Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

. The city is also the

administrative centre An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

of the

Odesa Raion Odesa Raion () or Odessa Raion () is a List of raions of Ukraine, raion (district) of Odesa Oblast, Ukraine. It was created on 17 July 2020 as part of the reform of administrative divisions of Ukraine. Biliaivka Raion, Biliaivka Municipality, Bili ...

and

Odesa Oblast Odesa Oblast (), also referred to as Odeshchyna (Одещина), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of southwestern Ukraine, located along the northern coast of the Black Sea. Its administrative centre is the city of Ode ...

, as well as a multiethnic cultural centre. As of January 2021, Odesa's population was approximately On 25 January 2023, its historic city centre was declared a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

and added to the

List of World Heritage in Danger The List of World Heritage in Danger is compiled by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) through the World Heritage Committee according to Article 11.4 of the World Heritage Convention,Full title: ''Conv ...

by the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Committee The World Heritage Committee is a committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization that selects the sites to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the World Heritage List and the List of World Her ...

in recognition of its multiculturality and 19th-century urban planning. The declaration was made in response to the bombing of Odesa during the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, which has damaged or destroyed buildings across the city. In

classical antiquity Classical antiquity, also known as the classical era, classical period, classical age, or simply antiquity, is the period of cultural History of Europe, European history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD comprising the inter ...

a large Greek settlement existed at its location no later than the middle of the 6th century BC. It has been researched as a possible site of the ancient Greek settlement of Histria. The first chronicle mention of the Slavic settlement-port of Kotsiubijiv, which was part of the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

, dates back to 1415, when a ship was sent from here to Constantinople by sea. After the Grand Duchy lost control, the port and its surroundings became part of the domain of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in 1529, under the name Hacibey, and remained in it until the Ottomans' defeat in the

Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792) The Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1792 involved an unsuccessful attempt by the Ottoman Empire to regain lands lost to the Russian Empire in the course of the previous Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774). It took place concomitantly with the Austro-T ...

. In 1794, a decree of the Russian empress

Catherine II Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III ...

was issued to establish a navy harbor and trading place in

Khadjibey Khadjibey (; ) was a fortress and a haven by the Gulf of Odesa, in the location of the modern city of Odesa, Ukraine. The settlement was destroyed and abandoned in the 15th or 16th century and was revived under the Ottoman Empire in the 18th ...

, which was named Odessa soon after. From 1819 to 1858, Odesa was a

free port A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to ...

. During the

Soviet period The history of the Soviet Union (USSR) (1922–91) began with the ideals of the Russian Bolshevik Revolution and ended in dissolution amidst economic collapse and political disintegration. Established in 1922 following the Russian Civil War, ...

, it was an important trading port and a

naval base A naval base, navy base, or military port is a military base, where warships and naval ships are docked when they have no mission at sea or need to restock. Ships may also undergo repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that usu ...

. During the 19th century, Odesa was the fourth largest city of the Russian Empire, after

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

and

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

. Its historical architecture is more

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

than Russian, having been heavily influenced by French and Italian styles. Some buildings are built in a mixture of different styles, including

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

and

Classicist Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

. Odesa is a warm-water

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

. The city of Odesa hosts both the

Port of Odesa The Port of Odesa or Odesa Commercial Seaport (), located near Odesa, is the largest Ukrainian seaport and one of the largest ports in the Black Sea basin, with a total annual traffic capacity of 40 million tonnes (15 million tonnes dry bulk and ...

and Port Pivdennyi, a significant oil terminal situated in the city's suburbs. Another notable port,

Chornomorsk Chornomorsk (, ), formerly Illichivsk (), is a city in Odesa Raion, Odesa Oblast, south-western Ukraine, dependent on the Port of Chornomorsk. It hosts the administration of Chornomorsk urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The city ...

, is located in the same

oblast An oblast ( or ) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term ''oblast'' is often translated i ...

, to the south-west of Odesa. Together they represent a major

transport hub A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles and/or between mode of transport, transport modes. Public transport hubs include train station, railway stations, metro station, rapid transit stations, bus ...

integrating with railways. Odesa's oil and chemical processing facilities are connected to the Russian and other European networks by strategic

pipelines A pipeline is a system of pipes for long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas, typically to a market area for consumption. The latest data from 2014 gives a total of slightly less than of pipeline in 120 countries around the world. The Un ...

. In 2000, the Quarantine Pier at Odesa Commercial Sea Port was declared a free port and

free economic zone A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re- exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subjec ...

for a period of 25 years.

Name

* * * * * * . Odesa is sometimes called the Pearl by the Sea, the Southern Capital, Odesa-mama and the Humour Capital, as well as Southern

Palmyra Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...

. In 1795 the city was named Odessa in accordance with the

Greek Plan The Greek Plan or Greek Project (), an early proposed solution to the Eastern question, was advanced by the Russian empress Catherine the Great in the early 1780s. It envisaged the partition of the Ottoman Empire between the Russian and Habsb ...

of Empress Catherine II. Catherine's Secretary of State Adrian Gribovsky claimed in his memoirs that the name was his suggestion. Some expressed doubts about this claim, while others noted the reputation of Gribovsky as an honest and modest man. Odesa is located between the ancient Greek cities of

Tyras Tyras () was an ancient Greek city on the northern coast of the Black Sea. It was founded by colonists from Miletus, probably about 600 BC. The city was situated some 10 km from the mouth of the Tyras River, which is now called the Dn ...

and

Olbia Olbia (, ; ; ) is a city and communes of Italy, commune of 61,000 inhabitants in the Italy, Italian insular province of Sassari in northeastern Sardinia, Italy, in the historical region of Gallura. Called in the Roman age, Civita in the Middle ...

and it was named using a Slavic feminine form for the ancient Greek city of Odessos (; in Roman times, Odessus). This refers to the second ancient Odessos, founded between the end of the 5th and beginning of the 4th centuries BC (the first one, identified with modern

Varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city ** Varna Province ** Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna ** Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis * Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy * Varna (Šabac), a village in Serbia Asia * Var ...

in Bulgaria, is the older of the two, founded ). The exact location of this ancient Odessos is unknown, but modern efforts have attempted to localize it 40 km northeast of Odesa, near the village of Koshary, Odesa Oblast., near the

Tylihul Estuary __NOTOC__ The Tylihul Estuary also called Tylihulskyi lyman () or simply Tiligul is a Ramsar-listed government protected estuary or liman of the Tylihul River. Located in Odesa Oblast in the south of Ukraine, the estuary includes an ornitholog ...

. ''Odessa'', the transliteration of the name from Russian, was the traditional English spelling of the city's name favoured before Ukraine's independence in 1991 (similar to the spelling of Kiev versus

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

). ''Odesa'' became the internationally standardized Latin-alphabet transliteration of the Ukrainian name according to the Ukrainian National romanization system, which was adopted for official use by Ukraine's cabinet in 2010, approved by the UN Group of Experts on Geographical Names in 2012, and adopted by the BGN/PCGN in 2019. This spelling appears in ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' and in dictionaries as the spelling for the Ukrainian city. The spelling ''Odesa'' has also been adopted as the Library of Congress Name Authority Heading. As noted by the ''

Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles both in electronic format and a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 as a daily newspaper b ...

'', many in the English-language media outlets historically spelled the city ''Odessa'', even after changing the spelling of Kiev to Kyiv, but since the beginning of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine more outlets and style guides have been shifting away from Russian transliterations.

History

Early history

Odesa was the site of a large Greek settlement no later than the middle of the 6th century BC (a

necropolis A necropolis (: necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'' (). The term usually implies a separate burial site at a distan ...

from the 5th–3rd centuries BC has long been known in this area). Some scholars believe it to have been a trade settlement established by the Greek city of Histria. Whether the Bay of Odesa is the ancient "Port of the Histrians" cannot yet be considered a settled question based on the available evidence.

Archaeological artifacts An artifact or artefact (British English) is a general term for an item made or given shape by humans, such as a tool or a work of art, especially an object of archaeological interest. In archaeology, the word has become a term of particular nua ...

confirm extensive links between the Odesa area and the eastern

. In the Middle Ages successive rulers of the Odesa region included various

nomad Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...

ic tribes ( Petchenegs,

Cumans The Cumans or Kumans were a Turkic people, Turkic nomadic people from Central Asia comprising the western branch of the Cumania, Cuman–Kipchak confederation who spoke the Cuman language. They are referred to as Polovtsians (''Polovtsy'') in Ru ...

), the

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as ''Ulug Ulus'' ( in Turkic) was originally a Mongols, Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the division of ...

, the

Crimean Khanate The Crimean Khanate, self-defined as the Throne of Crimea and Desht-i Kipchak, and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary, was a Crimean Tatars, Crimean Tatar state existing from 1441 to 1783, the longest-lived of th ...

, the

, and the

Yedisan Yedisan (also ''Jedisan'' or ''Edisan''; , , , , , Dobrujan Tatar: ''Ğedísan'') was a conditional name for Özi aşaSancağı (Ochakiv Sanjak) of Silistra Eyalet, a territory located in today's Southern Ukraine between the Dniester and the S ...

Crimean Tatars Crimean Tatars (), or simply Crimeans (), are an Eastern European Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group and nation indigenous to Crimea. Their ethnogenesis lasted thousands of years in Crimea and the northern regions along the coast of the Blac ...

traded there in the 14th century. Since the middle of the 13th century the city's territory belonged to the Golden Horde domain. On Italian navigational maps of 14th century on the place of Odesa is indicated the castle of Ginestra, at the time the center of a Gazarian colony of the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( ; ; ) was a medieval and early modern Maritime republics, maritime republic from the years 1099 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italy, Italian coast. During the Late Middle Ages, it was a major commercial power in ...

. During the reign of

Khan Khan may refer to: * Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name * Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by various ethnicities Art and entertainment * Khan (band), an English progressiv ...

Hacı I Giray Hacı I Giray Crimean Tatar, Ottoman Turkish and (1397–1466) was the founder of the Crimean Khanate and the Giray dynasty of Crimea ruling from until his death in 1466. As the Golden Horde was breaking up, he established himself in Crimea an ...

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

(1441–1466), the Khanate was endangered by the Golden Horde and the Ottoman Turks and, in search of allies, the khan agreed to cede the area to Lithuania. The site of present-day Odesa was then a fortress known as

(named for Hacı I Giray, and also spelled Kocibey in English, Hacıbey or Hocabey in Turkish, and Hacıbey in Crimean Tatar). Khadjibey was first mentioned in 1415 in Polish chronicles by

Jan Długosz Jan Długosz (; 1 December 1415 – 19 May 1480), also known in Latin as Johannes Longinus, was a Polish priest, chronicler, diplomat, soldier, and secretary to Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Kraków. He is considered Poland's first histo ...

, when a ship with grain sailed from there to Constantinople. By the middle of the 15th century, the settlement was depopulated.

Ottoman conquest

came under direct control of the Ottoman Empire after 1529. In the mid-18th century, the Ottomans rebuilt the

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

at Khadjibey (also known as Hocabey), which was named ''Yeni Dünya'' (literally "New World").

Russian conquest of Sanjak of Özi (Ochakiv Oblast)

A series of wars between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, as well as the demise of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

, allowed Russia to start to fully exploit the ancient Black Sea trade across the coastal area through the steppe across southern and eastern Ukraine, into the hinterland of

East Central Europe East-Central Europe is a geopolitical term that primarily encompasses the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The area is bordered by East Slavic countries to the east and Germanic-speaking countries to the west ...

. Stable commercial activity in this region in practice in the past required both security through the overland routes, and knowledge of where products could go overseas. In antiquity, various Greek colonies had taken this role, followed by the

Varangians The Varangians ( ; ; ; , or )Varangian
," Online Etymology Dictionary were

Kievan Rus' Kievan Rus', also known as Kyivan Rus,. * was the first East Slavs, East Slavic state and later an amalgam of principalities in Eastern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical At ...

in the 9th century, as well as various Italian colonies after the

Mongol invasion of Europe From the 1220s to the 1240s, the Mongol Empire, Mongols conquered the Turkic peoples, Turkic states of Volga Bulgaria, Cumania and Iranian peoples, Iranian state of Alania, and various principalities in Eastern Europe. Following this, they began ...

. Under Catherine the Great, Russia gained, via the

Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca The Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (; ), formerly often written Kuchuk-Kainarji, was a peace treaty signed on , in Küçük Kaynarca (today Kaynardzha, Bulgaria and Cuiugiuc, Romania) between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, ending the R ...

, the lands where

Mariupol Mariupol is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is situated on the northern coast (Pryazovia) of the Sea of Azov, at the mouth of the Kalmius, Kalmius River. Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was the tenth-largest city in the coun ...

Kherson Kherson (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and , , ) is a port city in southern Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located by the Black Sea and on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, Kherson is the home to a major ship-bui ...

, and

Mykolaiv Mykolaiv ( ), also known as Nikolaev ( ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and a hromada (municipality) in southern Ukraine. Mykolaiv is the Administrative centre, administrative center of Mykolaiv Raion (Raions of Ukraine, district) and Myk ...

would be founded. However, they were all handicapped in various ways relative to how much commercial interest there was. For example, the latter two cities were situated in lowlands near marshes, which provided for poor sanitary conditions in the technology available at that time. The sleepy fishing village of Odesa had witnessed a sea-change in its fortunes when the wealthy

magnate The term magnate, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

and future

Voivode of Kiev This the list of voivodes of Kiev. A Kiev voivode () was the major administrative position in Kiev Voivodship, in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1471 until 1569 and in the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland from 1569 until 1793. In the 15–16th ...

(1791), Antoni Protazy Potocki, established trade routes through the port for the ''Polish Black Sea Trading Company'' and set up the infrastructure in the 1780s. During the Russian-Turkish War of 1787–1792, on 25 September 1789, a detachment of Russian forces, including

Zaporozhian Cossacks The Zaporozhian Cossacks (in Latin ''Cossacorum Zaporoviensis''), also known as the Zaporozhian Cossack Army or the Zaporozhian Host (), were Cossacks who lived beyond (that is, downstream from) the Dnieper Rapids. Along with Registered Cossa ...

under

Alexander Suvorov Count Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov-Rymniksky, Prince of Italy () was a Russian general and military theorist in the service of the Russian Empire. Born in Moscow, he studied military history as a young boy and joined the Imperial Russian ...

and

Ivan Gudovich Count Ivan Vasilyevich Gudovich (, tr. ; 1741–1820) was a Russian noble and military leader of Ukrainian descent. His exploits included the capture of Khadjibey (1789) and the conquest of maritime Dagestan (1807). Ivan's father was an inf ...

, took

and Yeni Dünya for the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. One section of the troops came under command of a

Spaniard Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking Ethnicity, ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern Nation state, nation-state of Spain. Genetics, Genetically and Ethnolinguisti ...

in Russian service, Irishman Major General

José de Ribas José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...

(known in Russia as Osip Mikhailovich Deribas); today, the main street in Odesa, Deribasivska Street, is named after him. Russia formally gained possession of the Sanjak of Özi (Ochakiv Oblast) as a result of the

Treaty of Jassy The Treaty of Jassy, signed at Jassy (''Iași'') in Moldavia (presently in Romania), was a pact between the Russian and Ottoman Empires ending the Russo-Turkish War of 1787–92 and confirming Russia's increasing dominance in the Black Sea. T ...

(Iaşi) in 1792 and it became a part of

Yekaterinoslav Viceroyalty The Yekaterinoslav Viceroyalty was an administrative-territorial unit ('' namestnichestvo'') of the Russian Empire, which was created on 26 March 1783 by merging Novorossiya Governorate and Azov Governorate. On 31 December 1796, it was incorpor ...

. The Russian Empire took full control of Crimea, as well as land between the

Southern Bug The Southern Bug, also called Southern Buh (; ; ; or just ), and sometimes Boh River (; ),

and the

Dniester The Dniester ( ) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and then through Moldova (from which it more or less separates the breakaway territory of Transnistria), finally discharging into the Black Sea on Uk ...

, including the

Khadzhibey Estuary The Khadzhibey Estuary, or Khadzhibeyskyi Liman (, ), is an estuary of the north-western part of the Black Sea, located on the north-west from the City of Odesa. It is named after the former Khadzhibey fortress. The estuary is separated from t ...

where the Turkish fortress of

was located. The newly acquired Ochakov Oblast was promised to the Cossacks by the Russian government for resettlement. On permission of the Archbishop of Yekaterinoslav Amvrosiy, the Black Sea Kosh Host, that was located around the area between Bender and

Ochakiv Ochakiv (, ), also known as Ochakov (; ; or, archaically, ) and Alektor (), is a small city in Mykolaiv Raion, Mykolaiv Oblast (region) of southern Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Ochakiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. ...

, built second after Sucleia wooden church of Saint Nicholas. By the Highest

rescript A rescript is a public government document. More formally, it is a document issued not on the initiative of the author, but in response to a question (usually legal) posed to the author. The word originates from replies issued by Roman emperors t ...

of 17 June 1792 addressed to General Kakhovsky it was ordered to establish the Dniester Border Line of fortresses. The commander of the land forces in Ochakiv Oblast was appointed Graf (Count) Suvorov-Rymnikskiy. The main fortress was built near Sucleia at the mouth of river Botna as the Head Dniester Fortress by Engineer-Major de Wollant. Near the new fortress saw the formation of a new "Vorstadt" (suburb) where people moved from Sucleia and Parkan. With the establishment of the Voznesensk Governorate on 27 January 1795, the Vorstadt was named

Tiraspol Tiraspol (, ; also /; , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Transnistria, a breakaway state of Moldova, where it is the third-largest city. The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River. Tiraspol is a regional hub of cul ...

. The Flemish engineer working for the Russian Empress

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

, José de Ribas's collaborator Franz de Voland recommended the area of

fortress as the site for the region's basic port: it had an ice-free harbor, breakwaters could be cheaply constructed that would render the harbor safe and it would have the capacity to accommodate large fleets. The Namestnik of Yekaterinoslav and Voznesensk,

Platon Zubov Prince Platon Alexandrovich Zubov (; ) was the last of Catherine the Great's favourites and the most powerful man in the Russian Empire during the last years of her reign. Early life The prince was a member of the Zubov Russian noble family a ...

(one of Catherine's favorites), supported this proposal. In 1794 Catherine issued a Rescript to José de Ribas: "Considering favorable

location... I order to establish here a navy harbor and trading pierce..." and invested the first money (26.000 rubles) in construction. Franz de Voland drew up a plan that would end up being the city's plan. Odessa vlasenko

However, adjacent to the new official locality, a

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

n colony already existed, which by the end of the 18th century was an independent settlement named

Moldavanka Moldavanka is a historical part of Odesa in the Odesa Oblast (province) of southern Ukraine, located jointly in Khadzhybeiskyi and Prymorskyi urban districts. Before 1820 it was a settlement just outside Odesa, which later engulfed it. Until the ...

. Some local historians consider that the settlement predates Odesa by about thirty years and assert that the locality was founded by Moldavians who came to build the fortress of Yeni Dunia for the Ottomans and eventually settled in the area in the late 1760s, right next to the settlement of

, on what later became the Primorsky Boulevard. Another version posits that the settlement appeared after Odesa itself was founded, as a settlement of Moldavians, Greeks, and Albanians fleeing the Ottoman yoke. Richardson, p. 110. Under

Paul I of Russia Paul I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination in 1801. Paul remained overshadowed by his mother, Catherine the Great, for most of his life. He adopted the Pauline Laws, laws of succession to the Russian throne—rules ...

, construction of Odesa was stopped, Franz de Voland was removed from the project, and José de Ribas was implicated in a plot to assassinate the Emperor. After Paul's assassination in 1801, the city resumed construction, and used a plan largely from de Voland's work. It was thus one of the few master planned cities in the Russian Empire.

Renaming of the settlement and establishment of sea port

In 1795,

was officially renamed with the feminine name " ()" after a Greek colony of Odessos that supposedly was located in the area. The first census that was conducted in Odesa was in 1797 which accounted for 3,455 people. Since 1795, the city had its own city magistrate, and since 1796 a city council of six members and the Odesa Commodity Exchange. In 1801, in Odesa had opened the first commercial bank. In 1803, the city accounted for 9,000 people. In their settlement, also known as Novaya Slobodka, the Moldavians owned relatively small plots on which they built village-style houses and cultivated vineyards and gardens. What became Mykhailovsky Square was the center of this settlement and the site of its first

Orthodox church Orthodox Church may refer to: * Eastern Orthodox Church, the second-largest Christian church in the world * Oriental Orthodox Churches, a branch of Eastern Christianity * Orthodox Presbyterian Church, a confessional Presbyterian denomination loc ...

, the Church of the Dormition, built in 1821 close to the seashore, as well as a cemetery. Nearby stood the

military barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...

and the country houses (''

dacha A dacha (Belarusian, Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and rus, дача, p=ˈdatɕə, a=ru-dacha.ogg) is a seasonal or year-round second home, often located in the exurbs of former Soviet Union, post-Soviet countries, including Russia. A cottage (, ...

'') of the city's wealthy residents, including that of the Duc de Richelieu, appointed by Tsar

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC * Pope Alex ...

as Governor of Odesa in 1803. Richelieu played a role during Ottoman plague epidemic which hit Odesa in the autumn 1812. Dismissive of any attempt to forge a compromise between quarantine requirements and free trade, Prince Kuriakin (the Saint Petersburg-based High Commissioner for Sanitation) countermanded Richelieu's orders. In the period from 1795 to 1814, the population of Odesa increased 15 times over and reached almost 20 thousand people. The first city plan was designed by the engineer F. Devollan in the late 18th century. Colonists of various ethnicities settled mainly in the area of the former colony, outside of the official boundaries, and as a consequence, in the first third of the 19th century, Moldavanka emerged as the dominant settlement. After planning by the official architects who designed buildings in Odesa's central district, such as the Italians Francesco Carlo Boffo and Giovanni Torricelli (see

Italians of Odesa The Italians of Odesa were an ethnic minority that once resided in Odesa, a city in southern Ukraine on the Black Sea. Italians of Odesa, whose ancestors were Italians who emigrated to Odesa during the Italian diaspora, are mentioned for the fir ...

), Moldovanka was included in the general city plan, though the original grid-like plan of Moldovankan streets, lanes, and squares remained unchanged. The new city quickly became a major success although initially, it received little state funding and privileges.Odesa: Through Cossacks, Khans and Russian Emperors
,

The Ukrainian Week ''The Ukrainian Week'' (, ) is an illustrated weekly magazine and news outlet covering politics, economics and the arts and aimed at the socially engaged Ukrainian-language reader. It provides a range of analysis, opinion, interviews, feature p ...

(18 November 2014) Its early growth owed much to the work of the Duc de Richelieu, who served as the city's governor between 1803 and 1814. Having fled the French Revolution, he had served in

Catherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

's army against the Turks. He is credited with designing the city and organizing its amenities and infrastructure, and is considered one of the founding fathers of Odesa, together with another Frenchman, Count Andrault de Langeron, who succeeded him in office. Richelieu is commemorated by a

bronze statue Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloids (su ...

, unveiled in 1828 to a design by

Ivan Martos Ivan Petrovich Martos (; ; 1754 – 5 April 1835) was a Russian sculptor and art teacher of Ukrainian origin who helped awaken Russian interest in Neoclassical sculpture. Biography Martos was born between Chernigov and Poltava in city of ...

. His contributions to the city are mentioned by

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

in his travelogue ''

Innocents Abroad ''The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrim's Progress'' is a travel literature , travel book by American author Mark Twain. Published in 1869, it humorously chronicles what Twain called his "Great Pleasure Excursion" on board the chartered stea ...

'': "I mention this statue and this stairway because they have their story. Richelieu founded Odessa – watched over it with paternal care – labored with a fertile brain and a wise understanding for its best interests – spent his fortune freely to the same end – endowed it with a sound prosperity, and one which will yet make it one of the great cities of the Old World". In 1819, Odesa became a free port, a status it retained until 1859. Odesa became home to an extremely diverse population of Albanians, Armenians, Azeris, Bulgarians, Crimean Tatars, Frenchmen, Germans (including Mennonites), Greeks, Italians, Jews, Poles, Romanians, Russians, Turks, Ukrainians, and traders representing many other nationalities (hence numerous "ethnic" names on the city's map, for example ''Frantsuzky'' (French) and ''Italiansky'' (Italian) Boulevards, ''Grecheskaya'' (Greek), ''Yevreyskaya'' (Jewish), ''Arnautskaya'' (Albanian) Streets). The

Filiki Eteria Filiki Eteria () or Society of Friends () was a secret political and revolutionary organization founded in 1814 in Odesa, Odessa, whose purpose was to overthrow Ottoman Empire, Ottoman rule in Ottoman Greece, Greece and establish an Independenc ...

, a Greek

freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

-style society that was to play an important role in the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...

, was founded in Odesa in 1814 before relocating to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

in 1818. Hundreds of refugees from the Chios massacre settled in Odesa. Odesa's

cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...

nature was documented by the great

Russian poet This is a list of authors who have written poetry in the Russian language. Alphabetical list A B C D E F G I K L M N O P R S T U V Y Z See also * List of Russian architects * Lis ...

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is consid ...

, who lived in internal exile in Odesa between 1823 and 1824. In his letters, he wrote that Odesa was a city where "the air is filled with all Europe, French is spoken and there are European papers and magazines to read". Odesa's growth was interrupted by the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

of 1853–1856, during which it was bombarded by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and Imperial French naval forces. It soon recovered and the growth in trade made Odesa Russia's largest grain-exporting port. In 1866, the city was linked by rail with

and

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

as well as with Iaşi in Romania. The city became the home of a large Jewish community during the 19th century, and by 1897 Jews were estimated to comprise some 37% of the population. The community, however, was repeatedly subjected to

anti-Semitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

and anti-Jewish agitation from almost all Christian segments of the population.

Pogrom A pogrom is a violent riot incited with the aim of Massacre, massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe late 19th- and early 20th-century Anti-Jewis ...

s were carried out in 1821, 1859, 1871, 1881 and 1905. Many Odesan Jews fled abroad after 1882, particularly to the Ottoman region that became

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

, and the city became an important base of support for

Zionism Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

. Until the 1870s, Odesa's Italian population grew steadily. From the following decade this growth stopped, and the decline of the Italian community in Odesa began. The reason was mainly one, namely the gradual integration into the Slavic population of Odesa, i.e. Russians and Ukrainians. Surnames began to be Russianized and Ukrainianized. The

revolution of 1917 The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

sent many of them to Italy, or to other cities in Europe. In

Soviet times The history of the Soviet Union (USSR) (1922–91) began with the ideals of the Russian Bolshevik Revolution and ended in dissolution amidst economic collapse and political disintegration. Established in 1922 following the Russian Civil War, ...

, only a few dozen Italians remained in Odesa, most of whom no longer knew their own language. Over time they merged with the local population, losing the ethnic connotations of origin.Father

Pietro Leoni Pietro Leoni (1 January 1909 – 26 July 1995) was an Italian priest of the Society of Jesus and the Russian Greek Catholic Church. His memoir of surviving the Gulag, ''"Spia del Vaticano!"'', was published after his return to the West. Early l ...

to Pietro Quaroni, 21 September 1944 (ASMAE, Italian embassy in Russia, 1861/1950, b. 321). They disappeared completely by

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Beginnings of revolution

In 1905, Odesa was the site of a workers' uprising supported by the crew of the Russian battleship ''Potemkin'' and the

Menshevik The Mensheviks ('the Minority') were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with Vladimir Lenin's Bolshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903. Mensheviks held more moderate and reformist ...

Iskra ''Iskra'' (, , ''the Spark'') was a fortnightly political newspaper of Russian socialist emigrants established as the official organ of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP). History ''Iskra'' was published in exile and then smuggl ...

Sergei Eisenstein Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein; (11 February 1948) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter, film editor and film theorist. Considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, he was a pioneer in the theory and practice of montage. He is no ...

's famous motion picture ''The Battleship Potemkin'' commemorated the uprising and included a scene where hundreds of Odesan citizens were murdered on the great stone staircase (now popularly known as the " Potemkin Steps"), in one of the most famous scenes in motion picture history. At the top of the steps, which lead down to the port, stands a statue of the Duc de Richelieu. The actual massacre took place in streets nearby, not on the steps themselves, but the film caused many to visit Odesa to see the site of the "slaughter". The "Odesa Steps" continue to be a

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beaut ...

in Odesa. The film was made at Odesa's Cinema Factory, one of the oldest cinema studios in the

former Soviet Union The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union or the former Soviet republics, are the independent sovereign states that emerged/re-emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Prior to their independence, they ...

. Following the

Bolshevik Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. It was led by Vladimir L ...

in 1917 during Ukrainian-Soviet War, Odesa saw two Bolshevik armed insurgencies, the second of which succeeded in establishing their control over the city; for the following months, the city became a center of the Odesa Soviet Republic. After signing of the

Brest-Litovsk Treaty The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a separate peace treaty signed on 3 March 1918 between Soviet Russia and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria), by which Russia withdrew from World War I. The treaty, whi ...

all Bolshevik forces were driven out by 13 March 1918 by the combined armed forces of the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

, providing support to the

Ukrainian People's Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) was a short-lived state in Eastern Europe. Prior to its proclamation, the Central Council of Ukraine was elected in March 1917 Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, as a result of the February Revolution, ...

. With the end of the

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and the withdrawal of armies of Central Powers, the Soviet forces fought for control over the country with the army of the Ukrainian People's Republic. A few months later the city was occupied by the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

and the

Greek Army The Hellenic Army (, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term '' Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the largest of the three branches of the Hellenic Armed F ...

that supported the Russian White movement, White Army in its struggle with the Bolsheviks. The Ukrainian general Nykyfor Hryhoriv who sided with Bolsheviks managed to drive the Triple Entente forces out of the city, but Odesa was soon retaken by the Russian White Army. By 1920 the Soviet Red Army managed to overpower both the Ukrainian and Russian White Army and secure the city. The people of Odesa suffered badly from a famine that resulted from the Russian Civil War in 1921–1922 due to the Soviet policies of prodrazverstka. In 1937, around 1,000 Poles were executed in Odesa during the Polish Operation of the NKVD.

World War II

During

, Odesa was attacked by Romanian and German troops in August 1941. The Siege of Odessa (1941) started on 5 August and lasted for 73 days. The defense was organized on three lines with emplacements consisting of trenches, anti-tank ditches and pillboxes. The first line was long and situated some from the city. The second and main line of defense was situated from the city and was about long. The third and last line of defense was organized inside the city itself. Lyudmila Pavlichenko, the famous female sniper, took part in the battle for Odesa. She recorded 187 confirmed kills during the defense of Odesa. Pavlichenko's confirmed kills during World War II totaled 309 (including 36 enemy snipers). The city fell to the Axis powers, Axis on 16 October 1941, and it was henceforth subject to Romanian administration. By that time, the Soviet authorities had been able to evacuate 200,000 people as well as weaponry and industrial equipment. A day later, Odesa was made the capital of Transnistria (World War II), Transnistria. Partisan fighting continued, however, in the Odesa catacombs, city's catacombs. Odessa opera house advertisement transnistria times

Odessa opera house advertisement transnistria times

Following the siege, and the Axis occupation, approximately 25,000 Odesans were murdered in the outskirts of the city and over 35,000 deported; this came to be known as the 1941 Odessa massacre. Most of the atrocities were committed during the first six months of the occupation which officially began on 17 October 1941, when 80 per cent of the 210,000 Jews in the region were killed, compared to Jews in Romania proper where the majority survived. Richardson, p. 33. After the Nazi forces began to lose ground on the Eastern Front, the Romanian administration changed its policy, refusing to deport the remaining Jewish population to extermination camps in German History of Poland (1939–1945), occupied Poland, and allowing Jews to work as hired labourers. As a result, despite the events of 1941, the survival of the Jewish population in this area was higher than in other areas of occupied eastern Europe. Orders, decorations, and medals of the Soviet Union, A Soviet medal, Medal "For the Defence of Odessa", "For the Defence of Odesa", was established on 22 December 1942. It was one of the first four Soviet cities to be awarded the title of "Hero City (Soviet Union), Hero City" in 1945. (The others were Siege of Leningrad, Leningrad, Battle of Stalingrad, Stalingrad, and Siege of Sevastopol (1941–42), Sevastopol). The city suffered severe damage and sustained many casualties over the course of the war. Many parts of Odesa were damaged during both its siege Odessa Offensive, and recapture on 10 April 1944, when the city was finally liberated by the Red Army. Some of the Odesans had a more favourable view of the Romanian occupation, in contrast with the Soviet official view that the period was exclusively a time of hardship, deprivation, oppression and suffering – claims embodied in public monuments and disseminated through the media to this day. Subsequent Soviet policies imprisoned and executed numerous Odesans (and deported most of the German population) on account of collaboration with the occupiers. File:Odessa (timbre soviétique).jpg, Postage stamp of the USSR 1965 "Hero-City Odesa 1941–1945" File:Defence of Odessa OBVERSE.jpg, Obverse of the Soviet campaign medal "For the Defence of Odesa" File:Defence of Odessa REVERSE.jpg, Reverse of the Soviet campaign medal "For the Defence of Odesa"; inscription reads "For our Soviet homeland". File:Наградное удостоверение к медали За оборону Одессы.jpg, alt=Certificate "For taking part in the heroic defense of Odessa" Logvinov Petr Leontievich was awarded the Medal for the Defense of Odessa., Certificate "For taking part in the heroic defense of Odesa"; Logvinov Petr Leontievich was awarded the Medal for the Defense of Odesa.

Postwar Soviet period

RIAN archive 171693 Fleet of whalers lying up in Odessa port

During the 1960s and 1970s, the city grew. Nevertheless, the majority of Odesa's Jews emigrated to Israel, the United States and other Western countries between the 1970s and 1990s. Many ended up in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Brighton Beach, sometimes known as "Little Odesa". Domestic migration of the Odesan middle and Social class, upper classes to Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Leningrad, cities that offered even greater opportunities for career advancement, also occurred on a large scale. Despite this, the city grew rapidly by filling the void of those left with new migrants from rural Ukraine and industrial professionals invited from all over the Soviet Union. Russov House Odessa2020

As a part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, the city preserved and somewhat reinforced its unique cosmopolitan mix of Russian/Ukrainian/Jewish culture and a predominantly Russophone environment with the Odesan Russian, uniquely accented dialect of Russian spoken in the city. The city's unique identity has been formed largely thanks to its varied demography; all the city's communities have influenced aspects of Odesan life in some way or form.

Independent Ukraine

In the 1991 Ukrainian independence referendum 85.38% of Odesa Oblast voted for independence. Odesa is a city of more than 1 million people. The city's industries include shipbuilding, oil refinery, oil refining, chemicals, metalworking, and food processing. Odesa is also a Ukrainian Ukrainian Navy, naval base and home to a fishing fleet. It is known for its large outdoor market – the Seventh-Kilometer Market, the largest of its kind in Europe. Odesa was a contender for hosting UEFA Euro 2012, Euro 2012 football matches in, but lost the competition to other cities in Ukraine. The city saw violence in the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine during the 2014 Odesa clashes. The 2 May 2014 Odesa clashes between pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian protestors killed 42 people. Four were killed during the protests, and at least 32 people were killed after a trade union building was set on fire after Molotov cocktails exchange between sides. Polls conducted from September to December 2014 found no support for joining Russia. Odesa was struck by three bomb blasts in December 2014, one of which killed one person (the injuries sustained by the victim indicated that he had dealt with explosives).Two dead after Ukraine rocked by series of blasts
, Mashable (28 December 2014)
Interior minister's advisor says Kharkiv, Odesa explosions aim at escalating tensions in Ukraine
, Interfax-Ukraine (25 December 2014) Internal Affairs Ministry advisor Zorian Shkiryak said on 25 December that Odesa and Kharkiv had become "cities which are being used to escalate tensions" in Ukraine. Shkiryak said that he suspected that these cities were singled out because of their "geographic position". On 5 January 2015 the city's Euromaidan Coordination Center and a cargo train car were (non-lethally) bombed.French Leader Urges End to Sanctions Against Russia Over Ukraine
, New York Times (5 January 2015)
Latest Explosion in Odessa Strikes Pro-Ukraine Organization (Video)
, The Moscow Times (5 January 2015)
Mysterious bombing rocks Ukrainian port city of Odessa
, Mashable (5 January 2015) Until 18 July 2020, Odesa was incorporated as a city of regional significance (Ukraine), city of oblast significance. In July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Odesa Oblast to seven, the city of Odesa was merged into newly established Odesa Raion. In the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the city 2022 bombing of Odesa, faced some Russian bombing attacks. On 23 April 2022, Russian troops bombarded Odesa with cruise missiles. They destroyed both the city's military infrastructure and residential buildings, killing eight people and wounding another eighteen people. In addition, the Russian military destroyed more than 1,000 m² of the territory of the cemetery. The city suffered further aerial attacks on regional infrastructure facilities in October 2022, cutting off power to 10,500 households and injuring three people. On 25 January 2023,

announced that the historical city center of Odesa was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List. In order to provide technical and financial assistance if needed, it was also included into the List of World Heritage in Danger, list of world heritage sites in danger.

Geography

Location

Odesa is located () in the Black Sea Lowland in Southern Ukraine which being part of the greater Eastern European Plain gradually slopes towards the

and the Sea of Azov. The city lies on the northwestern coast of the

along the southwestern shore of the Gulf of Odesa, approximately north of the estuary of the

river and some south of the Ukrainian capital

. The international border between Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova lies some west of the city. The city is situated on terraced hills overlooking a small harbor. The average elevation at which the city is located is around . The maximum is and minimum (on the coast) amounts to Above mean sea level, above sea level. There are three large estuary, estuaries near the city: Kuialnyk Estuary, Kuialnyk, Khadzhibey Estuary, Khadzhibey and Sukhyi Estuary, Sukhyi. The city currently covers a territory of . The population density for which is around 6,139 persons/km². Sources of running water in the city include the Dniester River, from which water is taken and then purified at a processing plant just outside the city. Being located in the south of Ukraine, the topography of the area surrounding the city is typically flat and there are no large mountains or hills for many kilometres around. Flora is of the deciduous variety and Odesa is known for its tree-lined avenues which, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, made the city a favourite year-round retreat for the Russian aristocracy. The city's location on the coast of the

has also helped to create a booming tourist industry in Odesa. The city's Arkadia beach has long been a favourite place for relaxation, both for the city's inhabitants and its visitors. This is a large sandy beach which is located to the south of the city centre. Odesa's many sandy beaches are considered to be quite unique in Ukraine, as the country's southern coast (particularly in the Crimea) tends to be a location in which the formation of stoney and pebble beaches has proliferated. The coastal cliffs adjacent to the city are home to frequent landslides, resulting in a typical change of landscape along the Black Sea. Due to the fluctuating slopes of land, city planners are responsible for monitoring the stability of such areas, and for preserving potentially threatened building and other structures of the city above sea level near water. Also a potential danger to the infrastructure and architecture of the city is the presence of multiple openings underground. These cavities can cause buildings to collapse, resulting in a loss of money and business. Due to the effects of climate and weather on sedimentary rocks beneath the city, the result is instability under some buildings' foundations.

Climate

Odesa has a hot-summer humid continental climate (''Dfa'', using the isotherm), bordering a Cold semi-arid climate, cold semi-arid (''BSk'') as well as a humid subtropical climate (''Cfa''). This has, over the past few centuries, aided the city greatly in creating conditions necessary for the development of summer tourism in Ukraine, tourism. During the tsarist era, Odesa's climate was considered to be beneficial for the body, and thus many wealthy but sickly persons were sent to the city in order to relax and recuperate. This resulted in the development of spa culture and the establishment of a number of luxury hotels in the city. The average annual temperature of the sea is . Seasonal sea temperatures range from an average of from January to March, to in August. Typically, for a total of 4 months – from June to September – the average sea temperature in the Gulf of Odesa and the city's bay area exceeds . The city typically experiences dry, cold winters which are relatively mild when compared to most of Ukraine, as they are marked by temperatures that rarely fall below . Summers see an increased level of precipitation, and the city often experiences warm weather with temperatures often reaching the high 20s and low 30s °C. Snow cover is light to moderate due to the city's location on the northern coast of the Black Sea, and municipal services rarely experience problems that can often be found in other, more northern Ukrainian cities. The city hardly ever faces sea ice formation.

Demographics

Historical ethnic and national composition

* Russian Empire Census, 1897 # Russians: 198,233 people (49.09%) # Jews: 124,511 people (30.83%) # Ukrainians: 37,925 people (9.39%) # Polish people, Poles: 17,395 people (4.31%) # Germans: 10,248 people (2.54%) # Greeks: 5,086 people (1.26%) # Tatars: 1,437 people (0.36%) # Armenians: 1,401 people (0.35%) # Belarusians: 1,267 people (0.31%) # French people, French: 1,137 people (0.28%) * Soviet Census (1926), 1926 # Russians: 162,789 people (39.97%) # Jews: 153,243 people (36.69%) # Ukrainians: 73,453 people (17.59%) # Polish people, Poles: 10,021 people (2.40%) # Germans: 5,522 people (1.32%) # Belarusians: 2,501 people (0.60%) # Armenians: 1,843 people (0.44%) # Greeks: 1,377 people (0.33%) # Bulgarians: 1,186 people (0.28%) # Moldovans: 1,048 people (0.25%) * Soviet Census (1939), 1939 # Jews: 200,961 people (33.26%) # Russians: 186,610 people (30.88%) # Ukrainians: 178,878 people (29.60%) # Polish people, Poles: 8,829 people (1.46%) # Germans: 8,424 people (1.39%) # Bulgarians: 4,967 people (0.82%) # Moldovans: 2,573 people (0.43%) # Armenians: 2,298 people (0.38%) * 1941 Romanian census, 1941 # Ukrainians: 120,945 people (49.45%) # Russians: 92,584 people (37.85%) # Germans: 8,643 people (3.53%) # Polish people, Poles: 7,488 people (3.06%) # Bulgarians: 4,928 people (2.01%) # Moldovans: 3,224 people (1.32%) # Tatars: 436 people (0.18%) # Lipovans: 429 people (0.17%) * 2001 Ukrainian census, 2001 # Ukrainians: 622,900 people (61.6%) # Russians: 292,000 people (29.0%) # Bulgarians: 13,300 people (1.3%) # Jews: 12,400 people (1.2%) # Moldovans: 7,600 people (0.7%) # Belarusians: 6,400 people (0.6%) # Armenians: 4,400 people (0.4%) # Polish people, Poles: 2,100 people (0.2%)

is also home to many different nationalities and minority ethnic groups, including Albanians, Armenians, Azeris,

, Bulgarians, Georgians, Greeks, Jews, Polish people, Poles, Romani people, Roma, Romanians, Turkish people, Turks, among others. Up until the early 1940s the city had a large Jewish population. As the result of Holocaust, mass deportation to extermination camps during the Second World War, the city's Jewish population declined considerably. Since the 1970s, the majority of the remaining Jewish population Aliyah, emigrated to Israel and other countries, shrinking the Jewish community. Through most of the 19th century and until the mid-20th century, the largest ethnic group in Odesa was Russians, with the second largest ethnic group being Jews. Anatra Anasalj

Italians trace their presence in what later would become Odessa to as early as 1200, when Genoa, Genoese "Ginestra" trade ships anchored there. In 1797 there were about 800 Italians of Odesa, Italians in Odesa, equal to 10% of the total population. For more than a century the Italians of Odesa greatly influenced the culture, art, industry, society, architecture, politics and economy of the city. Among the works created by the Italians of Odesa there were the Potemkin Stairs and the Odesa Opera and Ballet Theatre, Odesa Opera and Ballet Theater. At the beginning of the 19th century the Italian language became the second official language in Odesa, after Russian. Until the 1870s, Odesa's Italian population grew steadily. From the following decade this growth stopped, and the decline of the Italian community in Odesa began. The reason was mainly one, namely the gradual integration into the Slavic population of Odesa, i.e. Russians and Ukrainians. Surnames began to be Russianized and Ukrainianized. The

sent many of them to Italy, or to other cities in Europe. In

, only a few dozen Italians remained in Odesa, most of whom no longer knew their own language. Over time they merged with the local population, losing the ethnic connotations of origin. They disappeared completely by

The peculiarity of the ethnic composition of the modern population of the city of Odesa is its ethnic diversity. According to the 2001 Ukrainian census, Ukrainians made up 62% of the Odesa's inhabitants, Russians 29%, Bulgarians 6.1%, Moldovans 5%, Gagauz 1.1%, Jews 0.6%, Belarusians 0.5%, Armenians 0.3%, Roma 0.2%, Poles, Germans, Georgians, Azerbaijanis, Tartars, Greeks, Albanians and Arabs each 0.1%, and 1.9% were people of other nationalities. A 2015 study by the International Republican Institute found that 68% of Odesa's population were ethnic Ukrainians, and 25% were ethnic Russians.

Language

Distribution of the population of the city of Odesa by First language#Defining "native language", native language according to the 2001 Ukrainian census, 2001 census: According to the Seventh Annual Ukrainian Municipal Survey, 96% of the residents of Odesa spoke some Russian at home and 29% spoke some Ukrainian at home (overlap due to a lot of people speaking both languages). Ukrainian language, Ukrainian is gaining in popularity: in 2021, the share of residents speaking some Ukrainian at home has increased almost 5 times from 6% in 2015 to 29% in 2021. According to a survey conducted by the International Republican Institute in April–May 2023, 53% of the city's population has higher or incomplete higher education, 16% spoke Ukrainian at home and 80% spoke Russian. 58% of

's population consider Ukrainian their native language, and 39% of population in Ukraine's South who consider Ukrainian their native language mostly speak Russian at home. According to a sociological survey conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation from 10 to 21 July 2023 in Odesa Oblast, the share of respondents who speak Ukrainian at home has increased to 42% (from 26% in 2021), while the share of those who speak Russian at home has dropped to 54%.

Government and administrative divisions

Odesa is the Capital city, administrative centre of

and

, and it is the only constituent of Odesa urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The city of Odesa is governed by a mayor and city council which work cooperatively to ensure the smooth-running of the city and procure its municipal bylaws. The city's budget is also controlled by the administration. The mayoralty plays the role of the executive in the city's municipal administration. Above all comes the mayor, who is elected, by the city's electorate, for five years in a direct election. 2015 Ukrainian local elections#Odesa, 2015 Mayoral election of Odesa Gennadiy Trukhanov, Hennadii Trukhanov was reelected in the first round of the election with 52,9% of the vote. Trukhanov was again reelected in the second round of the 2020 Ukrainian local elections#Odesa, 2020 Mayoral election of Odesa when 54.28% of the voters voted for him.Trukhanov officially won the mayoral election in Odesa
,

(17 November 2020) There are five deputy mayors, each of which is responsible for a certain particular part of the city's public policy. Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary b42 726-0

Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary b42 726-0

The City Council of the city makes up the administration's legislative branch, thus effectively making it a city 'parliament' or rada. The municipal council is made up of 120 elected members, who are each elected to represent a certain district of the city for a four-year term. The current council is the fifth in the city's modern history, and was elected in January 2011. In the regular meetings of the municipal council, problems facing the city are discussed, and annually the city's budget is drawn up. The council has seventeen standing commissions which play an important role in controlling the finances and trading practices of the city and its merchants. The territory of Odesa is divided into four administrative Urban districts of Ukraine, urban districts (raions): * Kyivskyi District * Khadzhybeiskyi District * Prymorskyi District * Peresypskyi District In addition, every district has its own administration, subordinate to the Odesa City council, and with limited responsibilities.

Cityscape

Many of Odesa's buildings have, rather uniquely for a Ukrainian city, been influenced by the Mediterranean style of classical architecture. This is particularly noticeable in buildings built by architects such as the Italians of Odesa, Italian of Odesa Francesco Boffo, who in the early 19th-century built a palace and colonnade for the Governor of Odesa, Prince Mikhail Vorontsov, the Odesa Fine Arts Museum, Potocki Palace and many other public buildings. In 1887 one of the city's most well known architectural monuments was completed – the theatre, which still hosts a range of performances to this day; it is widely regarded as one of the world's finest opera houses. The first opera house was opened in 1810 and destroyed by fire in 1873. The modern building was constructed by Ferdinand Fellner, Fellner and Hermann Helmer, Helmer in Baroque Revival architecture, neo-baroque; its luxurious hall was built in the rococo style. It is said that thanks to its unique acoustics, even a whisper from the stage can be heard in any part of the hall. The theatre was projected along the lines of Dresden's Semperoper built in 1878, with its nontraditional foyer following the curvatures of the auditorium; the building's most recent renovation was completed in 2007. Odesa's most iconic symbol, the Potemkin Stairs, is a vast staircase that conjures an illusion so that those at the top only see a series of large steps, while at the bottom all the steps appear to merge into one pyramid-shaped mass. The original 200 steps (now reduced to 192) were designed by Italian architect Francesco Boffo and built between 1837 and 1841. The steps were made famous by

in his film, ''Battleship Potemkin''. Most of the city's 19th-century houses were built of limestone mined nearby. Abandoned mines were later used and broadened by local smuggling, smugglers. This created a gigantic, complicated labyrinth of tunnels beneath Odesa, known as the Odesa catacombs. During World War II, the catacombs served as a hiding place for Partisan (military), partisans and natural shelter for civilians, who were escaping airplane bombing. Derybasivska Street, an attractive pedestrian avenue named after

, the Neapolitan-born founder of Odesa and decorated Russian Navy Admiral from the Russo-Turkish War, is famous by its unique character and architecture. During the summer it is common to find large crowds of people leisurely sitting and talking on the outdoor terraces of numerous cafés, bars and restaurants, or simply enjoying a walk along the cobblestone street, which is not open to vehicular traffic and is kept shaded by the linden trees which line its route. A similar streetscape can also be found in that of Prymorsky Bulvar, a grand thoroughfare which runs along the edge of the plateau upon which the city is situated, and where many of the city's most imposing buildings are to be found. As one of the biggest on the Black Sea, Odesa's port is busy all year round. The Odesa Seaport is located on an artificial stretch of the Black Sea coast, along with the north-western part of the Gulf of Odesa. The total shoreline length of Odesa's seaport is around . The port, which includes an oil refinery, container handling facility, passenger area and numerous areas for handling dry cargo, is lucky in that its work does not depend on seasonal weather; the harbour itself is defended from the elements by breakwaters. The port is able to handle up to 14 million tons of cargo and about 24 million tons of oil products annually, whilst its passenger terminals can cater for around 4 million passengers a year at full capacity. As Odesa has been inhabited by peoples of different religions, it has a variety of religious buildings, such as the Orthodox Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, Transfiguration Cathedral, Catholic Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral, Odesa, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral, Lutheran St. Paul's Church, Brodsky Synagogue (Odesa), Brodsky Synagogue, and Al-Salam Mosque, Odesa, Al-Salam Mosque. There is also a number of historic cemeteries, including the Cossack Kuialnyk Cemetery. In late 2022 one of the city's former central landmarks, the monument to the founders of Odesa with its statue of

, was dismantled and temporarily moved to the Odesa Fine Arts Museum.

Parks and gardens

There are a number of public parks and gardens in Odesa, among these are the Preobrazhensky, Gorky and Victory parks, the latter of which is an arboretum. The city is also home to a university botanical garden, which recently celebrated its 200th anniversary, and a number of other smaller gardens. The Odesa city garden, City Garden, or Gorodskoy Sad, is perhaps the most famous of Odesa's gardens. Laid out in 1803 by Felix De Ribas (brother of the founder of Odesa, José de Ribas) on a plot of urban land he owned, the garden is located right in the heart of the city. When Felix decided that he was no longer able to provide enough money for the garden's upkeep, he decided to present it to the people of Odesa in 1806. The garden is home to a bandstand and is the traditional location for outdoor theater in the summertime. Numerous sculptures can also be found within the grounds, as well as a musical fountain, the waters of which are computer controlled to coordinate with the musical melody being played. Odesa's largest park, Shevchenko Park (Odesa), Shevchenko Park (previously Alexander Park), was founded in 1875, during a visit to the city by Alexander II of Russia, Emperor Alexander II. The park covers an area of around and is located near the centre of the city, on the side closest to the sea. Within the park there are a variety of cultural and entertainment facilities, and wide pedestrian avenues. In the center of the park is the local top-flight football team's Chornomorets Stadium, the Alexander Column and municipal observatory. The Baryatinsky Bulvar is popular for its route, which starts at the park's gate before winding its way along the edge of the coastal plateau. There are a number of monuments and memorials in the park, one of which is dedicated to the park's namesake, the Ukrainian national poet Taras Shevchenko. File:Украина, Одесса - Свято-Преображенский кафедральный собор 02.jpg, The city's Preobrazhensky Park surrounds its cathedral. File:Odessa AlexanderII colomn and spruce tree.jpg, The Alexander Column in Shevchenko Park (Odesa), Schevchenko Park File:Украина, Одесса - Приморский бульвар, 11.jpg, The Londonskaya Hotel, on Odesa's magnificent Prymorsky Bulvar, is one of the city's landmark buildings. File:Odesa Olgivska-4 0-1.jpg, alt=The main building of the Odesa National Medical University, The main building of the Odesa National Medical University

Education

Odesa is home to several universities and other institutions of higher education. The city's best-known and most prestigious university is the Odesa University, Odesa 'I.I. Mechnykov' National University. This university is the oldest in the city and was first founded by an edict of Tsar Alexander II of Russia in 1865 as the Imperial Novorossiya Governorate, Novorossian University. Since then the university has developed to become one of modern Ukraine's leading research and teaching universities, with staff of around 1,800 and total of thirteen academic faculties. Other than the National University, the city is also home to the 1921-inaugurated Odesa National Economics University, Odesa National Economic University, the Odesa National Medical University (founded 1900), the 1918-founded Odesa National Polytechnic University. In addition to these universities, the city is home to the National University Odesa Law Academy, National University "Odesa Law Academy", the National Academy of Telecommunications, the Odesa State Environmental University and the National University «Odesa Maritime Academy», Odesa National Maritime Academy. The last of these institutions is a highly specialised and prestigious establishment for the preparation and training of merchant mariners which sees around 1,000 newly qualified officer cadets graduate each year and take up employment in the merchant marines of numerous countries around the world. The South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University is also based in the city, this is one of the largest institutions for the preparation of educational specialists in Ukraine and is recognised as one of the country's finest of such universities. In addition to all the state-run universities mentioned above, Odesa is also home to many private educational institutes and academies which offer highly specified courses in a range of different subjects. With regard to primary and secondary education, Odesa has many schools catering for all ages from kindergarten through to lyceum (final secondary school level) age. Most of these schools are state-owned and operated, and all schools have to be state-accredited in order to teach children.

Culture

Museums, art and music

Odesa Fine Arts Museum, Fine Arts museum is the biggest art gallery in the city, which collection includes canvas mostly of Russian painters from 17th-21st centuries, icon collection and modern art. The Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art is big art museum; it has large European collections from the 16–20th centuries along with the art from the East on display. There are paintings from Caravaggio, Pierre Mignard, Mignard, Frans Hals, Hals, Teniers and Del Piombo. Of note is Odesa's Odesa Pushkin Museum, Alexander Pushkin Museum, which is dedicated to detailing the short time Alexander Pushkin, Pushkin spent in exile in Odesa, a period during which he continued to write. The poet also has a city street named after him, as well as a statue. Other museums in the city include the Odesa Archeological Museum, which is housed in a neoclassical building, the Odesa Numismatics Museum, the Odesa Museum of Regional History, Odesa Museum of the Regional History, Museum of Heroic Defense of Odesa (411th Battery). Among the city's public sculptures, two sets of ''Medici lions'' can be noted, at the Vorontsov Palace (Odesa), Vorontsov Palace as well as in the Starosinnyi Garden. Jacob Pavlovich Adler, Jacob Adler, the major star of the Yiddish theatre in New York and father of the actor, director and teacher Stella Adler, was born and spent his youth in Odesa. The most popular Russian show business people from Odesa are Yakov Smirnoff (comedian), Mikhail Zhvanetsky (legendary List of humorists, humorist writer, who began his career as a port engineer) and Roman Kartsev (comedian). Zhvanetsky's and Kartsev's success in the 1970s, along with Odesa's KVN team, contributed to Odesa's established status as "capital of Soviet humor", culminating in the annual Humorina, Humoryna festival, carried out around the beginning of April. Odesa was also the home of the late Armenian painter Sarkis Ordyan (1918–2003), the Ukrainian painter Mickola Vorokhta and the Greek philologist, author and promoter of Modern Greek, Demotic Greek Ioannis Psycharis (1854–1929). Yuri Siritsov, bass player of the Israeli Metal band PallaneX is originally from Odesa. Igor Glazer Production Manager Baruch Agadati (1895–1976), the Israeli classical ballet dancer, choreographer, painter, and film producer and director grew up in Odesa, as did Franco-Israeli École de Paris painter and sculptor Yitzhak Frenkel, Isaac Frenkel Frenel, Israeli artist and author Nachum Gutman (1898–1980). Israeli painter Avigdor Stematsky (1908–89) was born in Odesa. Bunina-15-135

Odesa produced one of the founders of the Soviet violin school, Pyotr Stolyarsky. It has also produced many musicians, including the violinists Nathan Milstein, David Oistrakh and Igor Oistrakh, Boris Goldstein, Zakhar Bron and pianists Sviatoslav Richter, Benno Moiseiwitsch, Vladimir de Pachmann, Shura Cherkassky, Emil Gilels, Maria Grinberg, Simon Barere, Leo Podolsky and Yakov Zak. (Note: Richter studied in Odesa but was not born there.) The Odesa International Film Festival is also held in this city annually since 2010.

Literature

Poet Anna Akhmatova was born in Bolshoy Fontan near Odesa, however her further work was not connected with the city and its literary tradition. Odesa has produced many writers, including Isaak Babel, Isaac Babel, whose series of short stories, Odessa Tales, are set in the city. Edmund de Waal's best selling memoire, ''The Hare with the Amber Eyes'' is the story of his family, the Ephrussi, once a great banking dynasty based in Odesa. Other Odesans are the duo Ilf and Petrov—authors of ''The Twelve Chairs'', and Yury Olesha, Yuri Olesha, author of "The Three Fat Men". Vera Inber, a poet and writer, as well as the poet and journalist Margarita Aliger, were both born in Odesa. The Italian writer, Slavist and Anti-fascism, anti-fascist dissident Leone Ginzburg was born in Odesa into a Jewish family, and then went to Italy where he grew up and lived. The Hebrew author and poet Haim Bialik established a publishing house and worked in the city from the 1890s to 1911. One of the most prominent pre-war Russian literature, Soviet writers, Valentin Kataev, was born here and began his writing career as early as high school (gymnasia). Before moving to Moscow in 1922, he made quite a few acquaintances here, including Yury Olesha and Ilf and Petrov, Ilya Ilf (Ilf's co-author Petrov was in fact Kataev's brother, Petrov being his pen-name). Kataev became a benefactor for these young authors, who would become some of the most talented and popular List of Russian language writers, Russian writers of this period. In 1955 Kataev became the first editing, chief editor of the ''Youth'' (), one of the leading literary magazine, literature magazines of the Khrushchev Thaw, Ottepel of the 1950s and 1960s. These authors and comedians played a great role in establishing the "Odesa myth" in the Soviet Union. Odesans were and are viewed in the ethnic stereotype as sharp-witted, street-wise and eternally optimistic. These qualities are reflected in the "Odesa dialect", which borrows chiefly from the characteristic speech of the Odesan Jews, and is enriched by a plethora of influences common for the port city. The "Odesite speech" became a staple of the "Soviet Jew" depicted in a multitude of jokes and comedy acts, in which a Jewish adherent served as a wise and subtle dissenter and opportunist, always pursuing his own Quality of life, well-being, but unwittingly pointing out the flaws and absurdities of the Soviet regime. The Odesan Jew in the jokes always "came out clean" and was, in the end, a lovable character – unlike some of other jocular nation stereotypes such as The Chukcha, The Ukrainian, The Estonian or The American.

Resorts and health care

Odessa Arcadia Plaza Beach Sea Water Sweaming Pool

Odesa is a popular tourist destination, with many therapeutic resorts in and around the city. The city's The Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases & Tissue Therapy, Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases & Tissue Therapy is one of the world's leading ophthalmology clinics.

Celebrations and holidays

April Fools' Day, held annually on 1 April, is one of the most celebrated festivals in the city. Practical joking is a central theme throughout, and Odesans dress in unique, colorful attire to express their spontaneous and comedic selves. The tradition has been celebrated since the early 1970s, when the humor of Ukraine's citizens were drawn to television and the media, further developing into a mass festival. Large amounts of money are made from the festivities, supporting Odesa's local entertainers and shops.

Notable Odesans

* Pyotr Schmidt (1867–1906) (better known as "Lieutenant Schmidt"), one of the leaders of the Sevastopol Uprising, Sevastopol uprising, was born in Odesa. * Ze'ev Jabotinsky (1880–1940), was born in Odesa, and largely developed his version of

there in the early 1920s. A Marshal of the Soviet Union, Rodion Malinovsky (1898–1967), a military commander in World War II and List of Ministers of Defence of the Soviet Union, Defense Minister of the Soviet Union, was born in Odesa, whilst renowned Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal (1908–2005) lived in the city in 1934/1935. * Hayim Nahman Bialik, Haim Nahman Bialik (1873 - 1934), a poet and innovator in the Hebrew language, Hebrew and Yiddish languages, he came to Odesa aged 18, inspired by his admiration for authors such as and Ahad Ha'am Mendele Mocher Sforim and worked there from the 1890s to 1911. He was commonly known as the national Hebrew poet. * Yitzhak Frenkel Frenel (1899 - 1981), a native Odesan painter and sculptor of the School of Paris, École de Paris who brought to Israel the influence of modern art and was its first abstract artist. He emigrated to Israel on the Ruslan (ship), Ruslan in 1919. * Sidney Reilly (ca.1873–1925), who was employed by William Melville (1850–1918) as one of the first spies of the British Secret Service Bureau, was a native Odesan. Another intelligence agent from Odesa was Genrikh Lyushkov (1900–1945), who joined the Odesa Cheka in 1920 and reached two-star rank in the NKVD before fleeing to Japanese-occupied Manchuria in 1938 to avoid being murdered. * The composer Jacob Weinberg (1879–1956) was born in Odesa. He composed over 135 works and was the founder of the Jewish National Conservatory in Jerusalem before immigrating to the U.S. where he became "an influential voice in the promotion of American Jewish music".von Rhein, John (19 August 2005)
"Jacob Weinberg: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Major"
. ''Chicago Tribune''. Retrieved 29 August 2014. * Valeria Lukyanova (born 1985), a girl from Odesa who looks very similar to a Barbie doll, has received attention on the Internet and from the media for her doll-like appearance. * Mikhail Zhvanetsky (1934–2020), writer, satirist and Performance art, performer best known for his shows targeting different aspects of the Soviet Union, Soviet and post-Soviet everyday life, was born in Odesa. * VitaliV (Vitali Vinogradov) (born 1957), an artist and sculptor based in London since 1989, was born in Odesa. * Kostyantyn Mykolayovych Bocharov (born 1997), better known by his stage name Mélovin is a native of Odesa. He is best known for winning season six of ''X-Factor (Ukrainian TV series), X-Factor Ukraine'' and for representing Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, singing the song "Under the Ladder". * Yaakov Dori (1899–1973), the first Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, and President of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, was born in Odesa, as was Israel Dostrovsky (1918–2010), Israeli physical chemist who was the fifth president of the Weizmann Institute of Science. * Yuriy Bazhal (born 1950), Ukrainian scientist, professor, academic. * Janka Bryl (1917 – 2006), Belarusian writer, was born in Odesa. * Vladimir de Pachmann (1848–1933) a pianist of Russian-German ethnicity noted for performing the works of Chopin, was from Odesa. Emil Grigoryevich Gilels (1916–1985), widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time, was born in Odesa. * Stasys Pundzevičius (1893–1980), Chief of the Lithuanian Air Force in the interwar Lithuania, was born in Odesa. * Dmitriy Starovoitov (born 1983), Ukrainian entrepreneur and businessman, was born in Odesa. * Alexander Olshanetsky (1892 – 1946), an American composer, conducting, conductor, and violinist. He was a major figure within the Yiddish theatre scene in New York City, born in Odesa. * Yefrosyniya Zarnytska (1867–1936), actress

Economy

Odesa's economy largely stems from its traditional role as a port city. The nearly ice-free port lies near the mouths of the Dnieper River, Dnieper, the

Southern Bug The Southern Bug, also called Southern Buh (; ; ; or just ), and sometimes Boh River (; ),

, the

and the Danube rivers, which provide good links to the hinterland. During the Soviet period (until 1991) the city functioned as the USSR's largest trading port; it continues in a similar role as independent Ukraine's busiest international port. The port complex contains an oil and gas transfer and storage facility, a cargo-handling area and a large passenger port. In 2007 the Port of Odesa handled 31,368,000 tonnes of cargo. The port of Odesa is one of the Ukrainian Navy's most important bases on the

. Rail transport is an important sector of the economy in Odesa – largely due to the role it plays in delivering goods and imports to and from the city's port. The Container Terminal Odesa (CTO) in the port is the largest container terminal in Ukraine. It has been operated by the Hamburg-based HHLA Group since 2001 and, in addition to containers, also handles bulk goods, general cargo and project cargo. This means that Odesa is networked with the ports of Hamburg, Muuga Harbour, Muuga and Trieste via the logistics group HHLA. Industrial enterprises located in and around the city include those dedicated to fuel refinement, machine building, metallurgy, and other types of light industry such as food preparation, timber plants and chemical industry. Agriculture is a relatively important sector in the territories surrounding the city. The Seventh-Kilometer Market is a major commercial complex on the outskirts of the city where private traders now operate one of the largest market complexes in Eastern Europe. The market has roughly 6,000 traders and an estimated 150,000 customers per day. Daily sales, according to the Ukrainian periodical ''Dzerkalo Tyzhnia'', were believed to be as high as US$20 million in 2004. With a staff of 1,200 (mostly guards and janitors), the market is also the region's largest employer. It is owned by local land and agriculture tycoon Viktor A. Dobrianskyi and three partners of his. Tavria-V is the most popular retail chain in Odesa. Key areas of business sector, business include: retail, wholesale, catering, production, construction and development, private label. Consumer recognition is mainly attributed to the high level of service and the quality of services. Tavria-V is the biggest private company and the biggest tax payer. Odessabeach2018

Deribasivska Street is one of the city's most important commercial streets, hosting many of the city's boutiques and higher-end shops. In addition to this there are a number of large commercial shopping centres in the city. The 19th-century shopping gallery Odesa Passage, Passage was, for a long time, the city's most upscale shopping district, and remains an important landmark of Odesa. The Tourism in Ukraine, tourism sector is of great importance to Odesa, which is currently the second most-visited Ukrainian city. In 2003 this sector recorded a total revenue of Ukrainian hryvnia, ₴189.2 million. Other sectors of the city's economy include the banking sector: the city hosts a branch of the National Bank of Ukraine. Imexbank, one of Ukraine's largest commercial banks, was based in the city, however on 27 May 2015, the Deposit Guarantee Fund of Ukraine made a decision to liquidate the bank. Foreign business ventures have thrived in the area, as since 1 January 2000, much of the city and its surrounding area has been declared a

– this has aided the foundation of foreign companies' and corporations' Ukrainian divisions and allowed them to more easily invest in the Ukrainian manufacturing and service sectors. To date a number of Japanese and Chinese companies, as well as a host of European enterprises, have invested in the development of the free economic zone, to this end private investors in the city have invested a great deal of money into the provision of quality office real estate and modern manufacturing facilities such as warehouses and plant complexes. Odesa also has a well-developed IT industry with large number of IT outsourcing companies and IT product startups. Among most famous startups is Looksery and AI Factory both developed in Odesa and acquired by Snap Inc., Snap inc. File:Oděsa, přístav, loď.jpg, alt=Odesa's port is Ukraine's busiest. The harbour remains accessible all year round and serves as a vital import/export channel for the Ukrainian economy., Odesa's port is Ukraine's busiest. The harbour remains accessible all year round and serves as a vital import/export channel for the Ukrainian economy. File:Deribasovskaya-33-36.jpg, The Odesa Passage, Passage galleries, one of the city's landmarks

Scientists

A number of scientists have lived and worked in Odesa. They include: Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov, Illya Mechnikov (Nobel Prize in Medicine 1908), Igor Tamm (Nobel Prize in Physics 1958), Selman Waksman (Nobel Prize in Medicine 1952), Dmitri Mendeleev, Nikolay Ivanovich Pirogov, Nikolay Pirogov, Ivan Sechenov, Vladimir Filatov, Nikolay Umov, Leonid Isaakovich Mandelstam, Leonid Mandelstam, Aleksandr Lyapunov, Mark Krein, Alexander Smakula, Waldemar Haffkine, Valentin Glushko, Israel Dostrovsky, Catherine Chamié, and George Gamow.

Transport

Maritime transport

Odesa is a major maritime-transport hub that includes several ports including

, Port of Chornomorsk (ferry, freight), Pivdennyi Port, Pivdennyi (freight only). The Port of Odesa became a provisional headquarters for the Ukrainian Navy, following the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014. Before the fall of the Soviet Union, the Port of Odesa harbored the major Soviet cruise line Black Sea Shipping Company. Passenger ships and ferries connect Odesa with Istanbul, Haifa and

, whilst river cruises can occasionally be booked for travel up the Dnieper River to cities such as

, Dnipro and

Roads and automotive transport

The first car in the Russian Empire, a Mercedes-Benz belonging to V. Navrotsky, came to Odesa from France in 1891. He was a popular city publisher of the newspaper ''Odesskii listok'' ("Odesa leaf"). Odesa is linked to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, by the M05 highway (Ukraine), M05 Highway, a high quality multi-lane road which is set to be re-designated, after further reconstructive works, as an 'Avtomagistral' (motorway) in the near future. Other routes of national significance, passing through Odesa, include the M16 Highway to Moldova, M15 to Izmail and Romania, and the Highway M14 (Ukraine), M14 which runs from Odesa, through

and

to Ukraine's eastern border with Russia. The M14 is of particular importance to Odesa's maritime and shipbuilding industries as it links the city with Ukraine's other large deep water port

which is located in the south east of the country. Odesa also has a well-developed system of inter-urban municipal roads and minor beltways. However, the city is still lacking an extra-urban bypass for transit traffic which does not wish to proceed through the city centre. Intercity bus services are available from Odesa to many cities in Russia (Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Pyatigorsk), Germany (Berlin, Hamburg and Munich), Greece (Thessaloniki and Athens), Bulgaria (

and Sofia) and several cities of

and Europe.

Railways

Odesa is served by a number of railway stations and halts, the largest of which is Odesa railway station, Odesa Holovna (Main Station). From this station services connect Odesa with

, Prague, Bratislava, Vienna, Berlin, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, the cities of Ukraine and many other cities of the former USSR. The city's first railway station was opened in the 1880s. During the Second World War, the iconic building of the main station, which had long been considered to be one of the

's premier stations, was destroyed through enemy action. In 1952 the station was rebuilt to the designs of A Chuprina. The current station, which is characterised by its many Socialist Realism, socialist-realist architectural details and grand scale, was renovated by the state railway operator Ukrainian Railways in 2006.

Public transport

In 1881, Odesa became the first city in Imperial Russia to have steam tramway lines, an innovation that came only one year after the establishment of horsecar, horse tramway services in 1880 operated by the "Tramways d'Odessa", a Belgian owned company. The first Narrow-gauge railway, metre-gauge steam tramway line ran from Railway Station to Great Fontaine and the second one to Hadzhi Bey Liman. These routes were both operated by the same Belgian company. Electric tramway started to operate on 22 August 1907. Trams were imported from Germany. The city's public transport, public transit system is currently made up of trams, trolleybuses, buses and fixed-route taxis (marshrutkas). Odesa also has a Aerial lift, cable car to Vidrada Beach, and recreational ferry service. There are two routes of public transport which connect Odesa Airport with the city center: trolley-bus No.14 and marshrutka No.117. One additional mode of transport in Odesa is the Potemkin Stairs Odesa Funicular, funicular railway, which runs between the city's Primorsky Bulvar and the sea terminal, has been in service since 1902. In 1998, after many years of neglect, the city decided to raise funds for a replacement track and cars. This project was delayed on multiple occasions but was finally completed eight years later in 2005. The funicular has now become as much a part of historic Odesa as the staircase to which it runs parallel.

Air transport

Odesa International Airport, which is located to the south-west of the city centre, is served by a number of airlines. The airport is also often used by citizens of neighbouring countries for whom Odesa is the nearest large city and who can travel visa-free to Ukraine. Transit flights from the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East to Odesa are offered by Ukraine International Airlines through their hub at Kyiv's Boryspil International Airport.

Sport

The most popular sport in Odesa is Association football, football. The main professional football club in the city is FC Chornomorets Odesa, who play in the Ukrainian Premier League. Chornomorets play their home games at the Chornomorets Stadium, an elite-class stadium which has a maximum capacity of 34,164. The second football team in Odesa is FC Odesa. Odesa Chornomorets Stadium 1

Basketball is also a prominent sport in Odesa, with BC Odesa representing the city in the Ukrainian Basketball League, the highest tier basketball league in Ukraine. Odesa will become one of five Ukrainian cities to host the FIBA EuroBasket 2015, 39th European Basketball Championship in 2015.

Athletes

The cyclist and aviator Sergei Utochkin was one of the most famous natives of Odesa in the years before the Russian Revolution. Chess player Efim Geller was born in the city. Gymnast Tatiana Gutsu (known as "The Painted Bird of Odesa") brought home Ukraine's first Olympic gold medal as an independent nation when she outscored the USA's Shannon Miller in the women's all-around event at 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Figure skaters Oksana Grishuk and Evgeny Platov won the 1994 and 1998 Olympic gold medals as well as the 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997 World Championships in ice dance. Both were born and raised in the city, though they skated at first for the Soviet Union, in the Unified Team, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and then Russia. Hennadiy Avdyeyenko won a 1988 Olympic gold medal in thehigh jump, setting an Olympic record at . Other notable athletes: * Mykola Avilov, Olympic champion in decathlon at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich * Oksana Baiul, Olympic champion in figure skating in 1994 * Ihor Belanov, European Footballer of the Year in 1986 * Yuriy Bilonoh, European Athletics Championships in shot put at 2002 in Munich * Leonid Buryak (born 1953), football coach and former Olympic bronze medal-winning player * Maksim Chmerkovskiy, professional ballroom & Latin dancer on American Dancing With the Stars * Valentin Chmerkovskiy, professional ballroom & Latin dancer on American Dancing With the Stars * Charles Goldenberg (1911–1986), NFL All-Pro football player * Viktor Kanevskyi (born 1936), football player and coach * Svetlana Krachevskaya, Olympic silver medalist in shot put * Viacheslav Kravtsov, NBA basketball player * Lenny Krayzelburg (born 1975), Olympic champion swimmer * Irina Krush (born 1983), US chess grandmaster * Artur Kyshenko, K1 Muay Thai kickboxer * Yevgeny Lapinsky, Olympic champion in volleyball at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico * Roman Pelts, Soviet chess master * Viktor Petrenko, Olympic champion in figure skating in 1992 * Vladimir Portnoi, Olympic silver and bronze medalist in gymnastics * Vitaliy Pushkar, racing driver, No. 6 in 2012 International Rally Challenge Production cup standings * :ru:Резвой, Теодор Павлович, Theodore Rezvoy, ocean rower, Guinness records holder (twice) * Ekaterina Rubleva, Russian ice dancing champion * Yulia Ryabchinskaya, Olympic champion in the K-1 500 m Kayak Singles at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich * Dmitry Salita (born 1982), boxer * Michael Shmerkin (born 1970), Israeli competitive figure skater * Elina Svitolina (born 1994), professional tennis player * Olena Vitrychenko, world champion in rhythmic gymnastics * Andriy Voronin (born 1979), football manager and player * Yakov Zheleznyak, Olympic champion in 50 m Running Target at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich * Dayana Yastremska (born 2000), professional tennis player

Twin towns – sister cities

Odesa is Sister city, twinned with: * Alexandria, Egypt (1968) * Baltimore, United States (1975) * Bremen, Germany (2023) * Chișinău, Moldova (1994) * Constanța, Romania (1991) * Genoa, Italy (1972) * Haifa, Israel (1992) * Istanbul, Turkey (1997) * Kolkata, India (1986) * Liverpool, United Kingdom (1957) * Łódź, Poland (1993) * Marseille, France (1973) * Nicosia, Cyprus (1996) * Oulu, Finland (1957) * Piraeus, Greece (1993) * Qingdao, China (1993) * Regensburg, Germany (1990) * Split, Croatia, Split, Croatia (1964) * Szeged, Hungary (1977) * Vancouver, Canada (1944) *

, Bulgaria (1958) * Yerevan, Armenia (1995) * Yokohama, Japan (1968)

Partner cities

Odesa cooperated with: * Brest, Belarus, Brest, Belarus (2004) * Gdańsk, Poland (1996) * Klaipėda, Lithuania (2004) * Larnaca, Cyprus (2004) * Marrakesh, Morocco (2019) * Minsk, Belarus (1996) * Ningbo, China (2008) * Tallinn, Estonia (1997) * Tbilisi, Georgia (1996) * Valparaíso, Chile (2004) * Vienna, Austria (2006) *

, Poland (2005)

Notes

References

Cited sources

* * *

External links

*
Official Odesa web page

Official Odesa Map Portal

Map of the current public transport routes in Odesa

The murder of the Jews of Odessa
during

, at Yad Vashem website.
The Jewish Community of Odessa
The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot
Odesa yesterday. Odesa today. Images gallery. Prospekt Group
{{Authority control Odesa, Port cities of the Black Sea Populated coastal places in Ukraine Port cities and towns in Ukraine Seaside resorts in Ukraine Oblast centers in Ukraine 1794 establishments in the Russian Empire Populated places established in the Russian Empire Populated places established in 1794 Odessky Uyezd Historic Jewish communities Holocaust locations in Ukraine 1794 establishments in Ukraine Hromadas of Odesa Raion Cities in Odesa Raion

Name

History

Early history

Ottoman conquest

Russian conquest of Sanjak of Özi (Ochakiv Oblast)

Renaming of the settlement and establishment of sea port

Beginnings of revolution

World War II

Postwar Soviet period

Independent Ukraine

Geography

Location

Climate

Demographics

Historical ethnic and national composition

Language

Government and administrative divisions

Cityscape

Parks and gardens

Education

Culture

Museums, art and music

Literature

Resorts and health care

Celebrations and holidays

Notable Odesans

Economy

Scientists

Transport

Maritime transport

Roads and automotive transport

Railways

Public transport

Air transport

Sport

Athletes

Twin towns – sister cities

Partner cities

See also

Notes

References

Cited sources

Further reading

External links