The Count’s pier of Sevastopol is located in the Southern Bay among the berths for ships. Through the colonnade of the Count’s Pier, you can go to Nakhimov Square in the historical center of Sevastopol. The marina is connected to the promenade in Sevastopol Bay, making it one of the most favorite places for walking.
Prince Potemkin of Tauris took the oath of allegiance to the Russian Empress to the Crimean nobility on July 10, 1783 at the top of the White Rock in Belogorsk. Thus Crimea became part of the Russian Empire. This year, the first buildings began to be erected in Sevastopol, which made the city the main base of the Russian navy on the Black Sea. Among them was the Count`s Pier.
In 1783, the Count’s Pier was a small dock for boats, where the boat of Count Marko Voinovich stuck. He belonged to a wealthy noble family from Montenegro. Catherine II appointed him to command the ships under construction, first to Kherson, and then to Sevastopol. Initially, he commanded the Sevastopol squadron, and since 1786 the entire Black Sea Navy.
Count Voinovich`s house was located on the eastern shore of the bay. Crossing to the opposite shore, the boat always docked at this place, and the first inhabitants of Sevastopol called the pier "Count’s". By the arrival of Catherine II in the Crimea in 1786, the wooden flooring of the Count`s pier was replaced with stone steps. Officially, the marina was called Catherine`s, but the people continued to call it Count’s. Then it changed its name many times, until in 1990 the name Count’s Pier was officially approved.
In 1846, the Count’s Pier was reconstructed. It became the main entrance to the historical center of Sevastopol from the sea. In those years, the governor of Sevastopol was Admiral Mikhail Lazarev, who did a lot for the reconstruction of the city. The English architect John Upton, who built a lot for Lazarev, designed a beautiful colonnade with a Doric order, as well as a cascading staircase. The Count`s pier was built of Inkerman stone. Marble sculptures are installed in the niches of the colonnade, and at the bottom of the stairs there are marble sculptures of lions.
