Dear Sirs,

SELECT BLACK SEA LTD. is happy to announce a brand new destination for cruise tourist in the Black Sea – 26 centuries old city of Kerch. On 14 August, 2007 m/v Hebridean Spirit (Hebridean International Cruises) called at the port of Kerch and the Black Sea Tour Operator SELECT BLACK SEA LTD. provided tour services for the passengers of the luxury British cruise ship. Kerch listed by UNESCO as an Eternal City of the World, welcomes You to its 26 centuries cultural heritage.

The history of the city of Kerch starts with the foundation of a Greek colony Panticapaeum in the VI century BC. Kerch was the centre of a mighty Bosporan Kingdom. From the 15th century AD Turks became the main political force and built their fortresses in the area of the city. In 1771 Russian forces took possession of the fortress Kerch and Yeni-Kaleh. During navigation season 1822 the Kerch Port was open for export and import operations.

Port was founded on the historically formed trading routes between Europe and Asia, on the strait through which the Great Silk Way was laid for a long time. Since 1830 Kerch has become the main economic and cultural centre of the region. In 1840 the Russian Emperor Nicholas I visited Kerch and there he was presented with a golden mask and other precious objects from the tomb of King Rhescuporis. This visit later became famous all over the World as the things presented in Kerch became the base for the development of the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.

During the Crimean War Kerch was the place where English, Scotch and French troops landed. And that city, as well as Sevastopol, became a separate page in the history of the Crimean War… During World War II Kerch was occupied by fascist troops. For more than 9 months Soviet soldiers and citizens of Kerch lived underground in order to continue the battles against the Germans. Top of the human struggle for life, selflessness, courage under the conditions of incessant attacks of the enemy are immortalized in the paintings of the famous Russian artist Nikolay Y. BOOT and demonstrated in the Fine Arts Museum and Quarries Memorial.

Touring in one of the oldest cities of the World and learning its diverse cultural heritage enlarges the cruise tourist experience of visiting less-traveled ports and provides an opportunity to reconsider cruising itinerary of the cruise lines.