classical music is played here.
Picture Gallery of Ivan Aivazovsky
National Picture Gallery of Ivan Aivazovsky is the best and the world’s largest collection of paintings and graphic of artist and marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky, his students, as well as Russian and Western European masters of painting close to him on the works. Feodosia Aivazovsky Art Gallery is one of the oldest art museums. The building of the gallery is the monument of architecture of XIX century. The architectural and decorative design of the house built in the Renaissance style of Italian villas. At the main facade of the artist’s house is placed the bronze statue on a pedestal with the laconic inscription: “Feodosia for Aivazovsky”. This was the first in Russia peripheral art gallery, being very famous during the lifetime of marine painter. Also it was the first museum of one artists on the territory of Russia Empire. The first exhibition of 49 works was opened in 1845 in part of large house that belonged to Ivan Aivazovsky. In 1880 there was attached another exhibition hall designed by the artist. House of Aivazovsky became a true cultural and social center of the Crimea.
Initially, there were displayed those pictures that the artist bequeathed to the city. Gradually the collection was enlarged. In the postwar years, the collection of the art gallery has increased significantly. Currently Feodosia art gallery is a treasure house of realistic art, the true cultural center. Now the museum has more than 8 thousand items of the main fund. Here are collected the largest collection of I. K. Aivazovsky, works of K. F. Bogaevsky, M. P. Latri, V. Surikov, A. Kuindzhi, M. A. Voloshin and other artists, including old West-European masters. But the main treasure of the museum is the collection of paintings and graphic works of I. K. Aivazovsky, which has about 416 works. It presents all the periods of the artist’s work. To the best canvases belong "Bay of Naples in the moonlit night" (1842), "The Sea" (1853), "Storm in the North Sea" (1865), "Sunny Day" (1884), "Among the Waves" (1898) and other. In the first exhibit halls are presented the pictures of the great marine painter, namely, the main part of the exhibition represents all the periods of creativity of Aivazovsky, from student works and to his latest paintings. Paintings are exhibited also in the studio of Aivazovsky, his office, living room. The following halls display the works of his disciples, contemporaries and followers, who continue the picturesque traditions of the marine painter.
The world known marine painter Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky exhibited his paintings in Rome, Paris, London and Amsterdam, but the largest collection of paintings and graphic works by Aivazovsky is precisely in Feodosia gallery. The gallery also contains more than 500 works by Aivazovsky grandson - M. Latri.
During the passing centuries, Mufti-Jamy Mosque of Feodosia was a place of worship for Turks, Crimean Tartars and Armenians. The mosque was built following the Istanbul model, when (Cafa belonged to Turkey). Near the mosque there is an octagonal minaret built from big charred lumps of limestone and ruins of Turkish baths. In 1975, after a long desolation, it was completely rebuilt by Crimean and Kiev restorers. Now it is again a mosque where services are held every Friday.
Armenian Churches of Feodosia. On the crossroad of Armenian and Karaimska churches, stands St. Sergiy’s Church (1363). The church is famous for the collection of khalichkar cross-stones in its walls. In 1888, St. Sergiy church was damaged by fire and was restored from the funds of Ivan Aivazovskiy. The fortified Church of Archangels Michael and Gabriel, built in 1408, is located at Armenian Str. 11, on the way to the city strongholds. The church was built on the Roman model. St. George Church (32, Nakhimova Str.) once was an integral part of the St. George cloister from the 13th century. According to legend, the church was built in the 13th century. Now the sanctuary is maintained by the Armenian community of Feodosia.
Alexander Grin Literature and Memorial Museum. The most romantic novels and short stories of dreamer Alexander Grin (1880-1932) were written in Feodosia. The writer lived in the city from 1924 to 1930 and wrote here one of his most famous novels "She Who Runs on the Waves". The house where the writer lived is easy to recognize by its Brigantine bas-relief. Near the entrance is an anchor, and museum rooms are decorated like holds of frigate, cabin of captain Ges, clipper cabin, and travelers’ cabin.
Koktebel
Koktebel (from Turkic means "land of blue tops") is a small town between the town of Feodosia and Kurortniy. The founder of the local resort was the doctor-ophthalmologist Professor Z. Junge. He bought the land Koktebel Valley, and wanted to turn it into a flourishing resort, but miscalculated the costs of the investment. This forced the professor to sell land in small parts. Since the beginning of XX century there appeared the first cottage. In 1916 in Koktebel settled a poet and artist, M.A. Voloshin. His country house has evolved into a kind of holiday home for creative people. Voloshin later handed over his house as a gift to the Writers’ Union. From it grew the House of Art "Koktebel", now the House of the poet - the literary and art museum.
Today Koktebel is a very popular resort in the Crimea. Beaches of Koktebel are famous for the colorful and cozy coves, mountain scenery and colorful pebbles. All those who’ve been to Koktebel since the end of the last century, noticed its healthy dry air, due to which it is so easy to breathe, and walks bring you special pleasure. Koktebel is one of the few coastal towns in the Crimea that is freely settled by the Crimean Tatars. These hospitable people create here the unique, intimate atmosphere. The owners of half the local institutions, of course, are the Tatars, and, as everything here is a family business, the local cuisine surpasses all that you have earlier seen as to the quality and diversity. In recent years a great popularity has been gained by the nudist beach of Koktebel.
In addition to a beach holiday tour of great pleasure to tourists is the nature Koktebel. Karadag Nature Reserve contains nearly all the flora and fauna of the Crimean coast.
Another attraction is the Koktebel Karadag Biological Station, which was founded by a medical doctor, T.I. Vyazemsky. The region, studied by scientists, thanks to a combination of land and sea, mountains and plains, forests, steppes and semi-deserts is a unique natural mineralogical complex. Here are found more than a thousand species of plants, including endemic (which are not found anywhere else), more than 1632 species of butterflies, 199 species of birds, 107 species of fish exist here. On the territory is created a museum of nature Kara-Dag, an aquarium is also present here. Especially popular are excursions to the Sea life attraction with dolphins, where seals and dolphins show their tricks.
"Golden Gate" is a basalt arch of natural origin, standing in water at a distance of thirty feet from shore in the Bay of Cornelian, the pearl of the Kara-Dag. Koktebel has many other coves, some of them are accessible to tourists if you go on foot along the shore of Koktebel. One of these the bay frog, named for its huge stones that resemble frogs. But to the coziest coves you have to go by sea.