Odessa History
In ancient times the area that Odessa was built on was occupied be the Greek and in the Middle Age this land was a part of the Osman Empire. At the end of the 18th century the land was captured by Russia after the wars between Russia and Turkey.
Odessa was founded in 1794 by Catherine the Great. During the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-91 her troops stormed the fortress of Yeny-Dunai at Khadzhibei. The empress and her consultants decided to build a harbor at Khadzhibei and make it the region's principal port. And so it was.
In
1803, Tsar
Alexander I appointed the French emigrant Duke de
Richelieu to be the
mayor of Odessa. Duke de Richelieu acquired an extraordinary reputation
for statesmanship and he contributed to Odessa’s growth and
wealth. He
may also be the reason that many of the buildings in Odessa are
influenced by French architecture.
In the early 19th century Odessa became an important commercial, industrial and cultural center in the southern part of Russia and the largest seaport on the Black Sea. The economy of Odessa was mainly based on private businesses.
From 1819 Odessa was made a free port which led to a very
diverse population. It was a free port until 1859.
During the Crimean War of
1853–1856, Odessa was bombarded by British and French forces.
In the late 19th century Odessa was still a major city in the Russian empire. People from Odessa are famous for their spirit of freedom which given them great success in the field of science, education and arts. Odessa Russia was therefor a city with more joy and spirit than other cities at the time.
Odessa
is also famous for the workers' uprising supported by the crew of the
Russian battleship Potemkin which took place in 1905. Sergei
Eisenstein's famous motion picture "The Battleship
Potemkin"
is a propaganda film about the uprising and included a scene where
hundreds of Odessa citizens were murdered on the great stone staircase
(now popularly known as the "Potemkin Steps").
During World War II Odessa was occupied from 1941–1944. The city suffered severe damage and many lives were lost.
During the Soviet era the city managed to hold on to its uniqueness and diverse culture and thank god for that.
Odessa is now the 5th largest city in Ukraine and still one of the most important cities of trade. Modern Odessa is a city rebuilding itself, and the downtown is slowly being revitalized. Odessa is known for its positive vibe due to the great variety of people and the sunny climate because of its location by the sea. Odessa is often referred to as the "Pearl of the Black Sea”. We couldn’t agree more!
You can read more about Odessa history on Wikipedia.