Kadykovsky quarry is located 4 kilometers northwest of Balaklava. On maps, the quarry is also called the Quarry Lake. Limestone has been mined here for several decades. After the quarry was fully developed, it was abandoned, and in the early 2000s it was filled with water from underground sources. A few years ago, the Kadykovsky quarry became a very popular place for photo shoots.
Photographers and bloggers, as well as lovers of beautiful Instagram photos, come to the Kadykovsky quarry to take a photo of the quarry in the form of a heart. The lake itself has an oval shape. However, from one viewing point, which is located on the southern shore of the quarry, the lake has the shape of a heart. At this point, part of the water surface is hidden behind a high slope.
In the first half of the 20th century, the Balaklava Mine Administration was created on the southern outskirts of Sevastopol, which started the mining of a special type of limestone (flux limestone), which is necessary for the production of ferroalloys. It is added during the melting of iron ore to reduce the melting point of the metal, as well as to facilitate the separation of the metal from the rock.
The quarry worked until the 1990s. It is located in the thickness of the mountain, which rises above Balaklava. As it was being worked out, the depth of the pit reached 14 meters below sea level. After the work in the quarry was stopped, it was filled with water from underground sources. A lake has formed at the bottom of the Kadykovsky quarry. Its water has a beautiful turquoise color in sunny weather. In cloudy weather, the water has a blue tint.
Fresh water in the Kadykovsky quarry is clean, so it is one of the reserve sources of drinking water supply in Sevastopol and Balaklava. Since the quarry is filled with water from springs, the water here is cold even in the hottest summer months.
It is impossible to swim in the quarry not only because of the cold water, but also because it is quite difficult to go down to the water from the upper layers of the mining Entering the quarry is officially prohibited, but this ban is formal. Photo shoot lovers and bloggers come here and walk along the shores to find the famous heart-shaped view of the lake.
The road to the quarry leads from Balaklava or from the Sevastopol highway. You can park near the west bank. There are several viewing points here, but from here the quarry looks like an ordinary oval pond. To see the quarry in the form of a heart, you need to go to the right side (along the southern shore) about 300-400 meters. After that, you need to go down from the upper road. Here you will see the very heart. Remember that the quarry does not have an ideal heart shape. All photos with the perfect heart shape are processed in Photoshop.
If you are vacationing in Sevastopol or at other resorts of the Southern Coast of Crimea, then a visit to the Kadykovsky quarry is best combined with a visit to Balaclava. Nearby is Cape Fiolent, where you can relax on the Jasper Beach and visit the St.George Monastery.
