Attractions of Odesa region

Ecopark "Kartal" was inaugurated in the Danube region in 2017 at the initiative of the Center for Regional Studies.

The park with an area of ​​about 100 hectares was located on the shore of Lake Kartal near the village of Orlivka, Izmail district. The main goal of the project is to effectively use the floodplains of the Danube - parts of the river valleys that are flooded during floods or floods, as well as the restoration of the water buffalo population, which is rare in Ukraine.

A herd of Asian water buffaloes imported from Transcarpathia was kept here for free grazing. For the convenience of visitors, a wooden path with a total length of 230 meters was laid on the territory of the ecopark.

However, during the abnormal drought of 2020, the exotic animals almost died of starvation, after which the buffaloes were evacuated from Orlivka. Soon, the "Kartal" ecopark, which at that time had managed to become the most famous and most successful tourist facility in the Reni community, also closed down.

Medieval Akkerman Fortress on the banks of the Dniester estuary - one of the largest and best preserved in Ukraine.

Built on the site of the ancient city of Thira (archeological excavations are underway). Until the 10th century, there were probably fortifications of Slavic tribes of Tiverts and Ulychi.

The building of the citadel belongs to the Genoese period of XIII-XIV centuries. The main fortifications of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi fortress were built during the Moldavian rule (XV century). The total length of the walls is 2 km. Height of walls and towers from 5 to 15 m. 26 of 34 towers have survived.

In 1484 the fortress came under the rule of Turkey, a mosque was built (the minaret is preserved). In 1789 the town of Akkerman was taken without a fight by the Don Cossacks of Matviy Platov together with the Buz Cossacks sent by Prince Potomkin-Tavriysky.

At present, the Akkerman Fortress architectural complex is managed by the Fortress utility company. An exposition of instruments of torture was opened on the territory, siege weapons were displayed in the yard. Music festivals and historical fencing championships are held.

"Brynzarnya" is located on the territory of the Danube Biosphere Reserve, next to the resort area of ​​the village of Prymorske, not far from the town of Vylkove on the canals in the Danube Delta. It is the Bessarabian center of the global Slow Food movement, which encourages the development of regional cuisines, the use of environmentally friendly local products, and most importantly, the attitude to food as a ritual, when the whole family gathers at the table and all the most important matters are discussed over dinner.

"Brynzarnya" has created both the best conditions for the production of high-quality goat cheese, traditional for this place, and relaxation in an ecologically clean place. Goats are kept on free grazing next to protected areas with clean air and soil without chemicals.

Visitors can enjoy a story about the history of Bessarabia, goat farming, and a tour of the Bryndza Dairy. Tastings take place in the Lypovans (Old Believers') house-museum. After the tasting, guests have the opportunity to purchase local products and souvenirs.

"Brynzarnya" is a participant in the project "Wine and Taste Route of Ukrainian Bessarabia".

Monument to Armand Emmanuel du Plessi, Duke de Rishelye, who was one of the most popular Odesa mayors.

The Duke de Rishelye, a Frenchman by birth, emigrated to Russia after the Great French Revolution of 1789. In 1790, he participated in the capture of Izmail, in 1803 he was appointed the city of Odesa, and then the governor-general of Novorossiya.

Richelieu began to be called Emmanuel Yosypovych. For him, Odesa received a temporary exemption from taxes and was actively built.

When the Bourbons returned to power in France in 1814, the duke left for his homeland, donating all his property to the Odesa Rishelye Lyceum.

After his death in 1822, fundraising began, and in 1828 a monument to Duke Rishelye was erected. Sculptor Ivan Martos created the duke dressed in a Roman toga with a scroll in his hand and three brass bas-reliefs symbolizing agriculture, trade and justice. Today it is the most famous symbol of Odesa.

Pranksters recommend looking at Duke from the water hatch to the left of the monument. From this angle, the scroll in Duke Rishelye's hand looks very ambiguous.

The Genocide Museum "Territory of Memory" in Odesa opened in 2024 by Odesa Holocaust Research Center. The institution is located in the place of the Central Post Office in the center of the city.

The exposition reveals the history of the appearance of the term genocide, the fate of its authorship by Raphael Lemkin, the essence of the concept of the crime of genocide in international law, the tragic pages of the Holocaust and the history of salvation, the themes of the Armenian and Roma genocide, the Holodomor in Ukraine, the deportation of the Crimean Tatars, the genocides of the 21st century. A separate location is dedicated to the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The miniatures represent the railway station from which the Tatars were deported, the powder warehouses where Odesa Jews were burned, the episode of mass shooting and torture in Buch, the destroyed drama theater in Mariupol, Zmeyiny Island and the destruction of the Moscow cruiser.

The modern interactive exhibition space makes extensive use of multimedia digital technologies. A special emotional atmosphere is created with the help of point lighting. The multifunctional museum space includes a library and a discussion platform.

The Odesa Film Studio Museum opened in Odesa in 2017. The museum is located in a real film pavilion built in the 1930s. This pavilion is the largest on the territory of the Odesa Film Studio.

The exhibition of the film museum is the richest collection of costumes, scenery, and props for famous films shot at the Odesa Film Studio and highlights the history of the development of cinema, tells about the role of Odesa in the formation of cinema, reveals the stories of the filming of favorite films and what remained behind the scenes.

Visitors to the film museum are presented with locations from the most famous films of the Odesa Film Studio, which have long become classics, as well as the expositions "Golden Film Fund" (1970-1980) and "Modern Cinema of the Odesa Film Studio".

During the tour, visitors have the opportunity to immerse themselves in augmented reality, which allows them to "revive" museum exhibits and see their use directly in the film.

The Museum of Cinema Technology is located under the legendary film pavilion No. 1, in the film and lighting equipment workshop. The museum of cinema technology presents: film and lighting equipment, auxiliary camera equipment, projection, sound recording and playback equipment, editing, make-up and photographic areas, game and special transport in models and mock-ups, an old 35 mm projector with an original positive film with fragments of films of the Odesa Film Studio of different years.

The SHEVINO family winery of the Maryan and Nataliya Shevchenko family dates back to 2012, when the first grapes of European varieties were planted. Currently, the area of ​​the winery's vineyards is 0.5 hectares. The production volume is about 6 thousand liters per year.

The small SHEVINO winery is equipped with all the necessary technical equipment, stainless steel tanks and oak barrels are used for storage and aging of wine. A spacious gazebo for tastings has been built in the vineyards, there is a wine cellar with a selected wine cellar. The winery is particularly proud of the wines from the local varieties "Sukholymansky White" and "Odesa Black", as well as the winemaker's own blends "Oksamyt Dnistra" and "Chornomorska Perlyna".

In 2022, the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine forced Maryan Shevchenko to abandon winemaking and join the defense of the country in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Shevchenko family believes that their best wine is ahead: the wine "Victory of Ukraine!".

Currently, the Shevchenko family's wine from past harvests participates in charity auctions and helps the army.

Odesa cognac plant is the oldest enterprise of the industry in Ukraine.

Founded in 1863 by the South Russian Society "Black Sea Winery". Later, the factory was bought by the Shustov family of famous industrialists.

At the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900, Shustov's cognac won first place, thus earning the right to be called "cognac".

Currently, PJSC "Odesa Cognac Factory" produces 16 varieties of cognacs, starting from the ordinary "Desna" and ending with collector's ones - "Yuvileynyi", "Odesa", "Kyiv", "Zoloty Duke".

In 2013, the Mykola Shustov Cognac Museum was opened, which recreates the atmosphere of ancient cognac cellars. The museum includes several "caisson" halls: three exhibition and tasting halls, a cinema, a hall of changing exhibitions.

In particular, a copy of a copper Charente alembic for alcohol smoking from the end of the 19th century by the French firm Prulho, a full-size model of a pre-revolutionary conca, as well as a bottle of Shustov cognac from 1900, which won the Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in Paris, are presented.

A tour of the museum includes part of the production (blending workshop and alcohol aging workshop), a visit to the old cellars, as well as a tasting of the best "Shustov" cognacs.

Fixed tour times: 10.00, 12.00, 14.00, 16.00 and 18.00

The center of ethnographic, green, rural tourism and family recreation "Frumushika-Nova" is an open-air museum known as "Bessarabian village".

The construction of the Frumushika-Nova farm began in the summer of 2006 on the site of the Moldavian villages of Frumushika-Nova and Roshiya, which were evicted in the spring of 1946 due to the creation of a military training ground.

The "Frumushika-Nova" complex includes stylized national ethnographic estates built around a production base - a modern sheep complex (one of the largest sheep farms in Europe for breeding Karakul sheep). Nearby there are 10 holiday cottages that meet modern European requirements. The complex also has a Bessarabian restaurant and its own wine cellar with a mini-museum of Bessarabian viticulture. There is a picturesque lake with swans and wild geese, and enclosures with local animals: wild boars and other animals, a large pheasantry was built for 1000 pheasants and quails, there is a farm for ponies and donkeys, on which you can ride if you wish.

On the territory of "Frumushika-Nova" there is the largest monument "Chaban" in the world, entered in the Guinness Book of Records, as well as in the National Register of Records of Ukraine. The height of the monument is 16 meters 43 centimeters (17.93 with the pedestal), and the weight of the monument is 1080 tons.

In the neighboring village of Semysotka, the "Semysotka Smart Village Museum" has been created since 2011, combining the features of an open-air museum, an eco-village with permanent residents, and a rural green tourism complex.

The winery was founded in Velykodolynske, 20 kilometers from Odesa, in 1999 with the planting of the first vines.

Certified seedlings of direct clones of grape varieties of French and German selection from producers Hyacinthe Raymond (France) and Reben Sibbus (Germany) were used to plant the vineyards. Today, the winery's own vineyards occupy an area of ​​over 140 hectares.

The Vintrest winery was built in 2004 and is equipped with modern European equipment from leading industry manufacturers in Italy and France. The enterprise specializes in the production of champagne and table wine materials, but since 2015 the production of dry varietal wines under its own trademark Grande Vallee has been started. The line includes 8 items: "Riesling Grande Vallee", "Chardonnay Grande Vallee", "Pinot Blanc Grande Vallee", "Traminer Grande Vallee", "Pinot Meunier Rose Grande Vallee", "Pinot Noir Rose Grande Vallee", "Merlot Grande Vallee", "Cabernet Grande Vallee". Since 2018, the Grande Vallee line has been replenished with sparkling wines: both using classical technology and the Charmat method.

Tours with tastings are held at the Vintrest Winery, during which you can get acquainted with the wine production process.

"European Cheese Dairy" in the village of Shabo is a new, modern cheese factory built according to the European model.

The cheese factory has a closed production cycle - from growing animal feed to processing dairy raw materials and obtaining the final product. The cheese-making process is carefully controlled at each stage. The production uses exclusively Dutch live starter cultures, which give the cheeses a special uniqueness, texture and delicate cheese taste.

The cheese dairy offers tours, during which visitors are introduced to the process and secrets of cheese production. During the tour, you can see the process and learn the intricacies of cheese-making, try exquisite varieties of cheese.

There is a playground on the territory, recreation areas and a corner with live animals, where you can feed them and get comprehensive information about their maintenance. There is also a shop where you can buy your favorite cheese and souvenirs.

On the territory of the "European Cheese Dairy" there is a cheese cafe "Cheeseriya", which prepares delicious cheese-based dishes.

The family winery "Kolonist" was founded in Krynychne near Bolhrad in 2005 by the Plachkov family with the aim of producing local premium wines. The winery was named after the Bulgarian colonists who settled this territory at the beginning of the 19th century. The founder and owner of the winery, Ivan Plachkov, is a descendant of this people who turned the scorched steppe into a flourishing and fertile land.

The production of Bessarabian wines was established here using classical technology and modern equipment. The company owns 21 hectares of young vineyards and 60 hectares of vineyards about 35 years old, which are located on the southwestern slopes of the largest freshwater lake in Ukraine - Yalpuh. Due to the sloping slopes, the vineyards receive double sunlight - from the sun and reflected from the surface of the lake, and are also well blown by winds. 33 hectares of vineyards, pruned using the Guyot and Cordon methods, grow on loamy soils rich in minerals with deep limestone deposits. These pruning systems ensure low yields and, combined with a special terroir, produce high-quality grapes.

The quality of production is ensured by the latest equipment from France, Germany and Italy and aging in traditional 100-year-old French oak barrels. The technology was developed by the famous Bordeaux oenologist Olivier Dogue. The Kolonist winery annually produces about 280 thousand bottles of wine of 10 varieties. There is a Wine Center with a tasting room where you can taste wines from the entire line of the "Kolonist" brand: Chardonnay, Sukholymanske, Traminer, Aligote, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Cabernet dessert, Cabernet dry, Merlot, Odesa black dry, Odesa black dessert, Odesa black aged.

At the Festival of Young Wine, tourists have the opportunity to join the harvest process, start it barefoot in "sharapans" to incendiary music. During each of the events, tourists have the opportunity to get acquainted with the local traditions of the multinational Danube Bessarabia.

One full day of stay at the winery during the festivals includes: a tour of the territory, vineyards, wine cellars, wine, oil and vinegar production, a tasting room with a fireplace; full board (local Bessarabian cuisine and "Kolonist" wine); during the harvest, the program includes picking grapes yourself and the opportunity to crush grapes with your feet to incendiary music; a professional wine master class and tasting of wines, oils and balsamic vinegar.

The "Kolonist" winery is a participant in the "Wine and Taste Route of Ukrainian Bessarabia" project.

The Folk Museum of Bessarabian Culture "Stara Kishta" (from Bulgarian - "Old House") was created in the village of Kubei in 2018 in the old house of the Bulgarian Raynov family, who moved to Kubei at the beginning of the 20th century.

The founders of the museum managed to preserve the house, which is more than a hundred years old, in its original form and recreate the atmosphere and everyday life of a traditional Bulgarian house of those times. Over the years, the museum has been filled with ancient authentic household items and crafts - from unique devices for removing shoes, traditional tables at which the whole family gathered, to beds, pillows, icons and embroidered blankets, shirts, dresses and runners.

The "Stara Kashta" museum regularly hosts various master classes in folk crafts, restores and demonstrates ancient national Bulgarian rituals, holds meetings, photo shoots in authentic costumes, tastings of national cuisine, performances by folk groups, etc.

"Stara Kashta" is a place where you can experience the authentic Budzhak and Bessarabian culture, life and traditions of the peoples living in southern Ukraine.

The "Steppe Ukraine" Museum was established in Odesa in 1925. Ukrainian folk culture was represented by collections of embroidery, carpets, ceramics, toys that came from the Black Sea region, Podillya, Middle Dnipro, Polissya, etc. The museum's collections numbered about two thousand exhibits. As a result of the Soviet authorities' curtailment of the policy of "Ukrainization" and local history research, the museum was closed in 1931, a significant part of the museum's collection was transferred to the Odesa Historical and Local Lore Museum, and most of the museum's employees were repressed.

After Ukraine gained independence, in April 2006, the Steppe Ukraine Museum was revived as a branch of the Odesa Historical and Local Lore Museum.

The first part of the museum's exposition tells about the creation of "Steppe Ukraine", its founders and activists, and the traditions of museum work. Here, the traditional interior of a Ukrainian manor house is recreated.

In the second part of the exhibition, through the creation of residential complexes, an idea of ​​the material and spiritual culture of the main ethnic groups of the region is given - Old Believers, Greeks, Jews, Karaites, Moldovans, Gagauzes, Bulgarian and German colonists. The main element of each complex is a national costume, around which are placed weaving products, dishes, furniture, household tools, and products of decorative and applied art.

The Winehall Oksamytne Viticulture and Wine Farm was founded in 1998 on the site where Count Davidov's chateau had been established 120 years ago. It has 550 hectares of its own vineyards in the valley of Lake Yalpuh. It produces wines under its own brands Villa Tinta (dry ordinary wines from local and European grape varieties), Tintarella (sparkling wines using Sharma technology) and Tinta (semi-sweet blended wines).

The plant is equipped with modern equipment for all stages of production, from Italian crushers and French pneumatic presses Vaslin Bucher for careful and gentle pressing of grapes and ending with the Italian line for bottling of still and sparkling wines. You can get acquainted with the technological process of grape processing, production and bottling of wine during the tour and tasting.

The excursion program begins with a tasting of the sparkling wine on the factory roof with a view of the vineyards and Lake Yalpuh at a distance of 1-4 km from the winery. Harvesting can also be observed during the grape processing season. Then the tour continues in the grape processing shop, bottling shop and champagne shop. After the excursion, guests are invited to the tasting room in the cellars of wineries. Excursion is included in the cost of tasting.
    
"Winehall Oksamytne" is a participant in the project "Wine and Taste Route of Ukrainian Bessarabia". Since 2018, "Winehall Oksamytne" together with winemakers of the Yalpuh Lake Valley participates in the creation of one of the first in Ukraine PDO Yalpuh for wines from Odesa Black and Sukholimanskiy and PGI of the same name for wine from European grapes.