The Monument to Duke Richelieu in Odessa

Odessa, often called “The Pearl of the Black Sea”, is one of the Ukrainian top cities in culture, science, education, literature, music and many other spheres of life. The city has a vibrancy all of its own due to its cosmopolitan history. Indeed, a close look at those who played a part in its emergence brings one to the conclusion that Odessa has always been a strikingly international place. Its first builders, the brothers Joseph and Felix de Ribas were of Spanish extraction. Franz de Volant, the first city planner, was a Dutchman. Duke Emmanuel de Richelieu, the first province and city Governor, was French, and so was his friend and successor, Count Alexandre de Langeron. General Coble, the city commandant, was English, Governor General Mikhail Vorontsov was a Russian prince, Grigoriy Marazli, a Greek, headed the municipal government. Italians were predominant among the architects: F.Boffo, A.Bernardazzi, G.Toricelli and F.Morandi, to name a few. As for the populace, it was a mix from the very start: Ukrainians and Greeks, Russians and Jews, Moldavians and Poles, Bulgarians and Germans, as well as Italians, Frenchmen, Turks and Tatars. Sincere tolerance has always been the spirit among all the ethnic groups inhabiting Odessa. By the way, to be an Odessavite means to be a person of special nation, the peculiarities of which are humor and optimistic approach to life.

In comparison with Moscow, which is more than 800 years old, and the mother of Russian cities- Kiev, which has celebrated its 1500th anniversary not long ago, or with many other Russian cities, Odessa is a young city. Its birthday is September 2, 1794.

According to some views, there are two kinds of big city development: some cities grow slowly and gradually like the circles in the tree trunk, for instance, Paris, Moscow; others make a violent and pre-planned rush in their development, like St. Petersburg (“Northern Palmira”) and Odessa (“Southern Palmira”). The design of the old part of Odessa is a wonderful masterpiece of classical architecture.

At once the young Odessa deserved the fame of a free, even foreign, port which was often referred to as “the golden port”. Many noblemen, officers and merchants came to spend their holidays here.

After the World War II, the city was rebuilt and greatly expanded. There emerged a network of parks, sanatoriums, new residential areas along the sea-coast.

The Odessa of today is Ukraine’s fifth biggest city with the population of approximately 1,1 million people and the territory of 20,000 hectares.

Excursions 

Panoramic city tour

This tour brings the tourists to the main highlights of the city that are familiar even to those who have never visited it: Opera House, Potemkin Steps, monument to Rishilieu, Deribasovskaya street... Come and touch the history and the present life of this magnetic city.

The Mysteries of the Odessa Catacombs

The city catacombs appeared as a result of the extraction of the limestone used for the construction of Odessa and they are everywhere under the city and its suburbs. A lot of myths and legends about this underground town have been rumored from the very beginning. The catacombs gave shelter to the homeless people, to those who were crashed and pursued, to the thieves and the smugglers. But mainly the catacombs are known for the partisan movement in Odessa during the WW2. On the place of one of such partisan detachments in the village of Nerubaiskoye a unique underground Museum of Partisan Glory was organized.

The Bilghorod-Dnistrovsky Fortress

Is located in the mouth of the Dniester river, 80 km from Odessa. The modern town of Bilghorod-Dnistrovsky begins its history in the 6th century BC, when the ancient Greek town of Tyra was founded on the right bank of the river. Within the long period of its existence the fortress has survived dozens of wars and rulers, each bringing new architectural and military elements to the original towers and walls. After visiting the fortress you can gladden your heart with the best wines in a factory located in the village of Shabo- the first and the only one Swiss colony in the former Russian Empire, which began to exist since 17th century.

Literary Odessa

This tour will bring you to the famous Museum of Literature and to the places connected with the names of famous writers and poets that lived in Odessa and glorified it.

The Temples of Odessa.

Odessa always was known as a multinational city, and the presence of different peoples was reflected in the variety of temples of different religious denominations: Ukrainian Orthodox and Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Moslem, Protestant and Greek Orthodox, Karaite and Judaic. A tour to one of the monasteries or corvents can be organized.

Everything He Had He Gave to the Song (Musical Odessa)

Excursion is dedicated to the life of a famous jazzman Leonid Utesov and other musicians who lived and worked in Odessa.

Criminal Odessa.

Such tour could appear in any other city of Ukraine and Russia, but only in Odessa local thieves, burglars, gangsters and swindlers were known for their special "chic" and "high-class skill". Their names were whispered both with horror and and secret admiration, many of them became the characters of books describing the life of the city in the 19th-beginning of the 20th cent.

Vilkovo - "The Town On Water".

This small town is located 189 km away from Odessa, in the mouth of the Danube and often is referred to as "Ukrainian Venice". There for sure you will enjoy fish meal after boating along it's canal-streets.