It is wrong to assume that the history of Odessa began with the appearance of a modern city in its place. People lived here much earlier, and they chose this region because the local bay is an excellent water area for the port. In addition, the climate is mild and livable.
Antiquity
The first recorded settlements appeared here in the VI century BC. This was the era of development of Ancient Greece. Antique culture spread throughout the Mediterranean, it also affected the Black Sea. The colony, on the site of which Odessa grew many centuries later, was named Istrion. Also next to it were Nikonion, Tyra, Isakion. The rich and developed Olbia was considered the administrative center of these colonies. In its heyday, its population reached 15 thousand people.
In the II century BC, the ancient period moved to a new stage of development. Greece came under the control of Rome, and merchants and explorers of this country went to the Black Sea steppes. During the reign of Hadrian, they actively traded with the Scythians - the inhabitants of the steppes.
The ancient period ended when in the 4th century local lands were devastated after the invasion of nomads. They were movingto the west under the pressure of the predatory and wasteful Huns, led by Attila. Trade ceased, ruins remained of the ancient cities, which began to be explored only in the 20th century.
Early Middle Ages
In the Early Middle Ages, the Black Sea coast changed hands. Initially, these places were under the influence of the Byzantine Empire, which had colonies in the Crimea and controlled trade in the place of Odessa. However, over time, the Greeks disappeared, and the vacant lands were occupied by the Slavs, more precisely, the tribal union of the Tivertsy. It was the period from the 8th to the 10th century.
Local residents experienced constant pressure from the nomads - Pechenegs and Polovtsy, who are of Turkic origin. Therefore, for many centuries the history of Odessa knew only the struggle of different tribes, which did not have large cities and ports. The situation was further aggravated by the Tatar invasion of the 13th century. Because of him, all those few sprouts of culture that existed on the Black Sea coast were destroyed.
Italian trade center
In the XIV century, these places briefly came under the control of the Principality of Lithuania, connected by a union with the Kingdom of Poland. Entrepreneurial Italian merchants, who were on their way through Constantinople, flocked here. They created many cities in the Crimea (Kafa, Tana, Likostomo, Vichina, Monkastro).
It was the Catholic merchants who left us written references to a city called Khadzhibey. It was located on the site of modern Odessa. There are many theories about the origin of this name. Most likely, it came from the Tatar language, native speakerswhich were the nomads of the Nogai Horde. This tribe broke away from its "golden" neighbor. According to another version, Hadzhibey appeared as a stopover for Polish and Lithuanian merchants who established ties with the Italians.
The existence of the Nogai Khan Kachibey speaks in favor of the Tatar theory. He ruled here until 1362, until he was defeated by the Lithuanian prince Olgerd at Blue Waters. His name is consonant with the name of the settlement.
Lithuanian chroniclers claimed that the settlement was founded by Prince Vitovt, who sent here the noble family of Kotsyubeev. One way or another, the first mention of Khadzhibey dates back to 1413. It is in the letter of the Polish king Jogaila, who gave the Black Sea coast to his vassal Svidrigaila. But even then, the Lithuanian influence here was extremely weakened due to the wars with the Tatars. Nevertheless, this did not prevent Khadzhibey from experiencing its heyday associated with trade with the Italians. Rare s alt mined in local deposits was exported from here.
Desolation of Khadzhibey
In the 15th century, the Turks captured Constantinople and renamed it Istanbul. Through it lay the only sea route to the Black Sea for Europeans. The Sultan ordered that a heavy tax be levied on passing Italian ships or that those who refused to pay tribute be drowned. Because of this, communication with Western merchants was disrupted.
When the Turks subjugated the Crimean Khanate of the Tatars, a raid was also carried out on the place where Odessa now stands. From that moment, Khadzhibey finally fell into decay.
Yeni Dunya
The history of Odessa continued only when, in the 18th century, the Turks began to rebuild the Yeni-Dunya fortress here (the name can be translated as "new world"). More precisely, they only restored the ruins of a medieval castle. Then, in 1766, the Russian intelligence officer Ivan Isleniev, under the guise of a merchant, visited Yeni-Dunya and sent information about the new fortification to St. Petersburg. It is noteworthy that the fortress was erected on the site where Primorsky Boulevard is located today (within the city).
These data came in handy a few years later, when the next Russian-Turkish war (1768 - 1774) began. Russian troops enlisted the support of the Yedisan horde, which roamed between the Dniester and the Southern Bug and posed a threat to the fortress. The Zaporizhian Cossacks also tried to capture the fortification several times. Finally, in 1774, they succeeded, but soon peace was concluded between the powers, and Yeni Dunya again became part of Turkey.
Soon, Catherine II liquidated the Zaporozhian Sich, and some Cossacks settled near Yeni-Dunya, according to an agreement with the Sultan. Such emigration of Russians made it possible to have the most complete and accurate information about what was happening in the bay.
Capture of Khadzhibey by Russia
The history of Odessa continued a few years later, when a new war with Turkey began (1787 - 1792). After the fall of the strategically important Ochakov, the deployment of the Sultan's fleet was moved to the harbor of Khadzhibey.
In 1789, this city was surrendered to the Russian army, which was commanded by Ivan Gudovich in this area. Another hero of the assault was Ataman Anton Golovaty. The Iasi peace treaty confirmed the new status of the settlement. By this time, the most diverse population lived here: Turks, Greeks, Jews, Russians, etc. Therefore, the proposal was initially put forward to populate the fortress with sailors from the Mediterranean flotilla.
19th century
However, the empress decided to build a new city here, which would become part of the Dniester defense line. She was supposed to protect Russia on the border with Bessarabia, which at that time was still under Turkish control. The famous Russian commander Alexander Suvorov was appointed the construction manager. The founding of the city officially took place on June 7, 1794. It received its modern name Odessa a few months later. It is derived from the name of one of the Greek colonies in the bay. The favorable location and peaceful existence allowed the small settlement to quickly develop into a large metropolis of the 19th century.
To its centenary (1894) Odessa was the fourth largest city in the Russian Empire (after St. Petersburg, Moscow and Warsaw). Its population was 400 thousand inhabitants. It was a center of trade, science and industry. At the same time, throughout the entire period when the tsarist power was strong, a third of the population of Odessa was far from being of Russian origin. Who was not there: Jews (there was a Pale of Settlement in the country), French, Moldavians, Germans, Greeks…
In the first years of its existence, Odessa had to go through a lot, for example, a plague epidemic. However, all sorts of problems and troubles were overcome, including with the help of the administrative skills of the governor Armand Richelieu (French by nationality). Under him, the city was built from scratch by the country's best architects.
The war in the Crimea in the 50s of the XIX century echoed here with a booming echo. Odessa was briefly under blockade. In April 1854, the city was shelled by a squadron of English and French ships.
Wars of the 20th century
During the First World War, Odessa was shelled by the Germans and Austrians. The civil war that broke out in Russia led to the fact that the city changed hands a huge number of times. It was under the German-Austrian occupation, and also became part of the various state entities that formed the "independent" Ukraine. Soviet power was finally established here only in 1920, when troops led by Kotovsky entered the city near the Black Sea.
And now a new trouble - the Great Patriotic War. Another defense of Odessa began. For 73 days (from August 5 to October 16, 1941) the defenders of the city successfully held back the German army. Group "South" tried to break through the approaches to the port, instead of continuing, according to the "Blitzkrieg" plan, moving east. While Soviet soldiers were fighting in the suburbs, many civilians, valuable art objects, industrial equipment, etc. were effectively evacuated across the bay.
The army also retreated in an orderly manner. many partswere transferred to the Crimea, where they participated in the defense of Sevastopol. During the German occupation, an underground was created in Odessa, which successfully resisted the invaders. Secret operations carried out by volunteers caused the death of about 3,000 Germans running the city.
Soviet Odessa
After the Victory, the Soviet period was marked by the growth of industry and education in the city. It was still a major Black Sea port. Classic films and TV series were filmed at the local film studio (for example, Stanislav Govorukhin's beloved and now masterpiece “The meeting place cannot be changed”).
During the Soviet period, Odessa received the title of "Hero City". She was among the first seven holders of this honorary status. In memory of the bloody and heroic defense that claimed 15 thousand lives, the Memorial Complex, the Green Belt of Glory and other memorial structures were opened.
You're from Odessa, Mishka, which means…
Many celebrities were born in Odessa. Even more travelers, tourists, just lovers of a good rest come to the capital of humor. Of course, within the framework of a short article, it is difficult to name all the famous personalities for whom South Palmyra is their hometown, so we will limit ourselves to listing the most interesting ones. So, the famous inhabitants of Odessa:
- singer L. Utyosov;
- poetess A. Akhmatova;
- writers I. Ilf, V. Kataev, Yu. Olesha;
- Marshal L. Malinovsky;
- submariner A. Marinesko;
- Soviet spy N. Geft;
- large crime boss Mishka Yaponchik;
- TV presenter, journalist, bard B. Burda;
- cosmonaut G. Dobrovolsky;
- satirists R. Kartsev and M. Zhvanetsky and many others.
Modern Odessa and its traditions
With the collapse of the USSR, the hero city became part of independent Ukraine.
Odessa Day has traditionally been and is celebrated on September 2nd. Primorsky Boulevard and the Potemkin Stairs become the center of celebrations. These are the two most famous symbols of the city. The historical center is included in the UNESCO lists and is protected with particular care as a unique cultural heritage of previous generations. Odessa Day traditionally ends with gala concerts, festivals and fireworks.
