The Historical Boulevard of Sevastopol is a monument to the Defense of Sevastopol in the Crimean War of 1853-56. Despite the name "boulevard", it is not a street – it is a park area that was created on the site of defensive bastions and forts. The building of the Sevastopol Defense Panorama of 1855-56 was built here in 1905.
The Historical Boulevard of Sevastopol is located on the hillside, east of the Southern Bay. The boulevard as a place for walking appeared here even before the Crimean War. In 1833, the famous Russian naval commander Admiral Mikhail Lazarev became the governor of Sevastopol. He did a lot for the reconstruction of Sevastopol and turning it not only into a base of the Russian navy, but also into a livable city. The Historical Boulevard created by Lazarev was then called Grand. Trees were planted here, which had to be cut down as the Crimean War approached in order to build the Fourth Bastion.
This bastion and Malakhov Mound became the sites of the fiercest battles in the defense of Sevastopol. The Crimean War was fought between Russia on the one hand and a coalition of England, France, Sardinia and Turkey on the other. The army of European states had more modern weapons. Russian soldiers used old flintlock, and the enemies had new rifled shotguns. Their firing range was 4 times higher than the old guns. The Allied navy consisted of modern steam ships, and the Russians had old sailing ships.
However, despite these shortcomings, the heroic defense of Sevastopol on the Fourth Bastion and Malakhov Mound lasted 330 days. The hillside where the Historic Boulevard is now located was covered in craters from explosions. The reconstruction of the boulevard and the creation of a historical memorial began in the 1880s.
The parapets and batteries of the Fourth Bastion were restored at the top of the Historic Boulevard. The original cannons used by the defenders of the city during the Crimean War were installed here. Nearby is a small building of the Sevastopol Defense Museum.
The building of the Sevastopol Defense Panorama was built lower down the hill in 1905. Here you can see an artistic painting by Francois Roubaud, which depicts the storming of Malakhov Mound on June 6, 1855. There is also a museum dedicated to the events of the Crimean War.
Near the Panorama on the Historical Boulevard of Sevastopol there are memorable places of batteries. During the war, Lazarev`s Battery No. 23, Shikhmatov`s Battery No. 20, Yazonovsky Redoubt, Narbut`s Battery No. 53, Burley`s Battery No. 100 and others were located there. On the open-air area, you can see the exposition of the Anchor Museum. There is also a monument to the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, who at the age of 28 took part in the defense of Sevastopol.
In the lower part of the Historical Boulevard of Sevastopol there is a monument to military engineer Eduard Totleben. He supervised all engineering work during the preparation of Sevastopol for defense, as well as during the storming of the city. The height of the monument reaches 14 meters.
