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[[File:Odessa downtown.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Odessa Сircuit Court building and Church of the monastery of St. Panteleimon (church consecrated in 1895; used as a planetarium in 1961–1991).]]
Odessa is the fifth-largest city in [[Ukraine]]. It is
| first =Patricia
| last =Herlihy
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| title =The Ethnic Composition of the City of Odessa in the Nineteenth Century
| pages =p. 53
}}</ref> Its old buildings appear to be more Mediterranean than Russian. They were made like [[France|French]] and [[Italy|Italian]] buildings.
== History ==
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=== Before the 20th century ===
A [[Ancient Greece|very old Greek colony]] named ''Olbia'' ({{lang-el|Ολβία}}, glorious)
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]]. The Crimean [[Tatars]] traded there in the [[14th century]]. At the time of the [[Russia]]n–[[Ottoman Empire|Turkish]] wars, the lands were captured by [[Russia]]. That was at the end of the 18th century.<ref name="OO">{{cite web|url=http://www.odessaonline.com.ua/eng/gonm.php?dir=history&m2=1&m3=1|title=History of Odessa|author=|work=|publisher=Odessa Online|accessdate=May 1, 2006}}</ref>
From 1819–1858 Odessa was a [[free port]] (''porto franco''). During the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] time it was the most important port of trade in the [[U.S.S.R.]] and a Soviet [[naval]] [[military base|base]]. On January 1, 2000 the Quarantine Pier of Odessa trade sea port was made a [[free port]] and [[free economic zone]] for 25 years.▼
▲From 1819–1858, Odessa was a [[free port]] (''porto franco''). During the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]]
In the [[15th century]] [[Anno Domini|AD]], [[nomad]]ic tribes of the [[Nogays]] under the government of the [[Crimean Khanate|Khanate of Crimea]] lived in the place that is now Odessa. During the reign of [[Khan (title)|Khan]] [[Haci I Giray]], the Khanate was in danger from the [[Golden Horde]] and the [[Ottoman Turks]]. To get help, the khan gave Odessa to the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]].▼
The place now named Odessa was then named ''Khadjibey'' (also spelled as Khadjibei, Khadzhibei, or Gadzhibei; [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]]: ''Chadžibėjus''; [[Crimean Tatar language|Crimean Tatar]] and [[Turkish language|Turkish]]: ''Hacibey''). It was part of the [[Dykra]] region. Few people lived in that region. They were part of the [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] tribes. The land was mostly empty [[steppe]]s.▼
=== 15th century ===
The [[Ottoman Empire]] controlled Khadjibey after 1529. The region surrounding Khadjibey was named Yedisan. In the middle of the [[18th century]], the Ottomans rebuilt a [[fortress]] at Khadjibey. It was named Eni Dunia ([[Turkish language|Turkish]]: ''Yeni Dünya'', literally "new world").▼
▲In the [[15th century]] [[Anno Domini|AD]], [[nomad]]ic tribes of the [[Nogays]], under the government of the [[Crimean Khanate|Khanate of Crimea]], lived
▲The place now
▲The [[Ottoman Empire]] controlled Khadjibey after 1529.
At the time of the [[Russo-Turkish War, 1787-1792|war between Russia and Turkey (1787–1792)]], on 25 September 1789, [[Ivan Gudovich]] led a group of Russian soldiers to Khadjibey. They took Khadjibey and Yeni Dünya for the [[Imperial Russia|Russian Empire]]. A [[Spanish people|Spaniard]] in the Russian army named Major General [[José de Ribas]] led one group of soldiers. Russians named him Osip Mikhailovich Deribas. The main street in Odessa today is named [[Deribasovskaya]] street after him. Turkey let Russia keep the city in the [[Treaty of Jassy]] (agreement of Jassy) in 1792. Russians made it a part of a place they named [[Novorossiya]] (New Russia).▼
▲At the time of the [[Russo-Turkish War, 1787-1792|war between Russia and Turkey (1787–1792)]], on 25 September 1789, [[Ivan Gudovich]] led a group of Russian soldiers to Khadjibey.
The [[Imperial Russia|Russian]] government decided to build a naval fortress on the ruins of Khadjibey city in 1794. This became the city named Odessa by January 1795. In that year its new name was first written in government letters. The reasons for the new name are lost but people have made stories. According to one of the stories, when someone said [[Odessos]] should be the name for the new Russian port, [[Catherine II of Russia|Catherine II]] said that all names in the South of the Empire were already 'masculine,' and she did not want another one, so she decided to change it to more 'feminine' Odessa. This story may be false. There were at least two cities ([[Eupatoria]] and [[Theodosia]]) with names that sound 'feminine' for a Russian; also, Catherine II did not speak Russian when she was a child, and lastly, all cities are [[grammatical gender|feminine]] in [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] (and in [[Latin]]). Another story is that the name 'Odessa' is from word-play in [[French language|French]]. French ''was'' then the language spoken at the Russian court. 'Plenty of water' is ''assez d'eau'' in French. If one says this backwards, it sounds like the Greek colony's name. Word-play about water makes sense. Odessa is next to a very big body of water but has a little fresh water. Anyhow, there is still a link with the name of the old Greek colony. So there may be some truth in the things people said long ago.▼
=== Origins of the name ===
The new city quickly became a major success. Its early growth owed much to the work of the [[Armand-Emmanuel du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu|Duc de Richelieu]], who was 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, together with another Frenchman, Count [[Alexandre Langeron]], who succeeded him in office. Richelieu is commemorated by a bronze statue, unveiled in 1828 to a design by [[Ivan Martos]].▼
In 1794, the [[Imperial Russia|Russian]] government decided to build a naval fortress on the ruins of Khadjibey city. This became the city named Odessa by January 1795. In that year its new name was first written in government letters. The reasons for the new name are lost, but people had theories.
==== Catherine II ====
According to one of the stories, when someone said [[Odessos]] should be the name for the new Russian port, [[Catherine II of Russia|Catherine II]] said that all names in the South of the Empire were already 'masculine,' and she did not want another one. So, she decided to change it to more 'feminine' Odessa. This story may be false.
==== French ====
▲
▲The new city quickly became a major success. Its early growth owed much to the work of the [[Armand-Emmanuel du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu|Duc de Richelieu]], who was 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
==== Free port ====
In 1819 the city was made a free port, a status it retained until 1859. It became home to an extremely diverse population of [[Ukrainians]], [[Russians]], [[Jews]], [[Greece|Greeks]], [[Bulgarians]], [[Albania]]ns, [[Armenians]], [[Italy|Italians]], [[French people|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".
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[[File:Odessa richelieu.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Richelieu Street and the Opera Theatre in the 1890s.]]
The city became the home of a large Jewish community during the [[19th century]]
=== First half of the 20th century ===
In 1905 Odessa was the place of a workers' uprising supported by the crew of the [[Russian battleship Potemkin]] (also see [[Battleship Potemkin uprising]]) and [[Lenin]]'s [[Iskra]].
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 steps continue to be a tourist attraction. The film was made at Odessa's Cinema Factory, one of the oldest cinema studios in the former Soviet Union. Following the [[Bolshevik Revolution]] in 1917 during [[World War I]], Odessa was occupied by several groups, including the [[Ukraine|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]].
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=== Second half of the 20th century ===
[[File:Odessa 1.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Pushkinskaya Street.]]
During the [[1960s]] and [[1970s]], the city grew tremendously.
Despite being part of Ukraine Socialist Republic, the city preserved and somewhat [[Operant conditioning|reinforced]] its unique cosmopolitan mix of Russian/Ukrainian/Mediterranean culture. [[File:Odessa 3.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Odessa [[tram]].]]
In 1991, after the collapse of [[Communism]], the city became part of newly independent [[Ukraine]]. As
The transportation network of Odessa consists of trams<ref name = "trams">{{cite web
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| accessdate =2006-05-02
}}</ref> (streetcars), [[trolleybus]]es, [[bus]]es; and [[marshrutka]]s.
== Geography and features ==
Odessa
The primary language spoken is [[Russian language|Russian]], with [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]] being less common despite
== Culture ==
[[File:Odessa library.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Odessa Public Library (now Archaeological Museum), like so many other landmarks in the city, was designed in [[Neoclassicism|Neoclassical]] style.]]
Odessa is a popular tourist destination
== Notable people ==
=== Arts and literature ===
The writer [[Isaac Babel]] was born in the city
=== Entertainment ===
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 status of a "capital of Soviet humour". Later several humour [[festival]]s were established in the city, including the celebration of the [[April Fools' Day]].
== Tourism ==
Most of the city's 19th century houses were built of [[limestone]] mined nearby. Abandoned mines were later used and broadened by local [[smuggler]]s. This created a complicated [[labyrinth]] of underground tunnels beneath Odessa, known as "[[catacombs]]". They are a now a great attraction for [[extreme tourist]]s. 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.
== Economy ==
The economy of Odessa is based on its port and its close distance to nearby ice-free ports in the mouths of the Dnieper, the Southern Bug, the Dniester and the Danube rivers. During the Soviet period,
== Twin towns and sister cities ==
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