About Odessa
Odessa is a beautiful city in the South of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast. Odessa is an administrative center of the Odessa Oblast, major seaport as well as economic, commercial, tourist and cultural center.
It is the third largest city in Ukraine after the nation's capital, Kiev, and Kharkov, with a population of 1 012 277.
History
First settlements on the modern city territory were founded around the VI century B.C. by the ancient Greek seafarers. The city as a Black Sea port, was founded in 1794 by the Russian Empire on the site of the Turkish fortress Khadzhibei.
Population
Odessa is traditionally multiethnic city. It hosts a number of nationalities, as a result Odessa is the most multinational city in Ukraine.
Architecture and remarkable sights
The multinational character of the city has influenced the architecture of public buildings, reflecting the Mediterranean style of classical architecture and in the planning of buildings and facade compositions, Italian and French decor is ubiquitous.
In 2009, the historical center of the port city of Odessa was officially listed in the preliminary World Heritagelist of UNESCO.
There are many theaters and museums in Odessa, a lot of them have a long and interesting history. The Odessa National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet (Opera house) is the biggest and the most famous theatre in Odessa. The building has unique and well known architecture. In 2011 the popular magazine "Forbes" included the Odessa Opera House into a list of the most important sights in Eastern Europe. The Odessa Opera House is not only interesting for its architecture, but it also has a rich creative biography. It has been visited by Tchaikovsky and other famous composers, musicians, singers, and dancers.
Odessa's most iconic symbol, the Potemkin Stairs, is rightfully acknowledged as one of the most beautiful staircases in Europe. In July 2015 special ceremony has inaugurated “Treasure of European Film Culture” emblem next to the Potemkin Stairs. European Film Academy awarded the Potemkin Stairs in Odessa the title “Treasure of European Film Culture” as one of the world’s most famous historical film locations.
"Odessa Catacombs" is a gigantic complicated labyrinth of underground tunnels beneath Odessa. Stretching to an estimated total length of 2,500km, the Odessa Catacombs are perhaps the largest network of tunnels anywhere in the world. They’re significantly longer – and more complex – than the famous catacombs found beneath Rome (300km) and Paris (500 km)… in fact, if these Odessa’s tunnels were stretched out to full length, they’d reach further than the distance between Odessa and Paris.
The Capital of Humor
Odessa is considered as "capital of humor". It hosts the annual humor festival “Humoryna”, carried out on 1st of April, around the April Fools' Day. The celebration consists of carnival procession, a great number of concerts, contests and festivities held at various venues throughout Odessa.
Tourism
Sea-beaches, firth curative mud and mineral springs attract many tourists to come to Odessa, where the resort zone stretches for tens of kilometers along the Black Sea side.
The majority of beaches are sandy. Among them we may name the following:“Lanzheron” with Ukrainian largest all-year dolphinarium and seaquarium “Nemo”, “Otrada”, “Delfin”, “Arcadia” - one of Odessa’s visiting cards, beaches of the Big Fountains. Apart from sun, sand and healthy air, beachside offers various entertainments, cafes, restaurants and nightclubs alongside.