ODESSA

The city was founded at the end of the 17th Century by Duc de Richelieu. The grateful citizens of Odessa erected a monument in his honour. The city has been developed as a port and a trading centre. Since its foundation, Odessa has grown into a cosmopolitan city where people of more than a hundred different nationalities live, calling their city "a pearl by the sea-side". The heart of the city is a port. With its excellent harbour on the Black Sea, Odessa has become Ukraine's Southern Window to Europe and an important cultural resort. The mixture of sea, steppe air and medicinal mud are the secrets of Odessa's popularity and success as one of Ukraine's biggest resorts. This region is also the home of the Danube Bullrushes Nature Preserve.