to cover more than just one reality. where i come from we have a transatlantic way of looking at things that's because my father is from germany my mother is from the united states of america and so i realized fairly early that it makes sense to explain different realities. and now here at the heart of the european union in brussels we have twenty eight different realities and so i think people are really looking for a new journalist they can trust for them to make sense of this. but in this myself i work at the w.

crimea with the rugged beauty of its landscapes its mild subtropical climate and strategically important location the peninsula has captivated visitors from more than three thousand years. throughout history it has drawn conquerors and settlers into a mosaic of cultures on the northern shores of the black sea. today the majority of crimea's inhabitants are ethnic russians ukrainians and crimean tatars. but the peninsula is also home to bellow russians armenians poles jews and germans. the crossroads of the orient and the oxygen to europe and asia. greeks came from

across the mediterranean founded cities and opened. trade routes to europe. nomadic tribes from the steps of asia conquered crimea well the mongols of the golden horde established a slave trade here. conquerors became settlers tradesmen and artisans farmers and citizens until new conquerors came and new cultures. for centuries crimea belong to the empire of the crimean tatars and the ottomans. under catherine the great it became russian and remained so for one hundred fifty years. then in one thousand nine hundred fifty four the peninsula became part of ukraine. i a demonstration in the crimean capital simferopol in march twenty fourth team was an

overwhelming show of support by the majority ethnic russian population of crimea in favor of leaving ukraine and joining russia. even to reach poaching. i that sentiment was reflected in the outcome of a referendum a few days later. some of the multiple sclerosis by on march sixteenth the referendum was held in crimea this referendum took place in line with international legal standards and the rules of democracy. eighty two percent of the electorate voted just this strategic territory must have stable leadership the fact is that only russia can provide it. a totally off article for the big story current crises. understanding the present situation requires a look back at the region's complicated history. in seventeen eighty three empress

catherine announced that crimea had been incorporated into the russian empire. two hundred thirty one years later president vladimir putin signed a treaty absorbing crimea into the russian federation. a look back into the distant past shows that history leaves no stone unturned. what remains bears testimony to subsequent inevitable change. over two and a half thousand years ago the city and survived in crimea from asia. with the sea ahead and the rough step behind them in america people settled here. at the same time the greeks established the first towns and settlements on the south coast of the peninsula. cultural coexistence developed in

a relaxed and perfectly organic way in crimea. as the region became home to more and more waves of immigrants it blossomed through trade and change. if it missed the flow of material never heard of it but there was a blow is this first place is the manifestation of a cultural melting pot. here we see traces of cultures that extend far beyond crimea greeks thracians scythians cold starry summits our missions as the piece of me progress in all our excavations and what has been left behind we can see exactly how the cultures merged with one another the prototypical feature of crimea. but i just saw the news from the source and this site is called they are published skeptical scythian now pulitzer newtown older historical works also described the place as the czarist fortress of man palace. this is the first and the oldest site to reveal the facts here you can survey the beginnings of the

excavations provide us with the most compact information on lake city and settlement of crimea here in the immediate vicinity of the present day city of simferopol. mr sort of in the record of the search for. empires rise and fall those of the greeks romans byzantines turks in tatters oh succumbs to the passage of time. in seven hundred seventy four russia defeated the last ruler of the crimean tatars catherine the great let it be known that henceforth and for all time crimea would be russian. the empress was right in saying henceforth but not in predicting for all time.

in one nine hundred fifty four celebrations were held in moscow to mark the three hundredth anniversary of ukraine's reunification with russia to soviet leaders transferring crimea to ukraine appeared a suitable gift in public there was applause but in private confusion crimea is part of ukraine. at the time it didn't really matter which flag flooded over crimea it was and remained a part of the soviet union. to get the stuff they still thought the i wouldn't say that khrushchev made a gift of the peninsula that various explanations are offered him. the official reason in one nine hundred fifty four was that with electricity water and traffic routes in mind crimea was only accessible through the ukrainian soviet republic. yes the office said that was the official reason but there is another explanation in one nine hundred fifty four crushed rock was one of the less probable candidates to replace stalin as the country's leader i'm responding had died in march of one

thousand fifty three and it was initially uncertain whose success would be the next often there's an awful guy on tape on top of the suspicion is that khrushchev transferred crimea to ukraine in order to secure the support of the ukrainian party elite one of its own go. to physician. after russia conquered and annexed crimea in the late eighteenth century than insula became an underwriter for archaeologists the wealth and diversity of the relics uncovered here were a boon to the new rulers who came to be seen as the saviors of hellenistic culture . all on armenians also have a rich culture in crimea having lived here since the eleventh century. it was here

that they founded the first center of the armenian d.s.p. or on european soil. despite being resettled by catherine the great in the late eighteenth century and deported by stalin in one nine hundred forty four the armenian minority in crimea was never eradicated. today more than eleven thousand armenians live here. before. the armenian apostol the church is the oldest state church in the world. legend has it that the apostles brought christianity to the armenians seven hundred years ago . you know you sure we do this was peaceful soon flew over the syrians.

sort of cut the monastery of the holy cross is the only armenian epistatic monastery outside armenia. built in thirteen fifty eight it served as a sanatorium during the soviet era. it was not until two thousand and two that it was reopened as a monastery and handed back to the armenian eb style a church. crimea became the home and the center of life of national minorities but they also experienced great suffering here in the form of persecution expulsion and death. one of them from the as a multi-ethnic region in the soviet union crimea experienced

a great deal that was positive but also much there was extremely negative. the fate of the crimean tartars in particular is without parallel after the communist revolution the crimean tartars had many opportunities to participate in the formation of the young soviet state. where you only want of course but during the second world war the nazis played them off against the other peoples in crimea. there was a political tactic and one of the tartars fell victim to. give us the illusion of when german occupation came to an end stalin accused the crimean tatars on mosques of collaboration and have been reported to central asia. you will surely. it was not until the late one nine hundred eighty s. that they were allowed to return to their homeland for three hundred years but she soraya was the capital of the state of the crimean tatars the crimean khanate. when

mongol had germany came to an end they dominated crimea and large parts of modern day ukraine. in fifteen seventy one crimean talked our warriors advanced as far as moscow and set fire to the city. the khan palace is a reminder of long gone power and glory he hunts good radiance he lets them the khan palace is a unique monument to history and architecture and it is the only palace of the crimea. a pearl in the world's cultural heritage. but for us crimean tars the palace is also a symbol of our self-confidence and our identity our link to this palace along with the rebirth of our tatarstan it. seems today as if it were calling the crimean tars to return and to see new opportunities for themselves here. this place is sacred to us it's

a bridge to our roots and to our past and she. is a beloved hand. yeah forty seven kings ruled the empire of the crimean tatars today the grass or forgetfulness grows over their graves. but nothing has shaken the tars resolute adherence to islam. it continues to characterize their identity and sense of unity as it has all through the highs and lows of their history. for centuries the faithful have heeded the noise ins call to prayer. in the inner courtyard of the con palace is the fountain of tears russian writer alexander pushkin immortalized in a poem the fountain of. droplets

of water dripped into a ball of flowers from a cold spring legend has it that they're the tears of a tartar king shared over the death of a beloved slave girl from the north who died before she was able to learn to love the tarkhan. located in the mountains above but she saw it is the fact was a year old cave city of two foot kali the jewish fortress. it was inhabited by the car its a jewish sect who fled to crimea from palestine and egypt in the twelfth century. the car ites led secluded lives here apart from other jewish communities. the

russian conquerors saw them as good jews catherine the great grand of the car it's the same civil rights as the native russian population. during the german occupation of crimea in the second world war that status meant the car ites were largely spared the persecution that their fellow jews suffered during the holocaust . and says mobile killing units murdered almost all of the crimea's other jewish inhabitants the reemergence of a jewish community in the region is nothing short of remarkable. the fact that crimean jews recently acquired russian citizenship doesn't seem to bother anyone here on the contrary. the look on plenty look at us that is

mentally and spiritually we have always remained crim chon we were never ukrainians nor were we ever russians we have always been crimean jews and i don't wish to say anything bad about ukraine but like others in the crimea it was as if we had been hung out to dry now legislation has been adopted to ensure that money's no longer siphoned off from crimea instead funds will be invested in regional development i get the feeling they are now pulling out all the stops to ensure that crimea doesn't just exist but that it's given a developmental boost. jewish life has a long history in crimea there's fresh hope that it will have a bright future in the region. the influence of the ottoman empire during the crimean tatar. arab brought islam to

the peninsula. the ottoman rulers drew their legitimacy from the concept of holy war which was designed to extend the boundaries of his land. as a result in the early seventeenth century it was turkish architects who built the mosque in yes to toria. yes potoroo is known as the little jerusalem of crimea. jews muslims and orthodox christians live here in close quarters. russian orthodoxy often pertains primarily to a cultural affinity and only after that to religious affiliation. and yet legend has it that russia's conversion to christianity began in crimea.

it's with you looking stupid which after having been him self baptized in the town of just honors us he runs for the mayor had the citizens of kenya in the cuban roofs baptized on the banks of the neighbor. of the world he was an important docked one essential to understanding russia as a nation and the significance of baptism for the identity and culture of the empire . this baptism by prince philip the mira ninety eight had long been forgotten a little. russia no longer had access to the black sea because. it was only undercount from the great that this changed. it gave russia a new identity as a major european state and returned to its cultural roots which had been laid by prince bloody mary back in the tenth century economic assistance of course we.

situated out. side the gates of the port city of sevastopol on crimea's southwestern most point are the ruins of the ancient greek city of trysts arsenals . in one thousand nine hundred two seen vladimir's cathedral was built in the middle of the excavation site on the very spot where prince flood emir of the kevin ross is said to have adopted the christian faith. let me or had conquered no switch at the time belong to the byzantine empire in a military campaign. he planned to crown his victory by marrying the daughter of the byzantine emperor. byzantium consented to the union but only if the prince agreed to be christened. let him use exceptions of the faith laid the foundations for the christianisation of the russian empire. centuries later russia would justify the legitimacy of its claim to crimea with the

legendary reference to ancient church sauciness as the birthplace of its orthodoxy and civilization. i. think. modern day military presence and power. with the russian black sea fleet based in sebastopol peace in crimea moscow says is guaranteed by. russia for a long and costly war against the tars and the turks for possession of crimea. its conquest and annexation in seven hundred eighty three mark the star. of russia's

rise as a major european power. establishing sebastopol as the base of its black sea fleet enabled russia to control the key maritime links with the mediterranean. on her journey across the newly conquered lands in the south in seven hundred eighty seven catherine the great also visited crimea which was also known as the tower of peninsula. she was impressed by its oriental flair but she also observed backwardness and poverty. katherine had an advisor and a favorite prince gregory potemkin whom she appointed governor general of what was

called new russia. his task was to oversee the swift economic development of the new lands. to ensure that they were populated by loyal subjects the empress invited settlers and colonists from central russia and abroad. he would but he was speaking of. the russian empire laid claim to the former territory of the ottoman empire on the northern shore of the black sea. russia had long been cut off from the black sea and set itself the goal of gaining access. over cool through peter the great had opened a window on europe but communicating with european nations solely through a window was difficult. for a door was needed and that door access to the black sea on the mediterranean was opened by catherine the great. to the russian nobility crimea seemed like an arcadia within the borders of their.

pyar they spoke of it in almost tender tones as the pearl of the empire. principle runs off the governor general of new russia and crimea during the first half of the nineteenth century was one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in russia. in eight hundred twenty eight he had a palace built in a mauritian meo graphic style designed by the british architects of buckingham palace. simpson clan after each other to start on the after the czarist empire conquered crimea in seventeen eighty three it became a desirable place for russians to visit or for various reasons these included its climate of which compared to russian conditions and especially central russian or

conditions was like another world. disses discover the south coast in particular who gets mediterranean climate and volume c. or slides oysters and this was something russians had absolutely no experience of all they knew with the cold water is of our hunger square example angles so that was certainly one reason as big t.v. so many other factor that makes crimea such an attractive location from a russian perspective at least among the elite was the spread of western culture and values in the late eighteenth century and even since peter the great best of o.p.'s classical antiquity was in vogue at this particular time the until and a crimea russia had obtained a region that had contributed to this period and bequeath the rich classical heritage of viet shits ninety conveyed cotton c.p.s. hot. air.

it was mainly the rich and powerful who profited from the conquest of crimea. princes counts and generals. his aristo empire generously gifted its elite with seafront properties. the recipients built luxury as parks and palaces. transforming the landscape into a scene of unrivalled opulence. is just what you wish to conquer see you as a witch and wish you luck russian influence in crimea was substantial but crimean influence on russia was just as great on the politics but above all on culture if.

only sold russian poets painters and writers flocked to the peninsula for one to take alexander pushkin. toward the peninsula soaking up the spirit of classical antiquity which question was captivated by the scenery so unfamiliar to the russian i was sure reasons would like greece of crimea also western influence on the fine arts the history of russian painting is almost inconceivable without crimea one of russia's greatest painters was even to write offs it was here that he reached the pinnacle of his artistic talent. he wrote softly repeatedly painted the black sea in the landscapes of crimea he wasn't an ethnic russian he was an armenian but he had a tremendous influence on russian and european painting. a selection of events of his works is on display in the artist's former residence in fair dosia.

wrote his life he enjoyed the patronage of his are a grant from nicholas the first allowed him to study at the imperial academy of arts in st petersburg. this are also financed a five years study trip in western europe for the young artist and appointed him the official painter of the russian navy. even softly produced more than four thousand pages. but he wasn't only a popular artist he was also an entrepreneur. he made a decisive contribution toward the financing of a railway line to feel dosia. my home address he wrote to a friend will always be fair dosia crimea. even sobs he was born in fair dos here in one thousand seventeen. he died in one thousand nine hundred in fair dosia

crimea. in eight hundred ninety eight the playwright and one check off had the white villa built in the mountains above the altar. chekhov suffered from tuberculosis and hope to find relief from his illness there. check of an actors from the moscow art theater at a reading of his play the siegel. leo tolstoy the patron saint of russian literature. the altar and the white fellow became a place to run devo for russian writers and intellectuals in crimea. in the winter of one thousand know one chekhov wrote to his future bride in moscow

i'm absolutely fine apart from a petty little matter my health. in july nine hundred four check of died on a visit to the german spa town of biden viler. he was forty four years old. peace was to last for another ten years then war broke out and everything changed. developed focus coming to an end sorry structure would soon be consigned to the annals of history. during the first world war stately homes in crimea were converted to military hospitals. then came the october revolution. lenin and the bolsheviks seized power in russia the revolution rolled across the country. crimean tatars proclaimed the people's republic of crimea.

then the red army arrived in crimea became the town read a soviet republic. but the revolution had not yet triumphed. german troops occupied crimea followed by the british and the french. and finally the remnants of the czarist army rallied here. on the profit after the october revolution the civil war broke out in russia between the reds and the conservative white guards up the red army drove the white forces south relatively quickly and on and on the tonsil in around one nine hundred twenty crimea was one of the last region still controlled by the whites and in other words by the czarist military completely a large number of intellectuals fled to istanbul and western europe via crimea and from all east on the world the high school of the flu.

for a long time this modest looking wooden lodge in the middle of a forest near my son drought was shrouded in mystery. it was rumored that every now and then black limousines would pull up to the property which remained closely guarded even though it stood empty for decades. it has since been established that stalin had the house built for himself and a small circle of aides the rooms it said were furnished in line with his wishes so that he could conduct business as usual if need be. but was he actually ever here. possibly but no one knows for sure. so this is also. in the soviet era society was dedicated to implementing the idea

of communism which we all believe that if we worked hard and implemented the idea the bright future of communism awaited us. was to kill but gradually the idea assumed the form of a state religion. and eventually it became clear that the idea of communism was a big illusion because the course really. for almost a hundred years the dream of communism in crimea had a concrete name arctic. seven kilometers of beach front a holiday paradise for four thousand children. in our czech is a touch our word that means the best. established in one nine hundred twenty five by the soviet government our tech firm. served as a clinic for children suffering from tuberculosis it was then turned into

a camp for elite members of the young pioneers the communist party youth group. for children and teenagers from every soviet republic vacation here joined by youngsters from all over the communist world. their relationships and friendships fostered here were geared toward securing a bright communist future for all and invitation to vacation in arctic was considered a great honor. only the very best were included. in twenty fifteen arctic was reopened as a youth camp for children and adolescents. the russian government has invested a lot of money here sports and games three weeks of holiday and lessons combined offered all year round and free of charge. no one here talks politics they weren't eastern ukraine may as well be going on on

another planet not on arctics doorstep. i friends focus on remembrance the words from the loudspeaker echo around the square. what's being reversed here and what might seem to be a relic of the past is a review in remembrance of the heroic days of the soviet union. in memory of the victory over nazi germany in the second world war i. oh. i. the grove of honor contains the marble busts of those who spent their holidays here

as children and lost their lives in war. in nazi propaganda crimea was idealized as an ancient germanic region that it once been conquered in settled by the goths. since off and on the here is a true what we have here is a typical mix of military strategy considerations economic expectations and something transcendental the symbolic as in we were here once before and now we have to take it back. but what we have also discovered is that many of the vast soldiers who were in crimea experience it as a fascinating place course of us and that's one of. the palaces and

stately residences remained unscathed in the battles for crimea. the last german troops left the peninsula in may one nine hundred forty four crimea was liberated. only a few months later the region was in the headlines when in february one thousand nine hundred five the yotta conference was held at the live audio palace the summer residence of the last russians are. joseph stalin invited winston churchill and franklin delano roosevelt his allies in the war against nazi germany . the aim in yalta was to negotiate the distribution of power in post-war europe. the big three agreed on the division of germany. and the protection of their interests in the occupied countries of southern and central eastern europe.

when the summit photo was taken the die had been cast and a new chapter opened for europe and the world. after abdicating in one thousand seven hundred nicholas the second asked to be allowed to retire here but his request was denied. instead the tsar and his family were banished to siberia and later executed. his summer residence was turned into a senatorial for farmers in the soviet union. the revolutionary soviet regime nationalized the palaces in crimea. under the auspices of the first workers and farmers state the russian riviera for a select few was to be turned into a holiday paradise for all. the

new soviet man was seen as a collective entity the principle of working and living together extended to vacations as well. rest and relaxation in the interests of increasing production. millions of soviet citizens gratefully accepted the state sponsored holidays. people from every soviet republic came to vacation in crimea the peninsula was part of the soviet union whether it was russian or ukrainian was of no interest it just didn't matter. for many people here the fact that the soviet union ultimately collapsed on the divergence of its constituent parts is an accident of history a painful failure. thinkers shorn the genesis of a soviet people one that was no longer split up into separate nationalities but had

something of a common identity was a concept repeated like a mantra in the soviet union for many years and i think that idea certainly existed to an extent and is definitely still present in many people's minds today a few for one is. the future is shaped by the past and in that sense to most inhabitants of crimea russia feels closer than ukraine. if they slugs are experts of international law tell us that russia annexed crimea or the demographic picture shows us that roughly sixty percent of its population is russian it's just under twenty five percent ukrainian. and twelve percent crimean toss and that the official result of the referendum was a communist style ninety seven percent in favor of lift but that is incorrect what

we probably can say is that this referendum which was not recognized internationally and was not held in accordance with international standards probably did result in a majority in favor of rennick sation by russia but on the other hand of course it is unacceptable that minorities are simply ignored is this not to list all. the smom in the hype and for all split on. whether russia will learn to accept dissident thinkers and include them in its plans will prove decisive for everything that happens in crimea. he couldn't just feel like irrespective of nationality for the first time crimea is perhaps somehow relevant in the post soviet psyche and it is now clear to the ukrainian government that it can't simply relinquish crimea as it's called.

soul quo vadis crimea. it can only be hoped that the people of crimea can decide for themselves what lies ahead. whether we like it or not in my view we have no alternative but to accept that crimea is now and will remain russian client. approaching this course the ukrainian way and the relationship between russia and ukraine is extremely dynamic. basically even today it has yet to find a definitive form. the first four she's going to at a point in time in the past crimea was handy. over to ukraine passed from the russian to the ukrainian soviet republic within the framework of the soviet union. it's difficult to see that as a justifiable lacked the it was

a step within the framework of a single state and when one state is suddenly replaced by two independent states it's logical that both will stake a claim. time will pass and the relationship between the two countries will find a form around about the war but the most important thing is that the voices of the people who live here are heard just to get to eat. in the eyes of most of its inhabitants much has changed for the good since russia annexed crimea for them a look back evokes little nostalgic. skop and she says that in time and again throughout the history of crimea there have been efforts to establish an independent state and in that respect we can say that if crimea belongs to anyone who belongs to itself i'm.

going to treat god the international talk show for journalists to discuss the topic of the week europe has never been so necessary as today nor so endangered says french president black cotton with his vision for a new european renaissance to mobilize support for the. that's our topic today on chaudhry joining us. one thousand minutes on d. w. . bush city in ruins borrowing. symbol

of a long conflict in the philippines. between the muslim. the christian population. last. fighters occupied the city center seventeen president to tears his response was told. by children will never again book all of. the reconquest turned into tragedy. this is not the kind of freedom that we want. how did you become a deep way to islamist terror until now you see any more sitting as the result of an exclusive report from a destroyed city. philippines in the sun. starts april eleventh long t w.

this is d w news live from berlin the city of christ church in new zealand is on lockdown after mass shootings at two mosques multiple fatalities are being reported four people are now in custody police are saying they can't be certain more suspects are not at large prime minister usin the arden call said one of new zealand's darkest every sport. is an extraordinary and on preceding kids violence. also on the show britain's far.