Odessa

Odessa ({{lang-ua|?????, Odesa}}; {{lang-ru|??????}}) is a city in the southwestern Ukraine, major port on the Black Sea and the administrative center of country's Odessa Oblast (province). Population 1,012,500 (2004).

History

Foundation and early years

In the 14th century, Crimean Tatars traded in the Odessa region. The town was ruled by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, then known as Chad?ib?jus (local name - Khajibei). It came under the control of the Ottoman Empire after 1529. During the Russo-Turkish War, from 1787–1791, the Ukrainian Black Sea Cossacks conquered the Tartar settlement of Khadzhibei (Turkish: Haçibey) and the Turkish fortress of Eni-Dunia, near the city's present-day location. The Spaniard in Russian service De Ribas helped lead this conquest.

Related Topics:
14th century - Tatars - Grand Duchy of Lithuania - Khajibei - Ottoman Empire - 1529 - Russo-Turkish War - 1787 - 1791 - Black Sea - Cossack - De Ribas

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The city was officially founded in 1794 as a Russian naval fortress on lands gained from Turkey (this area became part of the so called Novorossiya or New Russia) as a result of the Treaty of Iasi in 1792. Khadzhibei was renamed Odessa by January 1795 (when its new name was first mentioned in official correspondence). Neither origin of the new name nor reasons for renaming are known, though etymologies and anecdotes abound. According to one of the stories, when someone suggested Odessos as a name for the new Russian port, Catherine II said that all names in the South of the Empire were already 'masculine,' and didn't want yet another one, so she decided to change it to more 'feminine' Odessa. This anecdote is highly dubious, because there were at least two cities (Eupatoria and Theodosia) with feminine-sounding for a Russian ear names; besides, the Czarina was not a native Russian speaker, and finally, all cities are feminine in Greek (as well as in Latin). Another legend derives the name 'Odessa' from the word-play: in French (which was then the language spoken at the Russian court), 'plenty of water' is assez d'eau; if said backwards, it sounds similar to that of the Greek colony's name (and water-related pun makes perfect sense, because Odessa, though situated next to the huge body of water, has limited fresh water supply). Anyhow, a link with the name of the ancient Greek colony persists, so there might be some truth in the oral tradition.

Related Topics:
1794 - Russian - New Russia - Iasi - 1792 - Etymologies - Anecdotes - Odessos - Catherine II - Eupatoria - Theodosia - Czarina - Feminine - Greek - Latin - French

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The new city quickly became a major success. Its early growth owed much to the work of the Duc de Richelieu, who served as the city's governor between 1803-1814. Having fled the French Revolution, he had served in Catherine's army against the Turks. He is credited with designing the city and organising its amenities and infrastructure, and is considered one of the founding fathers of Odessa.

Related Topics:
Duc de Richelieu - 1803 - 1814 - French Revolution

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In 1819 the city was made a free port, a status it retained until 1879. It became home to an extremely diverse population of Russians, Ukrainians, Jews, Greeks, Bulgarians, Albanians, Italians, Frenchmen, Germans and traders representing many other European nationalities (hence numerous 'ethnic' names on the city's map, e.g., Frantsuszkiy (French) and Italianskiy (Italian) Boulevards, Grecheskaya (Greek), Evreyskaya (Jewish), Arnautskaya (Albanian) Streets). Its cosmopolitan nature was documented by the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, who lived in internal exile in Odessa between 1823-1824. In his letters he wrote that Odessa was a city where "you can smell Europe. French is spoken and there are European papers and magazines to read".

Related Topics:
1819 - 1879 - Russians - Ukrainians - Jews - Greeks - Bulgarians - Albanians - Italians - Frenchmen - Germans - Alexander Pushkin - 1823 - 1824

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Odessa's growth was interrupted by the Crimean War of 1853-1856, during which it was bombarded by British and French naval forces. It soon recovered and the growth in trade made Odessa Russia's largest grain-exporting port. In 1866 the city was linked by rail with Kiev and Kharkov as well as Iasi, Romania.

Related Topics:
Crimean War - 1853 - 1856 - British - French - 1866 - Kiev - Kharkov - Iasi - Romania

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The city became the home of a large Jewish community during the 19th century, and by 1897 Jews were estimated to comprise some 37% of the population. They were, however, repeatedly subjected to severe persecution. Pogroms were carried out in 1821, 1859, 1871, 1881, and 1905. Many Odessan Jews fled abroad, particularly to Palestine after 1882, and the city became an important base of support for Zionism.

Related Topics:
19th century - 1897 - Pogrom - 1821 - 1859 - 1871 - 1881 - 1905 - Palestine - 1882 - Zionism

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20th century

In 1905 Odessa was the site of a workers' uprising supported by the crew of the Russian battleship Potemkin (also see Battleship Potemkin uprising) and Lenin's Iskra. Sergei Eisenstein's famous motion picture The Battleship Potemkin commemorated the uprising and included a scene where hundreds of Russian citizens were murdered on the great stone staircase (now popularly known as the "Potemkin Steps"), in one of the most famous scenes in motion picture history. At the top of the steps, which lead down to the port, stands a statue of Richelieu. The actual massacre took place in streets nearby, not on the steps themselves, but the movie caused many to visit Odessa to see the site of the "slaughter". The "Odessa Steps" continue to be a tourist attraction in Odessa. The film was made at Odessa's Cinema Factory, one of the oldest cinema studios in the former Soviet Union.

Related Topics:
1905 - Russian battleship Potemkin - Battleship Potemkin uprising - Lenin - Iskra - Sergei Eisenstein - The Battleship Potemkin

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Following the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 during World War I, Odessa was occupied by several groups, including the Ukrainian Tsentral'na Rada, the French Army, the Red Army and the White Army. Finally, in 1920, the Red Army took control of Odessa and united it with the Ukrainian SSR, which later became part of the USSR.

Related Topics:
Bolshevik Revolution - 1917 - World War I - Ukrainian - Tsentral'na Rada - French Army - Red Army - White Army - 1920 - Ukrainian SSR - USSR

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The people of Odessa suffered from a great famine that occurred in 1921-1922 as a result of the war. During World War II Odessa was occupied by Romanian and German forces from 1941-1944. The city suffered severe damage and many casualties.

Related Topics:
Famine - 1921 - 1922 - World War II - Romania - German - 1941 - 1944

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Under the axis occupation, approximately 280,000 Odessans (mostly Jews) were either massacred or deported (for more, see the Odessa Massacre). Many parts of Odessa were damaged during its fall and later recapture in April 1944, when the city was finally liberated by the Soviet Army. It was one of the first four Soviet cities to be awarded the title of "Hero City" in 1945.

Related Topics:
Axis - Jew - Odessa Massacre - 1944 - Soviet Army - Hero City - 1945

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Post-war

During the 1960s and 1970s the city grew tremendously. Between the 1970s and 1990s, the majority of Odessa's Jews emigrated to Israel, United States and other Western countries. Domestic migration to Moscow and Leningrad also occurred on a large scale, forming large communities of Odessans there.

Related Topics:
1960s - 1970s - 1990s - Jew - Israel - United States - Western - Migration - Moscow - Leningrad

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In 1991, after the collapse of Communism, the city became part of newly independent Ukraine. Today Odessa is a city of around 1.1 million people. The city's industries include shipbuilding, oil refining, chemicals, metalworking and food processing. Odessa is also a major Ukrainian naval base and home to a fishing fleet.

Related Topics:
1991 - Communism - Ukraine - Naval - Base

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