[PL] Polska wersja tutaj / Polish version here.

There are place that we here about it many times. This is historical place, related to literature, or other stories. But We don't think where these locations are, or even if ther really exist.

I've been thinking about such a place for a long time, it's was Mickiewicz's "Ackerman Steppe". It's a first of The Crimean Sonnets, one of readings in polish school. After short google research, I find this place - It's located in Bessarabia on Ukraine. And Ackerman is historical name of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi from the Ottoman period.

Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi fortress

Steppe

Why I wanted to go there? - I really want to see Steppe, for me this is enough. Yes - drive 1.5 thousand kilometer to see grass...

In 2016 I was go there by motorbike, but I have motorbike accident in Moldova. I don't give up, I still want to see Steppe...
In this year I have one month holiday, so I go there. I had an ambitious plan - I wanted illustrate whole sonnet, but steppe in this place gone away...

Across sea-meadows measureless I go,

My wagon sinking under grass so tall

Due to the fertile soils of this region, most of the steppes became cultivated fields.

Sometimes I feel like in boat...

... very dry boat

But still the spaces around make an impression and somehow the vision goes further, the space seems larger.

Where is horizont?

Ackerman

The history of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi dates back to Greek times, where the city was called Tyras.

Ruins of ancient Tyras

Ruins of ancient Tyras

Ruins of ancient Tyras

For 2.5 thousand years of its existence, it repeatedly changed its owners, in 1484. be captured by the Turks and get the name Ackerman (the White Stone). In order to not duplicate information written by people more competent than me, I will skip a description of the history that can be found in the literature, or on the internet (eg here ).

Fortress

The fortress is main attraction of the city. From the outside it does not look too big, only when we come under the walls we can see the momentum with which they were made.

It don't look quite impressive from a distance

Up close a little bit better

Walls and moat

However, they look best when up close

After entering the area, I was impressed by its size, it is probably the largest fortress in which I was.

Fortress entrance

From inside the walls are also impressive

Especially from the liman side

Right after the entrance is the Civil Yard, and at the beginning commercial section - sale of food, drinks, archery and other craps for tourists who want to spend some money.

Clothes for photo...

... and archery

A bit further it is empty and nicer. Even the crowds of tourists who were standing in front of the entrance, somehow blend in on this space.

It's empty...

... and calmly

Once there was an Orthodox church, later a mosque, now only a minaret remained

Wall separating the yards

Going further, we come to the Garrison Yard, in the middle of which there is an impressive citadel.

Entrance to the Garrison Yard

Citadel

Citadel close up

Garrison Yard

Citadel and Liman

In citadel, you can go underground to see the Torture Chamber for an additional fee.

Citadel inside

Torture Chamber

Torture Chamber

Torture Chamber

In Civil Yard there is a port entrance, which the city owes its success. Historically, it was the Sea port, from which there were trade routes to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Historically port entrance

From the entire port, only a bridge for tourists remained

From which is nice view to fortress

And the opposite Liman shore

Dniester Liman

Why the city not located by the sea was a seaport? One of the reasons why I went to this part of Ukraine was to see limans. What is Liman? according to Wikipedia:

Liman defined in Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Russian (Лиман) and Romanian (liman) the enlarged estuaries formed as lagoons at the widening mouth of one or several rivers, where flow is blocked by a bar of sediments, as the Dniester Liman or the Razelm liman; a liman can be maritime (the bar being created by the current of a sea) or fluvial (the bar being created by the flow of a bigger river at the confluence). The term is usually used in place of the more universal delta, with its implication of landform, to describe wet estuaries in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov; a synonymous term guba (губа) is used in Russian sources for estuaries of the Russian shores in the north.

When I was browsing through google maps, I saw these tongues departing from the sea and cutting into dozens / dozen kilometers inland, Norwegian fjords came to my mind. Of course, the limes have nothing to do with the fjords, but the desire to see them has remained.

Liman near Fortress

On one hand, nothing interesting, just a big lake, but somehow I was intrigued how these places look like. In addition, the Ukrainian Bessarabia is connected with the rest of Ukraine only with this spit and the only bridge (the next connection leads through the territory of Moldova).

The only bridge connecting Bessarabia with Ukraine

In order to allow navigability on Liman, the bridge is raised

Sunset from the spit

Summary

Did I found Mickiewicz's Ackerman Steppes? not exacly. I arrived at my destination, but about 200 years too late, what Mickiewicz described was gone away...

But the trip had its second goal. I wanted to see places that once were an important part of the world,for which the great powers of that time were fighting for many years of war. Until after some time, when geopolitical changes occurred independent of them, they simply fell into non-existence. Places we hardly know, even though we learn about them at school. Places that create our polish history - and therefore ourselves, but this place isn't exist for us...

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