With a population of over 1 million, Odessa is the 3rd largest city and most important port in Ukranie. The country's "southern gateway to Europe" is an industrial, cultural, scientific and academic centre, and thanks to its nearly 100 kilometers of coastline, an excellent place for a little rest and relaxation.
Alexander Pushkin, the great Russian poet and Adam Mickiewicz, a famous figure from Polish romanticism lived in this city by the Black Sea. Dimitry Mendelev, the chemist who discovered the periodic table of the elements, taught here, and the life of Odessa's everyman was recorded by Isaac Babel, the soviet-Russian author.
The area has been inhabited since at least the Bronze Age. In the 8th century B.C., ancient Greek settlements peppered the area. Towards the end of the 14th century and beginning of the 15th, nomad tribes-mainly Mongol-occupied this region by the sea. Khadzhibei is mentioned in 1415 for the first time as a Tartar settlement and a significant port city for the area's grain trade. During the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-94, Russian and Kazak forces occupied Khadzhibei as well as the nearby Turkish fortress of Yeny-Dunai. In 1794 on orders from Empress Katharine II, work began under General Suvorov to build a new city complete with a naval and commercial port. The city received the name Odessa after the one-time Greek settlement that was in the area.
Lively cultural development naturally progressed, especially during the 19th century. In 1817 the Richelieu Lyceum was founded and a French language publication was first issued. The first book written in Ukrainian-poetic narrations under the name of Marussia-was published in Odessa in 1834. Franz Liszt gave a concert here in 1847. In 1887 on the site of the old city theatre, an opera house was constructed in Viennese Baroque style. Its auditorium, famous for its excellent acoustic quality, can seat up to 1700 people. Here Tchaikowsky conducted the Odessa debut of his opera The Queen of Spades. In this building Rubinstein, Saljapin and Caruso among others have given guest performances. At the turn of the century, 486 factories and workshops operated here. The port city played a major role in the Revolution of 1905, which Einzenstein's famous film, Potyemkin memorably depicts. After the Revolution of 1917 and the Russian civil war, the city came under soviet control in 1920. During World War II, after 69 days of heroic defence, Odessa fell on August 7, 1941, but partisans continued to offer resistance from the city's casemates until April 10, 1944. even today Odessa is an important city. Machine industry, metal works, food processing and light industry are all a significant presence in the city. 18 institutes of higher learning and 19 vocational schools throughout the city educate tomorrow's leaders. In addition to the world-famous opera and ballet companies, the city boasts 7 theatres offering musical and dramatic productions, a philharmonic orchestra and a circus. Among museums dedicated to historical, city history, literary, fine arts and naval themes, the Museum of Western and Eastern Arts is important and should not be missed. Here visitors can enjoy works by Caravaggio, Canaletto, Brueghel and Rubens. In addition to the indoor treasures, the city also has nearly 2500 hectares of green surfaces and parks.
Rising from the ocean, Primorskij Boulevard offers a fantastic panorama of the dock and the Gulf of Odessa. From the esplanade, the 192 steps of the Potemkin Steps descend 136,5 meters over 27 meters to the pier. The classical styled steps built by Boffo originally bore the name of Duke Richelieu and offer an optical illusion when viewed from above: the upper and lower borders appear to be perfectly parallel, but in reality the width of the steps at the top is 12.5 meters wide while at the bottom it widens to 21 meters.
At the top of the steps stands a statue of Duke Armand Richelieu (great-grandson of the cardinal) wearing an ancient toga. The duke fled to Russia during the French Revolution and was named mayor of the city in 1803. Later he became governor of entire region. The city also guards another French tidbit: The pedestrian street Deribasovskaya was named for the French General Deribas whose Russian forces captured Khadzhibei and Yeni-Dunai.
Particularly worthy of interesting is Odessa's system of catacombs which was developed at the same time as the city was built. Limestone used for construction of the city was mined here leaving a perfect place for burial. Several hundred kilometres long, this entangled labyrinth is tied together to the outside world by numerous shafts. Visits are recommended in groups and only with the accompaniment of a trained guide.
Odessa's hotels, bed and breakfast, camp sites, sanatorium, restaurants, casinos, supermarkets, shops, banks and travel agencies are all ready to meet a visitors every need. Still, owing to the city's southern location caution is always advised. Bottled water is recommended instead of tap water and food should not be bought from street vendors.
Katalin Öze