Balaklava is one of the three places in Crimea that really enchanted us! From the highly situated ruins of the Genoese Cembalo Fortress there is a beautiful view of the bay, known already by ancient Greeks. Balaklava was long famous for being a closed city. Just like the nearby Sevastopol, for a few decades it did not exist on maps, its inhabitants being literally imprisoned. They had no contact with the outside world. On the other hand, they were amply supplied with everything they needed. They could purchase goods that were not available to other Russians even during national holidays. In the times of USSR the bay area served as the submarine factory which consisted of underground tunnels drilled in the cliff. It was one the highly classified secrets of the Soviet Union. The base itself was built in the mid 60’s. The decommissioning of the base started in 1992, and in 1995 the last submarine left the premises. The Black Sea Fleet museum was opened here in 2003. Nowadays the bay serves as a marina for boats and yachts.