The city experienced rapid growth starting in the 1920s and was the site of a major battle during World War II.

Today, it is one of the largest cities in Crimea and is among the area's most important industrial, transport and tourist centres.

Archeological digs at Mayak village near the city ascertained that the area had already been inhabited in the 17th–15th centuries BC.

[2][3][4] Kerch as a city starts its history in the 7th century BC, when Greek colonists from Miletus founded a city-state named Panticapaeum[5] on Mount Mithridat near the mouth of the Melek-Chesme river.

Later, during the rule of Mithradates VI Eupator, Panticapaeum for a short period of time became the capital of the much more powerful and extensive Kingdom of Pontus.

Myrmekion was founded in the eastern part of the Kerch, 4 km NE of ancient Panticapaeum.

In 576, it withstood a siege by the Göktürks under Bokhan, aided by Anagai, the last khan (ruler) of the Uturgurs (tribe of Huns).

Following the fall of Khazaria to Kievan Rus' in the late 10th century, Kerch became the centre of a Khazar successor-state.

The Turks decided to abandon the fortress, though reinforcements from the Ottoman Empire had arrived a few days earlier.

In 1790 Russian naval forces under the command of admiral Fyodor Ushakov defeated the Turkish fleet at the Battle of Kerch Strait.

The ironwork factory was built in 1846 based on a huge iron ore deposit found on Kerch Peninsula.

On the Eastern Front of World War II from 1941 to 1945, Kerch was the site of heavy fighting between Red Army and Axis forces.

The Red Army lost over 160,000 men, either killed or taken POW at the Battle of the Kerch Peninsula.

On 11 November 2007, a powerful storm passed through the city, causing much damage and an ecological disaster as a few ships, including an oil tanker, were shipwrecked and blocked the Kerch Strait.

Because of its location on the shores of the Azov and Black seas, Kerch became a popular summer resort among people of the former USSR.

Despite the seaside location, the tourist appeal of Kerch today is limited because of the industrial character of the city and associated pollution.

Despite the lack of beaches in the town's area, there are a lot of them at a distance of 20 minutes' travel by bus, train or taxi.

The Kerch Strait ferry line across the Kerch Strait was established in 1953, connecting Crimea and the Krasnodar Krai (Port Krym – Port Kavkaz line); (as of November 2009) there are also plans for a Kerch-Poti ferry route.

The rail section was opened in 2019, with Russian President Vladimir Putin taking the first train across on 23 December.

Currently, excavations at ancient fortresses of Kerch are led by scientists from Russia, Ukraine, and Poland.

A minor planet 2216 Kerch discovered in 1971 by Soviet astronomer Tamara Mikhailovna Smirnova is named after the city.