Crimea

Comprehensive Aktualizováno: 2025-12-07

Research Status: Comprehensive Last Updated: 2025-12-07 Diary Coverage: Book 00 (1884 retrospective preface)

Geographic Overview

Crimea is a peninsula jutting into the Black Sea from the southern coast of Ukraine. Most of the peninsula consists of steppe (prairie, often cool and dry), but the Crimean Mountains, which slope directly into the sea, create a second warmer and sunnier climate zone along the southern coast. This unique climate made Crimea an ideal location for health resorts, particularly the city of Yalta.

Crimea as "The Russian Riviera"

Development as a Health Resort

Since the 1860s, Yalta and other Crimean resorts began expanding as sanatorium centers. The region's salubrious climate was praised by medical specialists, including:

The tsar's physician S. Botkin
Ukrainian medical doctor Volodymyr Dmytriev

By 1900, Crimea earned the moniker "the Russian Riviera" - the most fashionable tourist location in the empire and a "coast of health" where Russians suffering from tuberculosis and other ailments went to receive treatment.

Tuberculosis Treatment

Crimea became particularly renowned for treating tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases. As one modern source explains: "Crimea has been always known as a climatic resort. The local sanatoriums were built to treat tuberculosis and other lung diseases. Crimea has ideal conditions combining sea and sub-mountain climates."

Sanatoria in Greater Yalta specialized in therapy for:

Tuberculosis (primarily)
Other respiratory ailments
Blood circulation disorders
Nervous system disorders

This medical infrastructure was supported by specialized research institutes.

Tuberculosis in Russian Imperial Society

In the 18th-19th centuries, tuberculosis was one of the most widespread infectious diseases, particularly devastating because people did not understand its bacterial nature and therefore could not protect themselves adequately. In imperial residences, consumption was particularly dreadful - it could spread through ubiquitous spittoons and contact with infected individuals.

Notable Russian imperial family members who died of tuberculosis:

Alexandra Nikolaevna (1825-1844), daughter of Nicholas I - died in 1844
George Alexandrovich (1871-1899), brother of Nicholas II - died in 1899

Crimea and the Russian Aristocracy

For Russian noble families, Crimea served multiple purposes:

Health sanctuary: Families sent tubercular members to benefit from the climate
Fashionable resort: The aristocracy maintained estates and visited regularly
Cultural destination: Literary figures like Anton Chekhov (himself tubercular) lived and wrote about Crimea
Winter retreat: Warm climate provided relief from harsh Russian winters
Social scene: Sea baths provided acceptable venues for separated or widowed noble women

The region attracted not only Russians but also visitors from across Europe, creating an international resort culture similar to Nice, Baden-Baden, and other fashionable health destinations.

Marie's Mother at Crimean Sea Baths (00.11)

In her 1884 preface, Marie describes her early childhood when her parents were separated:

"Moi, j'étais toujours avec grand-maman qui m'idolâtrait, à la campagne. Maman allait aux bains de mer en Crimée, on lui faisait la cour mais elle était sage tout en se compromettant."

(I was always with grand-maman who idolized me, in the countryside. Mother went to the sea baths in Crimea, they courted her but she was virtuous even while compromising herself.)

Social Context:

Marie's mother (Maria Stepanovna Babanina), separated from Constantin Bashkirtseff, traveled to Crimean sea baths
Her beauty attracted suitors at these fashionable resorts
Marie notes she was "sage" (virtuous) but still "se compromettant" (compromising herself)
Marie explains that in provincial Russian society, a beautiful woman from the provinces who didn't participate in formal Petersburg society but attracted attention at resorts "était un cas habituel et ne choquant personne" (was a usual case and shocked no one) - unlike in French society where she would be considered "déclassée"

This reveals Crimean resorts as important social spaces for Russian nobility, particularly for women navigating complex marital situations.

Madame Brenne's Death in Crimea (1868)

In Marie's 1884 preface (Book 00, paragraph 00.36), she mentions that her French governess Madame Brenne "est morte en 1868 en Crimée" (died in 1868 in Crimea).

Madame Brenne is described as:

About 50 years old
Having pale blue eyes
Seeming very sad
Wearing a Restoration-era hairstyle
Suffering from phtisie (tuberculosis/consumption)

The fact that Madame Brenne was in Crimea in 1868 when she died strongly suggests she went there seeking treatment for her tuberculosis, following the common practice of sending consumptive patients to benefit from the region's climate. Her death there, despite the supposedly curative climate, indicates how advanced her disease must have been.

Historical Context

During Marie Bashkirtseff's childhood (1860s-1870s), Crimea was at its height as a health destination for the Russian empire. The region combined:

Medical legitimacy (endorsed by imperial physicians)
Social prestige (aristocratic resort culture)
Natural beauty (mountains, sea, mild climate)
Accessibility (within the Russian empire, no foreign travel required)

For a French governess employed by a Russian noble family, being sent to or traveling to Crimea for tuberculosis treatment would have been a natural course of action, reflecting both the family's concern for her health and the widespread belief in climate therapy for consumption.

Literary Connections

Anton Chekhov, himself suffering from tuberculosis, spent significant time in Yalta and frequently referenced Crimean health destinations in his literary works. The region became synonymous with both hope (for cure) and melancholy (recognition of terminal illness).

Related Entries

#Maman - Marie's mother who traveled to Crimean sea baths
#Grand_maman - Cared for Marie while her mother visited Crimea
#Madame_Brenne - French governess who died in Crimea from tuberculosis (1868)
#St_Petersburg - The imperial capital, contrasted with provincial Crimean resort society
#Russia - The Russian Empire, to which Crimea belonged
#Nice - Western European equivalent as health resort for the Bashkirtseff family

Sources

%%2025-12-07T15:00:00 RSR: Created glossary entry for Crimea based on Book 00 reference to Madame Brenne's death in 1868. Research emphasizes role as tuberculosis treatment destination for Russian aristocracy. Sources confirm Crimea as "Russian Riviera" and premier health resort in 1860s-1870s.%% %%2025-12-07T16:40:00 RSR: Updated with Marie's mother's visits to Crimean sea baths (paragraph 00.11), adding social context for separated noble women at resort destinations%%