KERTCH, larch, a Russian seaport in the Crimea, at the farthest eastern point. The town itself is old, dating to the first centuries of the Christian era; but it is built upon the site of a prehistoric city, the ancient mounds of which are still standing close by. Near by there are also some old catacombs the walls of which are covered with inscriptions of an early date. The Church of Saint John the Baptist which dates back to the year 717, shows strongly the Byzantine influence in its architecture. Kertch is a place of some com mercial and industrial importance. This is due to its favorable situation between the Azov and the Black Seas, which makes it one of the im portant carrying ports of the South of Russia: It handles iron, grain, wool, hides, fish, oil and fruit (dried, and in its natural state), in addition to its own manufactured products, the most important of which are flour, lumber, lime, beer, tobacco, soap, candles, cement and leather. The history of Kertch merges into
that of Panticapenm, an ancient city which, in its later days, became the capital of the kingdom of the Bosporus. The Tartars captured it in the 13th century; and it fell into the hands of the Genoese in the following century. By the latter it was called Cerchio. Hence its modern name, slightly modified by the Turks, who came into possession of the city the following cen tury, only to yield it to the Russians in 1773. Kertch, owing to its situation, naturally suffered severely during the Crimean War (1854-55) at the end of which it was practically in ruins. It has been since rebuilt on much more modern lines than those of the destroyed city. Pop. 60,000.