Odesa

Odesa, seaport, southwestern Ukraine. It stands on a shallow indentation of the Black Sea coast at a point approximately 19 miles (31 km) north of the Dniester River estuary and about 275 miles (443 km) south of Kyiv.

Although a settlement existed on the site in ancient times, the history of the modern city began in the 14th century when the Tatar fortress of Khadzhibey was established there; it later passed to Lithuania-Poland and in 1480 to Turkey. The fortress was stormed by the Russians in 1789 and the territory ceded to Russia in 1792. A new fortress was built in 1792–93, and in 1794 a naval base and commercial quay were added. In 1795 the new port was named Odesa for the ancient Greek colony of Odessos, the site of which was believed to be in the vicinity.

During the 19th century Odesa’s growth was rapid, especially after the coming of railways in 1866. Odesa became Russia’s second most important port, after St. Petersburg; grain was its principal export. The city was one of the chief centres of the Russian Revolution of 1905 and was the scene of the mutiny on the warship Potemkin. Sergey Eisenstein’s classic film Battleship Potemkin was made there in 1925. Odesa suffered heavy damage in World War II during its prolonged and unsuccessful defense against German and Romanian forces.

The city remains a major port in Ukraine, with well-equipped docks and ship-repair yards. After 1957 a new outport was built at Ilichevsk, 12 miles (20 km) to the south. Odesa is the base of a fishing fleet as well as the chief operational hub of the Ukrainian Navy. The city’s rail communications are good to all parts of Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania. Odesa is a large industrial centre, with a wide range of engineering industries; products have included machine tools, cranes, and plows. The chemical industry has produced such materials as fertilizers, paints, and dyes. Odesa also has been the site of oil refining, jute processing, consumer-goods manufacturing, and food processing. Most factories lie north of the port along the waterfront, with newer plants on the western outskirts. In the early 21st century the city was home to a booming information technology sector. Domestic start-up companies attracted the attention of international investors, while Western corporations outsourced some of their technology needs to Odesa’s highly educated workforce.

Odesa is an important cultural and educational centre. It has a university, founded in 1865, and numerous other institutions of higher education. Its most renowned research establishment is the Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy. There are a number of museums and theatres, including the opera house and ballet theatre, dating from 1809. The seashore south of the harbour is a popular resort area, with numerous sanatoriums and holiday camps. Pop. (2001) 1,029,049; (2021 est.) 1,015,826.