Description of the attraction
A special place among the attractions in Sevastopol is occupied by the Grafskaya pier. This monument is the same age as Sevastopol, the pier was built specifically for the arrival of Catherine II in 1787. The pier and wide stone staircase erected at that time were named "Catherine's", thereby glorifying the empress. Later, the pier began to be called "Grafskaya" in honor of the commander of the squadron in Sevastopol (from 1786 to 1790) M. Voinovich, who bore the title of count.
Earl's pier at first looked like an ordinary pier. In 1846, a military engineer, English citizen John Upton radically changed the appearance of the pier and gave it a solemn, pompous look. From 1833 to 1849 John Upton served in Russia and held the post of lieutenant colonel and then colonel in the construction department of the Naval Unit. For Sevastopol, D. Upton made projects for an embankment, a pier, warehouses, he also built a water supply system and docks in the city. He developed a plan for the development of the center of Sevastopol, the main element of which was the Grafskaya pier.
Four marble statues by Ferdinando Pellicio adorn the niches of the portico. The completion of the architectural ensemble of the staircase was a marble pair of lions, made by the same Italian sculptor. The colonnade reaches 6.5 m in height, 2.8 m in width, and 18.2 m in length.
The fate of Sevastopol is inseparable from the fate of the Grafskaya pier. On the pylons there are memorial plaques that tell about significant historical events for the city. In 1853, P. S. Nakhimov, who was then vice-admiral of the Russian fleet, met with the inhabitants of the city at the Grafskaya pier; the Sinop victory had just been won. Another inscription refers us to the events of 1905, when P. P. Schmidt left on November 27 to command the insubordinate ships to the cruiser Ochakov. Another memorial (which appeared in 1965) already tells about the events of the Great Patriotic War. The cruiser "Chervona Ukraina" sank at this place, fighting with the enemies. And here, above the colonnade, the flag of the Navy was solemnly raised as a sign of the liberation of the city from the Nazis.
At present, the Grafskaya pier is the front sea gate of Sevastopol, moreover, it is the pier of the military port.
The White Colonnade separates Nakhimovskaya Square and the majestic staircase of the pier. Every year tourists come here to enjoy the beautiful view of the Sevastopol Bay.
