© Lonely Planet Publications 160 lonelyplanet.com SOUTHERN UKRAINE •• Odesa 161 Southern Ukraine ODESA ОДЕСА Local writer Issac Babel claimed Odesa %048 (7-digit Nos), 0482 (6-digit Nos) / pop one had ‘more charm than any city in the Russian million Empire’ and that’s probably still true in Південна Odesa is a city straight from literature – an modern-day Ukraine. The source of this energetic, decadent boomtown. Its famous charm is Odesans themselves: a breed apart, Potemkin Steps sweep down to the Black they’re stylish, cultured, funny, savvy and not Україна Sea and Ukraine’s biggest commercial port. easily impressed. Behind them, a cosmopolitan cast of char- This southerly region once helped make the Russian empress Catherine great. As part of her acters makes merry among pastel neoclas- History territorial acquisitions in the late 18th century, it vastly expanded her dominion and brought sical buildings lining a geometrical grid of Catherine the Great imagined Odesa as the St Russia huge wealth by opening it up to the Black Sea. Novorossiya, or new Russia, as it was leafy streets. Petersburg of the South. Her lover, General ambitiously christened, had been a Wild West–style no-man’s-land between the domain of Immigrants from all over Europe were Grygory Potemkin, laid the groundwork for invited to make their fortune here when her dream in 1789 by capturing the Turkish the Cossacks and that of the Crimean Tatars. Under Catherine it became a melting pot, as Odesa was founded in the late 18th century fortress of Hadjibey, which previously stood Bulgarians, Germans, Greeks, Italians, Moldavians, Russians, Swedes and many others were by Russia’s Catherine the Great. These new here. However, Potemkin died before work invited to populate the area and set up business along the coast to trade. inhabitants gave Russia’s southern window on began on the city in 1794 and his senior com- the world a singular, subversive nature. manders oversaw its construction instead. The This history, coupled with a temperate climate, has shaped the character of the region today, As well as becoming a duty-free port and a Spanish-Neapolitan general José de Ribas, especially the largest city, Odesa (Odessa in Russian). Entrepreneurial and cosmopolitan, Odesa major Mafia stronghold – it is still the latter – after whom the main street, vul Derybasivska, is also Ukraine’s capital of hedonism. Closer than Crimea to Kyiv, with sandy beaches and a Odesa also attracted ordinary holiday-makers is named, built the harbour. The Duc de wicked nightlife, it’s a favourite weekend break from the capital and is, in many ways, cooler. with its sunny climate, self-confidence and Richelieu (Armand Emmanuel du Plessis), sandy beaches. True, the city’s appearance an aristocrat fleeing the French Revolution, Southern Ukraine has, however, more to offer than just Odesa’s joie de vivre and attitude: it’s grows tattier as you head south past half- became the first governor, governing from also home to three major river estuaries. The Dnipro empties into the Black Sea 60km east of empty sanatoriums towards its beachside 1803 to 1814. Odesa; the Dnister, 40km southwest. But the most spectacular estuary – and, sadly, the most nightclubs. However, this East–West cross- In 1815, when the city became a duty-free roads makes up for that with sheer panache. port, things really began to boom. Its huge threatened – is that of the Danube in the country’s far southwest corner. Here, in the small Ukrainian nook of Europe’s largest wetlands, you’ll find more than 300 different bird species and M12 E50 0Zhovti Vody 80 km Mohyliv- Kirovohrad M04 0 40 miles animals such as mink, freshwater otters and monk seals. Even nature seems to emphasise the SOUTHERNPodilsky UKRAINE Nuclear multicultural theme – southern Ukraine boasts an African-style safari park created by a German To Holovanivsk Missile M13 Yampil (10km) Museum K settler. You’ll also find the so-called ‘Ukrainian Venice’ and an isolated city of Swedes. odyma Pervomaysk M05 Kryvy Rih E577 HIGHLIGHTS Voznesensk M13 E95 Pivdenny B l M4 T u y h li n M14 h I Enjoy a movie moment on Odesa’s massive u ts l le uh u Dub©u h Potemkin Steps ( p173 ) In Berezivka Kakhovske E583 Reservoir Hit the restaurants in and around Odesa’s central vul Derybasivska ( p173 ) Zmiyivka Chi¢in©u Mykolayiv Do a summer club-crawl at Arkadia M14 ro Nova Kakhovka MOLDOVA E58 nip Beach ( p178 ) Tiraspol Kherson D Askaniya Ochakiv Nova Kuchurkhan Dniprovsky Bay E97 Reserve Imbibe culture at the famous Opera and Ballet Heroyske Askaniya Dn Hola Prystan Chaplynka Nova Odesa Askaniya Nova ister Odesa Black Sea Theatre ( p173 ) or the much-lauded Odessa Biosphere no Reserve Kras zn Syvash Reserve am y al Bay Philharmonic Orchestra ( p179 ) Basarabyaska Dnistrovsky Illichivsk an Can M24 Estuary sky Southern Skadovsk Armyansk Witness market madness at the famous Birlad Bessarabia Vylkovo Bilhorod- SOUTHERN UKRAINE Pryvoz Market and 7-Kilometres Dnistrovsky Krasnoperokopsk A283 E87 Lake Karkinitska Bay Bazaar ( p179 ) M15 Shakhany Tatarbunary Charge through remote Bessarabia to the canals and bird-infested Danube waterways around Crimea Bolhrad Lake Vylkovo ( p184 ) Sasyk Danube Delta Black Sea Lake Galati Kiliya Biosphere (Chorne More) Spot zebras, bison and flamingos on safari at the Askaniya Nova Reserve ( p182 ) Reni Yalluh Reserve Yevpatoriya (Dun Lake Izmayil be a Vylkovo nu y Kahul a ) Braila D POPULATION: 4.7 MILLION HIGHEST POINT : NOTHING OVER 200M Tulcea ROMANIA SOUTHERN UKRAINE 162 SOUTHERN UKRAINE •• Odesa lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com SOUTHERN UKRAINE •• Odesa 163 0 200 m ODESA 0 0.1 miles ABCv D E F G H ul P To Luzanovka rym Hotel v prov o Odessa INFORMATION Hotel Frapolli.....................................38 B3 u Korolenko Beach (7km); rsk l S 21 Simferopol a Book Shop ........................................... 1 A2 Hotel Londonskaya o fiy (508km) Bulgarian Consulate Гостиница Лондонская 39 iv Arkadia ....... C2 sk b Консульство Болгарії..............2 E3 Hotel Oktyabrskaya 1 a ul 74 a 1 0 200 m Central Post Office Почта ............. 3 A2 Гостиница Октябрьская.....40 D3 a Tyoshchyn n Mystetstv 0 0.1 miles 41 bul Frantsuzsky 4 n Most 31 Boat Passenger Eugenia Travel .................................... C4 Hotel Yunost Ko B L A C K vul Pionersk l Terminal European Business Center ........(see 44) Гостиница Юность................ 41 F1 vu p S E A ro J@m......................................................... 5 A1 Mozart Hotel v 32 pl 10-ho K Літера Гостиница Моцарт 42 v Litera ..................................(see 65) usk ................ C2 u u Kvitnya ro l sp Pelikan Tour Пеликан Тур ...........6 B1 Odessa Hostel.................................(see 37) 5 6 rtn G y prov o Romanian Consulate Odessa Rent-A-Flat ...................... (see 44) go 24 vul Nekrasova yenny Консульство Руминії ............. 7 C5 Palladium Hotel ly vul P 9 Shchepkina a Vo Гостиница Палладиум 43 vul Torhova Potemkin Russian Consulate ........ D6 v ry ul P Steps m Консульство России 8 Passazh Hotel vul Sabaneyev 28 bul ............... E2 Mist orsk a Prymorsky Salix ........................................................9 A2 Гостиница Пассаж.................44 B3 To Kovalevsky ste 10 a ra pl 14 Turkish Consulate Train Station......................................45 C6 Hostel (1km) vul Genuezs Yekaterynynska Консульство Турції 10 a 39 ............... C2 sk prov Mayakovskoho 2 vul Preobrazhenska 11 X-Box ....................................................11 B2 EATING 2 vul Sadov ryan 71 27 pl 8 vo 46 vul Tinysta Fat Mozes ........................................... 46 B2 a vul Chaykovskoho Dumska rins n a koe l D g p SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES a 17 la Kasylysa............................................ (see 49) vu 1 an to 3 pl ka Ga av Archaeology Museum Khevron Хеврон.............................47 C4 City 49 64 63 29 Tamozhenna 59 l H 12 v 18 Археологический музей 12 Кларабара 48 u ul Lanzheronivska Karantynny ..... C2 Klarabara .................... B2 Garden v 51 42 Arkadia Beach ................................... 13 F3 Kumanets Куманець....................49 B2 48 16 54 55 52 Catherine the Great Statue Pr Oleksandrivsky Food Stands..50 B3 69 k Памятник Екатерине 14 51 vul s II ........ B2 Pulcinella ............................................ B2 a Derybasi vska spusk 30 44 v vu o 36 o Chairlift to Otrada Beach Tavriya Таврія .............................. (see 65) l K k 56 67 u 38 y pl y n vu 61 Канатная дорога к Топ Сендвич 52 sk ch ob pl h ny l Ti Top Sandwich .... B2 ka b itnoh Hretska u Klu n h levska Z Polsky spu v vul K ysta esh пляжу Отрада 15 Soborna pro sm prov c ............................ F6 Top Sandwich Топ Сендвич ....53 B3 la atna iltsev Khrustalny a 25 19 prov Khrustalny 13 Городской сад 16 Топ Сендвич 54 ira 65 vul Hretsk City Garden ...... B2 Top Sandwich .... B2 a a Ol a B e m vsky sp vul Po 2 37 Kan Городской совет 17 Туркуаз 55 d City Hall ........ C2 Turkuaz ............................ B2 a aterynyns no Literature Museum 56 vul Zara Pizzara........................................ C3 ul A 26 a 60 3 v p 3 ro a d i Литературный музей 18 Ukrsotsbank vul Yuriy .......... C2 53 v A 57 lsk prov A k Devola DRINKING o Ku a vul Bun vul Yek v Museum of Western & Eastern Art vul pl Very ina rc to shelevska h a Nezhynska 72 rkadiyivsky ato A r k Музей западного и 57 Kholodnoyi l P vul Tolstoho v rch Art Club Exit....................................... B3 62 a Ku 50 vu To the Admiral k Восточного искусства .........19 C3 Captain Morgan............................... 58 B3 l A vul Ri Hostel (2km) u vul Pushkinska v Oceanarium Океанариум..........20 F3 Friends and Beer........................... (see 56) To Georgian 58 Ирландский Consulate (50m) 40 Odessa Fine Arts Museum Mick O'Neill's Irish Bar vul Zhukovskoho vul Novoselsk 20 Художественный музей.....21 A1 бар Мик О’Нилз................... (see 38) o Победа sky Пляж Отрада 22 Pobeda ........................... (see 37) vul Ku k Otrada Beach ....