Underwater Museum of Leaders. Tarkhankut Underwater Museum

Not all tourists coming to Crimea know about the Tarkhankut underwater museum, although it may well become one of the most vivid impressions from visiting the peninsula. This museum is more than 15 years old, and at the moment only one “alley of leaders” has more than 50 exhibits, although there are other exhibitions. The only “but” is that in order to visit this museum, you need to dive under water with scuba diving.

Tarkhankut Museum found in the bay of the same name at a depth of about 12 meters. Organized this unusual attraction Vladimir Broumensky, originally from Donetsk. Once, on a local initiative, a new monument to Lenin was erected on the coast, but the statue’s head was quickly torn off. And then Broumensky thought that somewhere, under water, monuments need not be afraid of vandals. This is how the collection of busts for the exhibition of the “leaders of the October Revolution” began to be replenished. Later, another exhibition of “classics of cinema and literature” appeared. And also, not yet very numerous, but still attracting attention, an exhibition of famous buildings of the world.

Since the museum was organized just after the collapse of the Soviet Union, many busts of Lenin, Marx, and Brezhnev were no longer needed by enterprises, and they were often in a hurry to get rid of them. Broumensky, together with the initiative group, bought or simply took away the exhibits and lowered them to the seabed. The underwater museum Tarkhankut has become quite popular among those who are interested in scuba diving, but the organizers hope that ordinary tourists (provided, of course, that they know how to swim) will also want to get acquainted with such an outlandish attraction.

Crimea has always amazed me with its amazing, unique places. For example, the underwater museum “Alley of Leaders”. A stunning place on Cape Tarkhankut, however, to get there you will have to wear scuba gear. And if you are not an experienced diver, take a couple of scuba diving lessons.

Location, history of foundation

In the water area of ​​the Bolshoi Atlesh tract, a hundred meters from the shore, an underwater museum was organized in 1992. This was all done spontaneously. A resident of the city of Donetsk, V. Borumensky, decided to somehow diversify the natural attractions of the Tarkhankutsky Nature Reserve by adding works of art.

Naturally, he did not have the money to organize a full-fledged museum (renting premises, etc.). The solution was very simple - to “drown” the busts of famous people into the sea. At a distance of one hundred meters from the diving center that appeared here, the goal was achieved. The center's management not only approved the idea, but also took upon itself the obligation to protect the museum above the water.

The very first sculpture installed in the museum was the great Lenin. Later Dzerzhinsky, Stalin, Kirov and others were added to it. Other divers enthusiastically supported this idea and very soon other exhibits began to appear in the underwater museum, named purely symbolically “Alley of Leaders.” This is how, thanks to the desires and efforts of ordinary tourists, a chic landmark of the peninsula appeared on the cape, or more precisely, in its water area.

At a depth of about 15 - 20 meters, diving tourists have the opportunity to see not only sculptures: Marx, Kirov, Voroshilov and other leaders. But also busts of composers, for example, Beethoven. The seabed is also decorated with busts of Vysotsky, Mayakovsky, Blok, Tchaikovsky, Shukshin and Yesenin. And here you can see Yuri Gagarin, the London Bridge, a copy of the Shukhov Tower. Of no less interest are the original arch and the statue of a miner and a sailor with a PPSh.

The cleanliness of each exhibit is monitored by the “submariners” themselves. They regularly clean them of algae, mule, silt and other contaminants. What tourists like most is that you can touch any specimen with your hands and take a beautiful photo. True, this requires special equipment.

The underwater museum is gaining more and more popularity every year. It is likely that over time the “Alley of Leaders” will become one of the most popular places and not only on the famous Cape Tarkhankut.

You can visit the underwater museum only during the period of operation, located on the Bolshoi Atlesh pier. Only here is it possible to rent special equipment. And if you are a beginner diver, then the help of an instructor will not be superfluous. Even if a tourist has never dived before, he can learn it without any problems. The main thing is to choose a good instructor.

How to get (get there) to the Alley of Leaders

Naturally, you won’t get to the museum itself, but the route to the nearest point on the shore is quite simple. The main thing is to get to the village of Olenevka, this is the center of Tarkhankut. It is possible to get to it from Evpatoria by public transport. But it is best to travel in your own or rented car. The main landmarks are: the Dolphinarium, the fishing camp and the chapel (St. Nicholas). Exact coordinates and map at the bottom of the page.

Photo

GPS g. 45.336208,32.549999 (format used in online maps)
GPS g.m. 45°20.172", 32°32.999" (format used in navigators and geocaching)
GPS g.m.s. 45°20"10.35", 32°32"60"

Tarkhankut is unique. This is a monument of nature; in the area you will not find bright shops, elegant embankments, or cheerful lanterns of resort towns. Here, all man-made attractions are unique. What is the value of just one robot or the remains of a white sofa on a rock by the sea? Or a triangular chapel on a rock. The sea also keeps its secrets, both visible and hidden from view.

It is known that Tarkhankut is one of the best places in Crimea for diving and spearfishing. Clear water, white rocks, fish, birds and other fauna, along with cheerful blue jellyfish at the end of summer complete the picture.

Therefore, here, under the water on Bolshoi Atlesh, a whole museum was organized. You have to show tourists something especially fascinating when the Titanics didn’t sink nearby and coral reefs don’t grow. Algae quickly turned all the sculptures into “ancient” ones; the twilight light from the surface and underwater currents make the landscape fabulous and incomparable. It may not be the most interesting diving spot in the world, but it’s another plus for Crimea, and the western coast in particular.

Sculptures of Lenin, a minicopy of the Eiffel Tower, busts of classics of music and literature. Here you can unexpectedly come across a statue of Tutankhamun or a sculpture of a resting girl. Algae sway whimsically around, fish swim by, not caring about the dissonance that the current picture causes among visitors.

Museum exhibits are cleaned, otherwise they will become overgrown, absorbed by marine flora and fauna. And it’s definitely worth getting into this fairy-tale world beyond the mirror-like surface of the sea.

Photo source: vk.com/feed?w=wall158548202_18079

There are several dozen museums. Most of them are dedicated to certain areas of activity, famous people and events. Some objects stand out for their uniqueness and originality. Thus, on the peninsula there is the world’s only brownie museum and an unusual alley of sculptures created at the bottom of the sea, an underground museum complex for submarines and much more.

About unusual Crimean museums - in the TOP 7, compiled by.

Underground museum complex in Balaklava

The underground museum is one of the most visited attractions in Sevastopol. In addition to walking through the labyrinths of fortifications, tourists are invited to view exhibitions dedicated to the history of the construction of the complex and the submarine forces of the Black Sea Fleet, as well as an exhibition of posters “The History of the Formation and Creation of the USSR Nuclear Submarine Fleet.”

Museum "House of Brownies"

The museum contains about 100 figures of this mythological master of the hearth. Their sizes range from 20 to 50 centimeters. All sculptures are made from different types of wood (cypress, walnut, cedar, juniper, etc.).

Each figure exhibited here is unique. Its character depends on the purpose of the brownie. So, some have a serious expression on their faces, others smile, and others are frozen in a dance.

Museum "Alley of Leaders"

The creation of a unique alley of leaders began in 1992 at the bottom of the sea near the village of Olenevka, Black Sea region, on Cape Tarkhankut. It was first named a museum four years later.

Today there are about 50 exhibits. However, due to the depth (more than 10 meters), getting here is not so easy - you will need a diving mask and fins.

Despite the name, on the underwater alley you can see sculptures of not only Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin and other Soviet leaders, but also Sergei Yesenin, Leo Tolstoy, Alexander Blok, Yuri Gagarin, Nicholas II and other famous people.

In addition, there are mini-copies of the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower and the London Bridge, structures in the shape of a dinosaur and Poseidon, models of sunken ships and an old payphone, a sculpture of a diver and many other interesting exhibits.

Museum of World Sculpture and Applied Arts

In particular, the museum presents a copy of the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer, sculptures of Aphrodite, Achilles, Poseidon, other mythological and heroic characters, portraits of Yuri Nikulin, Vladimir Vysotsky, Lev Yashin, William Shakespeare, Walt Disney and other famous people of different eras and professions.

Also among the exhibits are busts of Russian rulers (Peter I, Catherine II), generals (Alexander Suvorov, Mikhail Kutuzov), writers (Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov) and other famous people.

© Photo by the Department of Public Relations and Media of the Evpatoria Administration

Museum of World Sculpture and Applied Art in Yevpatoria

Museum "Pirates of the Black Sea"

In total, the museum houses more than 600 exhibits. Among them are fragments of sunken ships, sailors' belongings, weapons, dishes, jewelry, ancient coins and maps. In addition, a letter of marque, pirate flags, and the Code of Laws and Rules by which the pirates lived are on display.

Moreover, one of the museum rooms is decorated in the style of a captain’s cabin, and the other is a treasury. There are also figures of pirates going on board. All this makes visiting the museum more fun.

Smiley Museum

So, here you can see cannons, anchors, remains of boats, wrecks of dead ships and other artifacts, and from the stands you can learn about the wreck of the Titanic liner, the motor ship Armenia and other ships. Videos also talk about maritime tragedies.

In addition to the museum itself, tourists will be interested in visiting the 65-meter lighthouse temple, the design of which uses anchors and anchor chains, and visiting the gazebo equipped in the shape of the Flying Dutchman.