No wonder Odessa parks belong to the iconic places of this city. There are more than ten of them. The most famous is the Alexander Park, leading to the sea. In winter, a well-maintained arboretum turns into a skating rink.
But in this article we will talk about the historical garden of the city. Dyukovsky Park, which many people know by the name of the Richelieu Garden, the City Garden, is the oldest in Odessa. Odessa residents love it very much; various events often take place here, especially for children. Of course, it is not included in the top ten attractions of the “pearls by the sea", but this interesting monument must be visited. After all, he has such an entertaining story. Many Odessa parks are closer to the city center, but it is better to get to this garden from the central bus station.
How it all began
They say that Duc de Richelieu, the mayor of Odessa, decided to build a suburban residence for himself. Yes, not just like that, but surrounded by a garden, in the French style. In addition, dust storms often raged on the outskirts of the city , and the mayor wanted to set an example of how to deal with them. Therefore, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, namely in 1810, this park began to be broken.
In the early years of the garden, he was called the Richelieu cottage. And the place for the park was chosen special. On its territory there was a spring from which, as legend has it, de Ribas’s detachment, hurrying to storm Hadzhibey in the eighteenth century, drank water. Now Dyukovsky Park is located in the city. It stretches along Balkovskaya street, located on the suburban side of Odessa.
Park history
When Duc de Richelieu went back to France, he left the garden to his adjutant, Colonel Stempkovsky. He gave it to the city. But the fact is that gradually the location of the garden played a bad joke with him. The areas between which he was located - Moldavanka and Slobodka - were very dysfunctional. A hundred years later, in 1910, the Dyukovsky Garden was a sad sight. Nobody looked after him, the municipal authorities were not interested in him, and gradually the park turned into a littered wasteland.
But after World War II, this area began to be reconstructed. They decided to call the restored garden Victory Park and arrange it accordingly. In addition, Odessa VDNH was held here, for which special pavilions were built. He served a beautifully restored park and a film set for Soviet cinematography, because it was here that Khutsiev and Mironer shot the film "Spring on Zarechnaya Street."
Summer entertainment center or a refuge for bandits?
However, VDNH in Odessa did not cause much enthusiasm for the townspeople. Therefore, since the sixties of the last century, Dyukovsky Park has become a kind of sports and entertainment center. It opens a swimming pool with towers, a planetarium, summer theaters, and pioneers settle in the exhibition pavilions in the summer. A whaling flotilla museum was even opened here, known for having a jaw of this huge marine mammal at its entrance. Next to her, one could see a real harpoon gun. But gradually Dyukovsky park again declines. In the nineties of the last century, he even turned into a favorite place of gang warfare. Representatives of the criminal world gathered in the billiard club "Cannon". The glory of the park was such that before the beginning of the 2000s, people were afraid to go here. Later, the garden was again renamed Dyukovsky. Victory Park was named the one that used to bear the name of Lenin.
What the garden looks like now
The current Dyukovsky park has retained its original structure. It was built on three levels. The lower part of the garden can be accessed from Balkovskaya street. The middle level is located on the fortified slope of a not too steep ravine. Nevertheless, there are artificial terraces. From the main entrance you can walk up the stairs with observation decks. It is the main avenue from which the side tracks diverge. This road leads to the main square with the central pavilion. The park still houses the building of the Duke’s house, because the condition for donating the garden to the city was to preserve the integrity of the residence de Richelieu. True, because of the perestroika of the Soviet era, it has changed a lot, but still it is crowned with a crown - a symbol of this ducal surname.
What can be done here?
In the afternoon, young mothers with children mostly walk around the garden. A special house is open for them, where you can free-swaddle the child and wait out the rain if it suddenly arrives. Above the ponds in summer you can ride on the cableway. In summer, locals sunbathe on the lawns of the park, and in the fall they go to enjoy peace and tranquility. And in the middle of the largest artificial reservoir there is a children's fortress. By the way, the famous source, which we wrote about above, beats in this pond. Therefore, it bears the name of Deribas. It’s good to watch the sunset from the park’s terraces - it’s not without reason that the local shops in the evenings are occupied by couples in love. The Mustang Equestrian Club operates in the garden, and for a fee you can ride on its tracks. Dog shows are held here from time to time, and agility is arranged for four-legged friends. Odessa tourist center conducts author's two-hour excursions in the park, telling about the life of the “dark duke” and the history of his residence. The cost of such a guided walk is about seventy hryvnias.
The future of the garden
The park is a beautiful green area, but, unfortunately, it is not too well-groomed. Perhaps this corner of the coastal city, so many years offended by the attention of the authorities, will soon be awarded a better fate. A project for further reconstruction of the park and the construction of a nine-story hotel complex has already been approved in Odessa. According to these plans, the garden will be completely transformed and divided into several entertainment areas for different age groups. Perhaps then the former glory will return to it, and Dyukovsky Park (Odessa) will again become the place that the Duke de Richelieu liked so much. No wonder the latter called his residence "the blossoming corner of Versailles."