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INFORMATION

History

A colony from ancient Greece may have once oc

site of the city. Numerous monuments of antiqu
links between this territory and the Eastern Med
In the Middle Ages these lands were a part of the
Galich and Volyn Principality, the Golden Horde,
Lithuanian Principality, the Crimean Khanate and
Empire. Crimean Tatars traded there in the 14th
the course of Russian-Turkish wars these la
captured by Russia at the end of the 18th century.

Odessa was founded in 1794 by Catherine the Gre

the Empress formed the territories newly acqui
south-west other empire into a province called No
During the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-91, Do
Ribas, a soldier of fortune born in Naples of Spanis
stock and one of many adventures in Catherine
stormed the fortress of Yeny-Dunai at Khadzhibe
and his close collaborator, a Dutch engineer name
Volan, recommended Khadzhibei as the site for t
principal port. Its harbor was deep and nearl
Breakwaters, on the model of those found at Napl
and Ancona, could be cheaply constructed and wo
the harbor safe even for large fleets. The Govern
of Novorossiya, Prince Platon Zubov — one of
favorites — gave decisive support to the latter p
1794, Catherine gave it her approval. She immed
twenty-six thousand roubles to de Ribas and d
build a harbor. This new settlement was given
Odessa.

The city's name came about as a result of an er

meant to be named after the ancient Greek city

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History Page 2 of 4

or Ordissos, which was believed to have been foun

vicinity. Actually, it was somewhere near the p
town of Varna in Bulgaria. But Catherine the G
"Adessa" — as it is pronounced by the Rus
Ukrainians.

In 1803, Tsar Alexander I appointed a you

emigrant, then 36 years old, the Duke de Richelie
gradonachalnik, or the mayor, of Odessa. Eighte
later, in 1805, the Tsar enlarged his authority by
him to serve simultaneously as the governor of
provinces of Novorossiya. In the 11 year
administration, the Duke de Richelieu acq
extraordinary reputation for statesmanship and s
abroad and in Russia. Clothed inexplicable in a
statue now points out to the sea, presumably to i
source of Odessa's wealth. Duke left Odessa on
26, 1814 for France. Even after his return to Fran
as prime minister under the restored monarchy, h
cordial ties with the Imperial Russian Court an
Russian ambassador to France, Pozzo di Borgo.

By 1820 Odessa had become an important c

industrial and cultural center in the southern part
Russia and the greatest seaport on the Black
economy of Odessa was based on private busine
made the city a 'dissident' in the old feudal Russia.

The unique position of Odessa as a vital trade lin

the West and the East, and the growth in imp
Russia's external trade through the Black Sea in
century made way for the establishment of a big
center for the development of Odessa into an
European city. A crucial event in the trade polic
declaration of a free port regime in Odessa in Aug
establishing a customs border in the vicinity. It wa
overcoming scarcity in the domestic market
attraction of investment capital. It has been
because of absence of Russia's trade fleet in the Bl

The free port was a guarantee of Odessa's financi

a breakthrough into the civilized world, a dress re
the development of an open economy in the Russi
The transformation of Odessa into an advanced
city was put forward by prominent adminis
experienced and cultured governor generals
Novorossiya region. Their work was based on the a
representatives of numerous nations and nation
came to Odessa bringing their cultures of man
trade and management. It resulted in a ne
comprising the best features of all its constituents.

Throughout the whole period of the free port

(1819-1858) there was a huge discussion
supporters and opponents of the privileged tax re

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History Page 3 of 4

trade influenced negatively the develop

manufacturing in the region. Local products
compete in quality with overseas goods.

The Crimean War (1853-56) revealed the bankru

closed economy in feudal Russia compared to the
capitalistic economies of the Great Britain and F
war prompted the reforms of the 1860's. With
regulations, the free port regime in Odessa was o
and was eventually abolished.

By its hundredth anniversary (1894), Odessa oc

4th place in the Russian Empire in size and econom
after St. Petersburg, Moscow and Warsaw. Odes
noted for their powerful economic and wonderf
freedom which allowed them to achieve great suc
field of science, education and the arts.

Nowadays the city of Odessa, with a total po

1,050,000, is the capital city of Odessa region.
conjunction with its satellite towns of Ilyichevsk a
forms an important port and industrial complex a
the largest urban conurbations on the entire Black
It is strategically located on one of the shortest
convenient waterways leading from Northern a
Europe to the Middle East and Asia through the
Danube river and canal system. This system, tog
such waterways as the Dnieper, Dniester, and
rivers combined with the three large ports o
Ilyichevsk and Yuzhny and the Odessa railroad
unique opportunity for the economic processing
cargo traffic and passenger flows. Odessa is a lead
of learning and culture with many seconda
education, and training institutions. It is also a m
area. The economic profile of Odessa is domina
activities of the three major ports, but in addit
there are industries such as: ship repairing, ma
manufacturing, food processing and textile
Ilyichevsk runs the largest fishing fleet in Ukraine.

Among the great cities of the world, Odessa can cl

distinctions. One of the major cities of contempora
Odessa, officially founded in 1794, is among the
ones. No other European city can match such gro
the 19th century. It also developed in an ar
continent that has an ancient tradition of trade a
though discontinuous, history of urban settlement.

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