Odessa, often called “The Pearl of the Black Sea”, is one of the Ukrainian top cities in culture, science, education, literature, music and many other spheres of life.
The city has a vibrancy all of its own due to its cosmopolitan history. Indeed, a close look at those who played a part in its emergence brings one to the conclusion that Odessa has always been a strikingly international place. Its first builders, the brothers Joseph and Felix de Ribas were of Spanish extraction. Franz de Volant, the first city planner, was a Dutchman.
Duke Emmanuel de Richelieu, the first province and city Governor, was French, and so was his friend and successor, Count Alexandre de Langeron. General Coble, the city commandant, was English, Governor General Mikhail Vorontsov was a Russian prince, Grigoriy Marazli, a Greek, headed the municipal government. Italians were predominant among the architects: F.Boffo, A.Bernardazzi, G.Toricelli and F.Morandi, to name a few. As for the populace, it was a mix from the very start: Ukrainians and Greeks, Russians and Jews, Moldavians and Poles, Bulgarians and Germans, as well as Italians, Frenchmen, Turks and Tatars. Sincere tolerance has always been the spirit among all the ethnic groups inhabiting Odessa.
