History of Odessa

Odessa. What's about this city ? A young one, but this promising to increase, in the year 1994 Odessa celebrated its 200th anniversary. All of these years Odessa was surrounded by popularity and love. Let's come back to the date of its birth. On May 27, 1 79 4 Russian queen Catherine II signed the order prescribing to lay the fortification on the shores of Khadzibey bay and to start the harbor development. On September 2, 1794 under the surveying of General Major duke Suvorov they begun the foundatory works for future port. From the height of the present day it is not so easy to picture what tremendous efforts and civic courage were required of the Khadzibey's pioneers. After, the fortress and the port which idea suggested by Suvorov, gave rise to the future town. Firstly, not more than 30 buildings in stone were erected along the harbor. An arsenal, storehouses, hospital frontier control and quarantine buildings were built by first Khadzibey's inhabitants: soldiers, cossacks and sailors of Deribas' float. I n 1 795 the fortress has been renamed into Odessa.

According to one of the legends its first mayor, Duke Emmanuel de Richelieu - who was devotedly serving Russian but raised in France, decided to build the new city that would be even more beautiful than Paris. From the very beginning of its existence the city promised to be as wonderful as Northern Palmira - San Petersburg and that is why was the city on the Black Sea was known as Southern Palmira.

While Odessa is famous for its cultural traditions and fine architecture, on a sightseeing tour of the city, the visitors become familiar not only with the most original and known part of Odessa, but with its, not without reasons to be said, rich history. We are proud that a whole galaxy of artists, poets and scientists made a considerable contribution to extending its glory. It would suffice it to mention such prominent figures as Mechnikov, Pirogov, Mendeleev, Pushkin and Bunin lived here. The Odessa Theater of Opera and Ballet, second best theater in Europe after one in Vienna, heard the singing of Shalyapin and Sobinov, saw performances of Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov.

Now, when someone told you a story about Odessa. We would like to offer you couple of tours about Odessa.