Adzhimushkay catacombs are among the most popular sights of the city. Numerous underground caves appeared after the extraction of limestone by the local population. The catacombs are widely known because of the events of the Civil War and World War II. In 1919, a detachment of so-called «red» partisans was based in the catacombs. In 1941 and 1943, partisan detachments named after Lenin, Stalin and «Red Stalingrad» were located there. From May till October 1942, the soldiers of two underground garrisons fought heroically against the Nazi troops. Today, in the caves of the Big Central Catacombs, there is a museum and a unique military memorial cemetery. Many hundreds of Adzhimushkay defenders are buried in three common graves. They were killed by Nazis and died from wounds, hunger, gas attacks and numerous rock slides. The memorial devoted to the heroic defence of the catacombs was opened in May 1982, and was authored by sculptors B. Klimushko and Y. Gorban, and architect S. Mirgorodsky.

Метки: Adzhimushkay catacombs, Kerch