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European Vacations -
Ukraine Vacation Packages &
Travel Information |
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Overview |
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An ancient Greek colony named Olbia
(Greek: Ολβία, glorious) may have
once occupied the site of the city.
Numerous monuments of antiquity
confirm links between this territory
and the Eastern Mediterranean. In
the Middle Ages these lands were a
part of the Kievan Rus, Galich and
Volyn Principality, the Golden
Horde, the Great Lithuanian
Principality, the Crimean Khanate
and the Ottoman Empire. Crimean
Tatars traded there in the 14th
century. In the course of
Russian–Turkish wars these lands
were captured by Russia at the end
of the 18th century. From
1819–1858 Odessa was a free port (porto
franco). During the Soviet period it
was the most important port of trade
in the U.S.S.R. and a Soviet naval
base. On January 1, 2000 the
Quarantine Pier of Odessa trade sea
port was declared a free port and
free economic zone for a term of 25
years.
Odessa is a warm water port, but
of limited military value. Turkey's
control of the Dardanelles and
Bosphorus has enabled NATO to
control water traffic between Odessa
and the Mediterranean Sea. The city
of Odessa hosts two important ports:
Odessa itself and Yuzhny (also an
internationally important oil
terminal), situated in the city's
suburbs. Another important port,
Illichivs'k (or Ilyichyovsk), is
located in the same oblast, to the
south-west of Odessa. Together they
represent a major transportation
junction integrated with railways.
Odessa's oil- and
chemical-processing facilities are
connected to Russia's and EU's
respective networks by strategic
pipelines.
Odessa is the fifth-largest city
in Ukraine and its most important
trading city. In the 19th century it
was the fourth city of Imperial
Russia, after Moscow and St.
Petersburg, and Warsaw. Its
historical architecture has a flavor
more Mediterranean than Russian,
having been heavily influenced by
French and Italian styles. Odessa
has always possessed a spirit of
freedom and ironic humour, probably
by virtue of its location and its
willingness to accept and tolerate
people of many different
backgrounds.
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Culture |
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Odessa is a popular tourist
destination, with many therapeutic
resorts in and around the city. The
Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases &
Tissue Therapy is one of the leading
institutes for eye care.
The Tolstoy, Vorontsov, and Potocki
families owned palaces in Odessa,
which can still be visited.
The writer Isaac Babel was born in
the city, which has also produced
several famous musicians, including
the violinists Nathan Milstein,
Mischa Elman and David Oistrakh, and
the pianists Benno Moiseiwitsch,
Sviatoslav Richter and Emil Gilels.
The chess player Efim Geller was
born in the city. (All listed,
except for Richter, are
representatives of the city's Jewish
community.)
The most popular Russian
show-business people from Odessa are
Yakov Smirnoff (comedian), Mikhail
Zhvanetsky (legendary humorist
writer, who began his career as port
engineer) and Roman Kartsev
(comedian). Their success in 1970s
contributed to Odessa's established
status of a "capital of Soviet
humour". Later several humour
festivals were established in the
city, including the celebration of
the April Fool's Day.
Most of the city's 19th century
houses were built of limestone mined
nearby. Abandoned mines were later
used and broadened by local
smugglers. This created a
complicated labyrinth of underground
tunnels beneath Odessa, known as
"catacombs". They are a now a great
attraction for extreme tourists.
Such tours, however, are not
officially sanctioned and are
dangerous because the layout of the
catacombs has not been fully mapped
and the tunnels themselves are
unsafe. These tunnels are a primary
reason why subway was never built in
Odessa. |
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