Hretska Square, or Hretska Ploshcha ( uk, Грецька Площа, lit=Greek Square) is one of the main squares of

Odesa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrative ...

. It is on the crossing of Hretska Street and Oleksandrivskyi Prospekt. At different times it has been called Aleksandrovskaya (russian: Александровская площадь) or Martynovskogo (russian: Площадь Мартыновского). This is one of the biggest squares of Odesa. It is rectangular, with the oval building of

Mayurov House Mayurov House, also known as the Roundhouse is a famous building in Odesa, Ukraine. It is located in the city center on the Hretska Ploshcha (Greek Square), dividing it into two parts: a round part (with a well in past) and the Greek Market. Hist ...

in the center, also with semi-round houses on the sides. This is the oldest square in Odesa. It survived from the

market square The market square (or sometimes, the market place) is a Town square, square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world.Khadzhibey Khadjibey ( tr, Hacıbey) was a fortress and a haven by the Gulf of Odesa, in the location of the modern city of Odesa, Ukraine. Other known spellings include Khadzhibey, Khadjibei, Hajibey, Khacdjibei, Hacıbey, Hocabey, Gadzhibei, Chadžibėj ...

. Down by Hretska Street, between Hretska Ploshcha and Katerynynska Street, was a Muslim cemetery. After the capture of the Khadzhibey Fortress the square was free of buildings. The building construction started from the part close to Hretska Street, later from

Deribasivska Street Vulytsia Derybasivska ( uk, Дерибасівська) or De Ribas Street is a pedestrian walkway (street) in the heart of Odesa, Ukraine. The street is named after José de Ribas, who was the builder of Odesa, the head of military and civil admi ...

. The buildings were built mainly by

Greeks in Ukraine Ukrainian Greeks are a Greek minority that reside in or used to reside in the territory of modern Ukraine. The majority of Ukrainian Greeks live in Donetsk Oblast and are particularly concentrated around the city of Mariupol. According to the 20 ...

of the families Ioannopulos, Serafinos, Papakhadzhis, Rallis, and Maraslis. The Greek secret society

Filiki Eteria Filiki Eteria or Society of Friends ( el, Φιλικὴ Ἑταιρεία ''or'' ) was a secret organization founded in 1814 in Odessa, whose purpose was to overthrow the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek ...

( gr, Φιλική Εταιρεία is the Society of Friends) (whose aim was the struggle for independence of

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

) was in one of the buildings on the square since 1814. Filiki Hetairia House in Odessa-11

The main market of the city was in the square for a long time. The

garden square A garden square is a type of communal garden in an urban area wholly or substantially surrounded by buildings; commonly, it continues to be applied to public and private parks formed after such a garden becomes accessible to the public at large. ...

was in the centre of the square until the Greek Orthodox church was built. But the church building was not finished, and its foundations were re-used for building

, also known as the Roundhouse. The last construction was a mall. In the

Soviet period The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...

the square was an important transport centre. Here was the tram station (later the trolleybus station), also the bus terminal. The semi-round house which separated the square from the Bunina Street, was demolished during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The place was used as a garden in the 1950s and 1960s, but later the modern restaurant building was constructed.

was demolished in 1996 and then rebuilt with significant changes.

References

Links

Греческая площадь (Александровская, Мартыновского)

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20140524023037/http://visit.odessa.ua/sight/grecheskaya/ Греческая площадь
Греческая площадь

Из воспоминаний об Одессе
{{Odessa Squares in Odesa