The Kerch Fortress is a grand defensive structure, with a history that begins in the late 18th century. It is part of the East Crimean Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve, alongside such sites as the Tsarsky Kurgan and the Historical and Archaeological Museum.

The Kerch Fortress is recognized as a monument of 19th-century fortification art and is included in Russia's cultural heritage, holding federal significance. It is located on Cape Bely, at the narrowest part of the Kerch Strait.

In Tsarist Russia, there were six first-class fortresses, and the Kerch Fortress has been preserved better than the others. At the initiative of A. V. Suvorov, who was inspecting the southern borders of the Russian Empire, the Pavlovsk artillery battery was established here in the late 18th century. However, on May 12, 1855, French troops captured and destroyed it without a single shot after landing near Kamysh-Burun.

The Treaty of Paris prohibited Russian military ships from being in the Black Sea and building fortresses on the coast. To protect the Sea of Azov, it was decided to construct a new fortress on the coast of the Kerch Strait, which did not violate the terms of the treaty. Design work began in 1856, and construction continued for two decades. The final project was approved in 1868, with additions made two years later.

The defensive structures of the fortress were located on the Pavlovsky and Ak-Burunsky capes and on nearby heights. Ships passing into the Sea of Azov were subjected to fire from several batteries. It was also planned to create an underwater mine barrier to protect the fairway.

From land, the fortress was defended by the Central Totleben Fort and the lunette forts Minsk and Vilensky. The counter-mine gallery system extended 1.6 km forward. At the same distance was the first line of fortifications, which included a hospital and a military cemetery. A reservoir with a volume of five thousand cubic meters is still operational. These structures are examples of long-term fortification from the rifled artillery era.

The main fort of the fortress is named after military engineer Eduard Ivanovich Totleben, who became the director of the Engineering Department in 1859. Emperor Alexander II supported him and ordered in 1861 that the fort be named after him.

In 1877, before the war with Turkey, construction was completed, but the fortress did not participate in the battles of the 19th century. After the revolutionary events of 1905, the fort was used for political prisoners and warehouses, which remained here during the world and civil wars. In 1920, the fortress suffered from destruction and looting. In the 1930s, it housed warehouses for the Red Army and the fleet.

In November 1941, Kerch was captured by the fascists, but the fortress resisted for a week. In May 1942, despite shelling, Soviet troops held it until the 19th, after which they left, blowing up the warehouses. In the 1980s, during earthworks, the remains of seven warriors were found and buried with honors.

After World War II, military warehouses were again established here, and Fort Totleben was used by the Black Sea Fleet until 1995. In 2003, the property and land were transferred to the State Historical and Cultural Reserve of Kerch.

Every summer, demining operations are conducted on the fortress grounds, uncovering munitions from the Great Patriotic War. In 2019, a warehouse with 1700 bombs was discovered, and in 2020, four large explosive items were found by the MB-4 robot.

The fortress consists of numerous structures perfectly integrated into the landscape, making it inconspicuous from the sea and land. However, the Kerch Strait can be effectively targeted from the fortress, and the batteries can simultaneously launch 20 tons of ammunition.

There were over 150 structures on the fortress grounds, including 20 gates, a moat 5 meters deep, more than 430 long-range cannons, and 48 mortars. Five powder magazines, barracks, underground passages, and other structures have been preserved. There is an observation platform above the Ak-Burun gates. Many of the structures are currently inaccessible for visits.