It is wrong to assume that the history of Odessa began with the advent 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. It was an era of development of Ancient Greece. Ancient culture spread throughout the Mediterranean, it affected the Black Sea. The colony, on the site of which Odessa grew up many centuries later, was called Istrion. Also next to it were Nikonion, Thira, Isaacion. The administrative center of these colonies was considered the rich and developed Olbia. In its heyday, its population reached 15 thousand people.
In the II century BC, the antique 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 here with the Scythians - inhabitants of the steppes.
The antique period ended when in the 4th century local lands were devastated after the invasion of nomads. They moved west under the pressure of predatory and wasteful Huns, led by Attila. Trade ceased, from the ancient cities there were ruins that began to be explored only in the 20th century.
Early middle ages
In the Early Middle Ages, the Black Sea coast passed from hand to hand. Initially, these places were influenced by the Byzantine Empire, which had colonies in the Crimea and controlled trade on the site of Odessa. However, over time, the Greeks disappeared, and the empty lands were occupied by the Slavs, more precisely, the tribal union of the Tiberts. It was the period from VIII to X century.
Local residents experienced constant pressure from the nomads - the Pechenegs and Polovtsians of Turkic origin. Therefore, for many centuries the history of Odessa knew only the struggle of different tribes that did not have large cities and ports. The situation was even more aggravated by the Tatar invasion of the 13th century. Because of it, all those few sprouts of culture that existed on the Black Sea were destroyed.
Trade Center with Italians
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 traveled through Constantinople, came here. They created many cities in the Crimea (Cafa, Tana, Licostomo, Vichina, Moncastro).
It was the Catholic merchants who left us written records of a city called Hadzhibey. 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, the speakers of which were the nomads of the Nogai horde. This tribe broke away from its "golden" neighbor. According to another version, Hadzhibey appeared as a parking lot for Polish and Lithuanian merchants, who established ties with Italians.
The fact of 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 Algerd at Blue Waters. His name is consonant with the name of the village.
Lithuanian chroniclers claimed that the settlement was founded by Prince Vitovt, who sent here the noble family of Kotsyubeyev. One way or another, the first mention of Hadzhibey dates back to 1413. It is in the letter of the Polish king Jagiel, who gave the Black Sea coast to his vassal Svidrigaila. But even then, Lithuanian influence here was extremely weakened due to wars with the Tatars. Nevertheless, this did not prevent Hadzhibey from experiencing his heyday associated with trade with Italians. From here they exported rare salt mined in local deposits.
Desert Hadzhibey
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 to levy a large tax on passing Italian ships or to drown those who refused to pay tribute. Because of this, communication with Western merchants was broken.
When the Turks subjugated the Crimean Khanate of the Tatars, a raid was carried out to the place where Odessa now stands. From this moment, Hadzhibey finally fell into decay.
Yeni-Dunya
The history of Odessa continued, only when in the XVIII century the Turks began to rebuild the Yeni-Dunyu 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 a new fortification to St. Petersburg. It is noteworthy that the fortress was erected on the spot where Primorsky Boulevard (within the city) is located today.
These data came in handy after a few years, when the next Russo-Turkish War (1768 - 1774) began. The Russian troops secured the support of the Edisan Horde, which roamed between the Dniester and the Southern Bug and constituted a threat to the fortress. Zaporizhzhya Cossacks also tried to capture the fortification several times. Finally, in 1774 they succeeded, but peace was soon concluded between the powers, and Yeni-Dunya again became part of Turkey.
Soon, Catherine II liquidated the Zaporizhzhya Sich, and some Cossacks settled near Yeni-Dunya, according to an agreement with the Sultan. Such emigration of Russians allowed us to have the most complete and accurate information about what was happening in the bay.
The capture of Hadzhibey by Russia
The history of Odessa continued a few years later, when a new war with Turkey began (1787 - 1792). After the strategically important Ochakov fell, the deployment of the Sultan's fleet was transferred to Hadzhibey’s harbor.
In 1789, this city was surrendered to the Russian army, which was commanded by Ivan Gudovich on this site. Ataman Anton Golovaty became another hero of the assault. The Iasi Peace Treaty confirmed the new status of the settlement. By this time, the most motley population lived here: Turks, Greeks, Jews, Russians, etc. Therefore, an original proposal was made to populate the fortress with sailors from the Mediterranean flotilla.
XIX century
However, the empress decided to build a new city here, which would become part of the Dniester defense line. She was supposed to defend Russia on the border with Bessarabia, which at that time was still under Turkish control. The construction leader was appointed famous Russian commander Alexander Suvorov. The foundation of the city officially took place on June 7, 1794. He received the modern name Odessa a few months later. It is derived from the name of one of the Greek colonies in the bay. Good location and peaceful existence allowed the small settlement to quickly develop into a major metropolis of the XIX century.
By 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 commerce, science and industry. Moreover, throughout the entire period when tsarist power was strong, a third of the population of Odessa was far from Russian in origin. Who was not there: Jews (in the country there was a Pale of Settlement), the French, Moldavians, Germans, Greeks ...
In the first years of its existence, Odessa had to go through a lot, for example, an epidemic of plague. However, all sorts of problems and troubles were overcome, including with the help of the administrative skills of Governor Arman Richelieu (French by nationality). Under him, the city was built up from scratch by the best architects of the country.
The war in Crimea in the 50s of the XIX century echoed here with a booming echo. Odessa briefly found itself in a blockade. In April 1854, the city was shelled by a squadron of English and French ships.
20th century wars
During the First World War, Odessa was bombarded by the Germans and Austrians. The civil war that broke out in Russia, led to the fact that the city a huge number of times passed from hand to hand. He was in the German-Austrian occupation, and also became part of various state entities, which formed an "independent" Ukraine. Finally, Soviet power was established here only in 1920, when troops entered the city near the Black Sea led by Kotovsky.
And now a new disaster - the Great Patriotic War. The next defense of Odessa began. 73 days (from August 5 to October 16, 1941), the defenders of the city successfully restrained the German army. The South group tried to break through the approaches to the port, instead of continuing east, according to the Blitzkrieg plan. While Soviet soldiers fought in the suburbs, an effective evacuation of many civilians, valuable objects of art, industrial equipment, etc., was carried out across the bay.
The army also retreated in an organized manner. Many units were transferred to the Crimea, where they participated in the defense of Sevastopol. In Odessa, during the German occupation, an underground was created that successfully resisted the invaders. Secret operations carried out by volunteers caused the deaths of about 3 thousand Germans hosting 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 large Black Sea port. Classical films and series were shot at the local film studio (for example, Stanislav Govorukhin’s beloved masterpiece “The meeting place cannot be changed”).
In the Soviet period, Odessa received the title "Hero City". She was among the first seven holders of this honorary status. In memory of the bloody and heroic defense, which claimed 15 thousand lives, the Memorial complex, the Green Belt of Glory and other memorial structures were opened.
"You are from Odessa, Bear, and that means ..."
In Odessa, many celebrities were born. Travelers, tourists, just lovers of a good rest come to the capital of humor even more. Of course, within the framework of a short article it is difficult to name all famous personalities for whom South Palmyra is their hometown, therefore we will limit ourselves to listing the most interesting ones. So, the famous inhabitants of Odessa:
- singer L. Utesov;
- poetess A. Akhmatova;
- writers I. Ilf, V. Kataev, Yu. Olesha;
- Marshal L. Malinovsky;
- submariner A. Marinesco;
- Soviet intelligence N. Geft;
- major criminal authority Bear Jap;
- TV presenter, journalist, bard B. Burda;
- astronaut 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 celebrated and is celebrated on September 2. The center of the festivities is Primorsky Boulevard and the Potemkin Stairs. These are the two most famous symbols of the city. The historical center is listed by UNESCO and is protected with particular care as a unique cultural heritage of previous generations. Odessa Day traditionally ends with gala concerts, festivals and fireworks.