Attractions of Odesa region

The memorial sign on the southern edge of the Struve Geodetic Arc in Stara Nekrasivka is often called the "Meridian Monument".

The Struve Arc is a network of 265 triangulation points, which are stone cubes embedded in the ground with an edge length of 2 meters. The length of the arc is more than 2,820 kilometers. It runs from the coast of the Arctic Ocean near Cape Nord Cape to the mouth of the Danube.

It was created in 1816-1855 by academician Vasyl Struve with the aim of determining the shape and dimensions of the Earth.

The Tatarbunary Museum of History and Local Lore was established in 1949 as a museum of the Tatarbunary Uprising, an armed peasant uprising in Tatarbunary organized by the Bolsheviks in 1924 against Romanian rule.

Today the museum has 8 halls and an art gallery. The history of the settlement of the region by numerous peoples is presented, starting with the Cimmerians, Scythians, Polovtsians, Tatars, Turks and ending with the Transdanubian Cossacks.

The main themes of the exposition: ethnography, Tatarbunary uprising, the period of the Second World War, the epoch of collective farms, sports glory of Tatarbunary region, creativity of Tatarbunary artists and poets (in particular works of Odessa artist Viktor Sharapenko).

The museum is located on the second floor of the Palace of Sports.

The "Masks" theater in Odesa was opened in 2003 by the famous Odesa comedy troupe "Masks" in the premises of the former "Druzhba" cinema.

Performances of "Masks", based on the rich classical traditions of the Theater Del Arte, the Theater of the Absurd, comedians "Big Dumb", European clowning - are fireworks of fresh unbridled fantasy, embodied in the form of pantomime, choreography, drama, trick, where each actor develops his own unique image.

The theater has a "Masks" cinema, which shows the best arthouse and festival films every day. Creative parties and children's matinees take place in the art cafe "Mana-Mana Restaurant", the interior of which was created by the members of the "Masks Show" troupe.

A monument to the Black Sea Cossacks, who founded the city in 1789, was erected in the center of Biliaivka in 2008 to mark the 219th anniversary of the city.

Biliaivka emerged on the basis of several farms and was named Holovkivka in honor of the kosh court, colonel of the Black Sea Cossack army Anton Holovatiy.

The author of the monument is the famous Odesa sculptor Mykola Khudoliy.

The Transfiguration Cathedral is the main Orthodox church of Odesa, rebuilt from scratch in 2002 after it was blown up in 1936 by the decision of the Soviet authorities.

Contemporaries were impressed by the magnificence of the interior of the temple. After the reconstruction in 1903, the Transfiguration Cathedral was one of the largest churches in the Russian Empire and could accommodate up to 9,000 people. Its dimensions in plan were 90 by 45 meters, and the height of the belfry was 72 meters.

In 2005, the remains of the governor-general of the Novorossiya region Prince Mykhaylo Vorontsov and his wife were reburied in the restored church.

On the night of July 23, 2023, Russia launched a massive missile attack on the historic center of Odesa, as a result of which the Savior and Transfiguration Cathedral suffered significant destruction. A Russian rocket hit the central altar, as a result of which the cathedral building was partially destroyed, the three lower floors were covered, the interior decoration and icons were significantly damaged, and the service premises of the lower part of the cathedral were completely destroyed.

The majestic Savior and Transfiguration Cathedral in Bolhrad is the main spiritual center of the Bulharian community of Bessarabia, a monument of cultural heritage of national significance.

The cathedral was built in 1833-1838 with donations from the inhabitants of the city of Bulgarian origin. Architect Abraham Melnykov used the architectural style of mature classicism in the project. The height of the dome, decorated with Corinthian pilasters, is 50 meters.

The interior was painted in 1912-1914 by the artist Pavlo Piskariov in the style of romanticism. Some sources indicate that the sketches for the murals were created by the famous artist Viktor Vasnetsov.

There is a small museum at the Transfiguration Cathedral, where some artifacts related to the history of the temple are collected.

The Church of the Transfiguration in Velykodolynske is an architectural monument of local importance.

The history of the temple begins in the middle of the 19th century. At that time, the German colony of Gross Liebenthal was located on the territory of the village of Velykodolynske. The church building is the former Evangelical-Lutheran German Church in the name of the Apostle Peter. Its construction was started by German colonists in 1845, and in 1846 the church was consecrated. Kirkha was considered an architectural masterpiece. It had octagonal columns, inside was Engelmann's organ.

In 1993, the abandoned church was handed over to the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. As a result of the reconstruction, its appearance has completely changed. In particular, the dome was built and the bell tower was rebuilt.

Trayan's Wall near the village of Tabaky is part of a system of earthen ramparts preserved from the times of the Roman Empire, which was built on the territory of Podillya, Bessarabia and Dobrudsh. It was a kind of southeastern border of the empire during its heyday in the 2nd century AD, during the reign of Emperor Trayan.

Trayan's Wall in the territory of Bessarabia is 150 kilometers long. It originates from the village of Vadul-lui-Isac (Moldova), then extends into the territory of Ukraine, crosses the village of Tabaky and rests on a high steep bank against Lake Sasyk. A memorial sign to this ancient border has been erected between the villages of Borysivka and Hlyboke, which are located on the shore of Lake Sasyk.

Near the village of Tabaky, crossing modern highways, sections of the rampart have been preserved, which give an idea of ​​the power of these engineering structures.

In the middle Dnipro region, similar structures are called Serpent's Wall.

The Tuzlivsky Lymany National Nature Park (Tuzlivsky Estuaries) was established in 2010 with the aim of preserving valuable natural, historical and cultural complexes and sites of the Northern Black Sea Region.

The nature reserve of the park is located in the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi district of the Odesa region in the basin of the Tuzlivska group of estuaries. It covers an area of ​​27,865 hectares, on which there are 13 sea estuaries, 44 kilometers of sea coast and 1 million migratory birds.

The territory of the Tuzlivsky Lymany National Nature Park is characterized by diverse floodplain landscapes, specific flora and fauna. Species of plants and animals listed in the Red Book of Ukraine, the Red Book of the Black Sea, the Red List of the Odesa region and the European Red List grow here. In the park you can see almost 300 species of birds, about 60 species of fish live in local reservoirs, 37 species of mammals are represented.

For some birds, the Tuzlivsky Lymany are a kind of "transit station" on the way to Asia and Africa, some nest and winter directly in the estuaries. This is one of the best places for birdwatching, recreation on the Black Sea coast, and treatment with mud from the estuaries.

The territory of the Tuzlivsky Lymany park is part of the controlled border area. In the summer of 2022, the park suffered from fires due to shelling by the Russian military during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Before the deoccupation of Zmiyiniy Island by Ukrainian defenders in early July 2022, the sea carried the bodies of dead dolphins to the coastal zone of the park. Ivan Rusev, head of the research department of the Tuzlivsky Lymany National Nature Park, estimates that the Russians have killed over 50,000 dolphins. Small mammals, birds of the park, and migratory birds are suffering from Russian aggression.

The Museum of the Ukrainian Book opened in the center of Odesa in August 2021, to mark the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence, in the premises of the Mykhaylo Hrushevsky Regional Scientific Library.

The museum was created to preserve and popularize the best examples of Ukrainian book culture and include them in the world artistic context.

The museum's exposition includes copies of the originals of the Zborivsky Peace Treaty of 1649, the Hadyatsky Treaty of 1658, the Pereyaslavsky Articles of 1659, the Hlukhivsky Articles of 1669, the Kolomatsky Articles of 1687, and others.

On August 14, 2023, the Museum of the Ukrainian Book of the Odesa Universal Scientific Library named after Mykhaylo Hrushevsky was damaged as a result of a missile attack by the Russian army.

The Ukrainian Cossacks Development History Museum in Odesa was founded in 2006 by the Interregional Public Organization "Black Sea District. Zaporizhzhian Cossacks". The institution is located in a restored building of the 19th century in the central part of the city, on Peresyp.

In three halls on an area of 120 square meters, there is a permanent exhibition, which presents about 1,000 exhibits and various dioramas.

The "Ukrainian Cossacks Heroic" hall tells about the prerequisites for the emergence of Cossacks, the creation of Zaporizhzhian Sich, the liberation movements of the XVII-XVIII centuries, the destruction of Sich and the creation of the Black Sea Cossacks, the liberation of southern Ukraine from Turkish-Tatar influence, the role of Cossacks in the First and Second World Wars. The dioramas "Assault of the Turkish frigate by the Cossacks", "Settlement on Peresyp", "Assault on the Khadzhybey fortress", "Outpost on Shkodova Hill" are presented. The decoration of the exhibition is a copy of Illya Repin's painting "Zaporizhzhians writing a letter to the Turkish Sultan" by an unknown artist.

In the "Cossack life and works of art" hall, typical Cossack clothing, crockery of the 18th-19th centuries, ancient icons, as well as the works of the sculptor Petro Kravchenko are exhibited. The "Ukrainian room of the 19th Century" hall recreates the life of Ukrainian peasants and displays everyday items, including a collection of embroidered and home-woven towels and shirts from more than a century ago.

Museum employees organize tours of Cossack sites in Odesa, as well as thematic tourist and excursion programs with master classes.

The 76-hectare vineyards were planted in the center of Ukrainian Bessarabia near the village of Strumok by the farming family of Valerii and Svitlana Petrovs.

The V.Petrov family winery of organic wines is specializes in the production of natural wines in accordance with the international Certificate Organic Standard Ltd. When growing grapes, they use only special biological products that are listed in the organic register. Sulfur anhydrides and stabilizers are not added to the finished product.

The winery produces white and red ordinary wines, as well as three types of grappa: silver (purified with silver), red (infused with grape seed), gold (aged in oak barrels). Walking tours of the vineyards with a story about the history of the area, as well as a story about the creation of a family winery are included in the cost of tastings.

Incredible landscapes of vineyards, as well as a lake with swans await visitors. On the territory of the location there is a Scythian mound of ancient times, where you can be alone in the gazebo. There is also an observation deck with views of nearby villages and an Old Believer church. You can book a walk around the vineyards in a tour cart or rent a bike and go to the vineyards for a picnic.

The V.Petrov family winery of organic wines is a participant in the project "Wine and Taste Route of Ukrainian Bessarabia".

The world-famous artist Valeriy Syrov has been living and working in Biliaivka, near Odesa, for many years.

Valeriy Syrov is a member of the Artists' Union, a participant in national and international exhibitions in Italy, Mexico, Japan and other countries. The master's works are kept in museums of Ukraine and private collections in Canada, Japan, the USA, and European countries. He works in various techniques, genres and styles: watercolor, graphics, monotype, painting, assemblage-collage, the author of a folklore series, where he painted the life of an entire town of fictional fairy-tale characters.

The artist is happy to welcome visitors to his studio and conducts master classes for them. Visitors to the studio have a unique opportunity to take a master class from the artist, discover their creative potential and learn "simple painting" in such techniques as watercolor and monotype.

The museum in Velyka Mykhailivka was established on a non-profit basis in 1972 as a museum of the history of the national theater. Its foundation was the amateur museum of the director, artist and head of the district House of Culture Petro Bykov, which was rich in funds.

Over time, the museum's expositions were enriched with interesting finds from archaeologists and the local population. In 1978, the museum became a district historical and local history museum. Its expositions highlighted historical events, testifying to the ancient settlement of the district's territory (remains of animal bones from primitive sites, fragments of dishes and tools).

Now it is the "Hrosulovo Museum" - this is what the village was called before it was renamed Velyka Mykhailivka by the Soviet authorities in 1946.

The museum stores old books, fiction, tools, weapons from different times, etc. The exhibits on land relations in the late 19th - early 20th centuries are interesting.

In 2016, the Hrosulovo Museum's exposition was expanded with a new section - the founders of the private "Hryhoriy Veryovka Choir Museum", the family of Vitaliy and Olena Pervukhins, transferred their museum exposition dedicated to the history of the choir to the local history museum.

In 2022, a new exposition dedicated to the latest Russian-Ukrainian war was opened. In the future, the Hrosulovo museum space is planned to be transformed into a "people`s hub".

"Vinaria wine Cellar" is locate in the old part of Izmail town and offers the local Bessarabian wine and organic vinegars of its own small family winery, as well as traditional Bessarabian cuisine.

Established in 2017 in an old Bessarabian building next to the Izmail Military History Museum and Holy Intercession Cathedral, 3 km away from the Izmail Fortress. It harmonically combines the cellar old-fashioned look, vintage decorations, artistic forging and author's furniture.

The restaurant offers exclusively dry wines of Western European varieties, as well as author's tarragon wine according to the recipe of local ethnic Bulgarians. The wines are made by hand using classic technologies on modern Italian equipment.

A small guided tour in the wine cellar during tasting.

The conceptual wine cellar "Vinaria" is a participant in the project "Wine and Taste Route of Ukrainian Bessarabia".