Koktebel Коктебель Köktöbel | |
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 Shoreline of Koktebel | |
  Koktebel Location of Koktebel within Crimea Show map of Crimea Koktebel Koktebel (Ukraine) Show map of Ukraine | |
| Coordinates:44°57′36″N35°14′26″E / 44.96000°N 35.24056°E /44.96000; 35.24056 | |
| Country(de jure) |  Ukraine |
| Republic(de jure) |  AR Crimea |
| Raion(de jure) | Feodosia Raion |
| Country(de facto) |  Russia |
| Federal Subject(de facto) | Republic of Crimea |
| Municipality | Feodosia Municipality |
| Area | |
• Total | 8.71168 km2 (3.36360 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 30 m (98 ft) |
| Population (2014) | |
• Total | 2,807 |
| • Density | 322/km2 (830/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+4 (MSK) |
| Postal code | 298186 |
| Area code | +7 36562 |
| Former name | Planerskoye (1945 - 1991) |
| Climate | Cfa |
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Koktebel (Ukrainian andRussian:Коктебéль,Crimean Tatar:Köktöbel), in 1945–1992 known asPlanerske orPlanerskoye, (Ukrainian:Планерське,Russian:Планерское) is anurban-type settlement and one of the most popular resort townlets in southeasternCrimea. Koktebel is situated on the shore of theBlack Sea about halfway betweenFeodosia andSudak and is subordinated to theFeodosia Municipality. The population is2,807 (2014 Census).[1]
It is best known for its literary associations. TheRussian poetMaximilian Voloshin made it his residence, where he entertained many distinguished guests, includingMarina Tsvetayeva,Osip Mandelshtam, andAndrey Bely (who died there). They all wrote remarkable poems in Koktebel. Another prominent literary resident of Koktebel wasIlya Ehrenburg who lived there circa 1919 while escaping from anti-Semitic riots inKiev.
The nameKöktöbel is ofTurkic origin: inCrimean Tatar it means “Land of the blue hills” (fromkök, “sky blue”, andtöbe, “hill” or “mountain”, composed with the collective suffix-el).
After thedeportation of Crimean Tatars by theSoviet regime in 1944, the city's name was changed fromKoktebel to russifiedPlanerskoye (it comes from theRussianplaner, orglider). The hills above the shoreline were the site of many early experiments in mannedheavier-than-air flight by Russian pioneer aviators. The local airfield is still known as Planerskoye.
The 2003 film of the same name byBoris Khlebnikov andAleksei Popogrebsky follows the journey of a father and son as they try to reach Koktebel from Moscow.
Koktebel was known as a vacation spot for writers in the Soviet Union. It is also famous for itsbrandy, itshang-gliding and itsnaturist beach, largest in the former USSR.
Nowadays, Koktebel fills up in the summer with tourists fromRussia and until the2014 Russian annexation of Crimea also fromUkraine and theEuropean Union. Rubles and dollars are readily exchanged in kiosks along the beaches. There is a mixture of public beaches and private beaches with a paved walkway all along the bay. This walkway is lined with small restaurants, cafes, kiosks, and small market areas selling arts and crafts, dried fish, or slices of home-baked cake. In the evening, the beachfront comes alive with many small discos offering music, beer andshashlik. The cuisine is predominantly Tatar but Russian and Ukrainian food is also on offer. There are boat excursions, horse-riding and trips to a nearby monastery or to the cognac factory. Accommodation is either in a small hotel or in one of the hundreds of guesthouses run by local residents. It seems as though the whole population has turned into innkeepers in the summer.
Koktebel is nowadays also well known for itsjazz festival that usually takes place in the middle of September. It lures the attention of jazz-lovers from the whole ex-USSR. Cast from the festival in past years includedDe-Phazz,Nino Katamadze,Stanley Clarke,Billy Cobham and many other famous jazz and world music performers. But the festival's 2014 edition was held inZatoka andBilhorod-Dnistrovskyi (both inOdesa Oblast).[2]
Media related toKoktebel at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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