ODES'SA. The most important city and sea port of Southern Russia and the fourth city of the Empire in population, situated in the Gov ernment of Kherson, on an elevation sloping to ward an inlet of the Black Sea (Slap: Russia, D 5). It lies about 32 miles northeast of the mouth of the Dniester and 93S miles by rail southwest of Moscow. The general appearance and atmosphere of Odessa are rather European than Russian. The climate is temperate, the annual temperature being about 50° F., ranging from 70° in .7111y to about 26° in January. The city was built up during the nineteenth cen tury, and is therefore one of the youngest among the large cities of Russia. It is regularly laid out around the bay and has a number of fine streets and squares, from which a magnificent view of the sea is obtained. The most popular boulevard is the Nikolayevsky Boulevard, from which a grand stairway leads to the bay. At the head of the stairway is the bronze statue of the Due de Richelieu, the first Governor of the dis trict, to whom Odessa owes much of its progress and architectural beauty.
There are many fine buildings, both ecclesias tical and secular. The chief among them are the cathedral, the exchange, the theatre, the Govern or's palace, the city hall, the municipal library, containing 80,000 volumes, and the univer sity building. Monuments to Alexander II., Catharine II., and Pushkin adorn various sections of the town. There are about twenty five orthodox churches, a number of monasteries, synagogues, and a few reformed churches. In the southern and eastern parts of the city are situated a number of parks, among which the chief are the Alexandrovsk Park and the Botanical Garden. At the head of the educational institu tions is the university ('Novo-Rossisky Oniver sitet'), founded in 1864, and having faculties of medicine, philosophy, law, history and philology, physics and mathematics. The number of its students is about 700. It has a library of over 130,000 volumes, a museum, and an observatory. There are a number of gymnasia and preparatory, commercial, art, and industrial schools. Odessa has various learned societies, four theatres. and a number of philanthropic institutions. The city is lighted by gas, and the port mainly by electricity. Water is conducted from the Dniester, a distance of over 26 miles. The harbor is modern and very extensive. It is of sufficient depth for the admission of deep-draught vessels. It is divided by large moles into several ports.
While Odessa is primarily a commercial place.
it is also of industrial importance. In 1899 it had over 500 large industrial estab lishments, employing about 21.000 persons, and with an output of over $30,000,000. The chief establishments are flour mills, sugar refineries, match factories, breweries. tanneries, soap fac tories, iron works, etc. Situated on the coast of one of the largest grain-producing areas of Russia and in close proximity to the estuaries of the Dnieper and the Dniester, the city is natu rally well equipped for its position as the chief grain-exporting centre of Russia, and the first port of Russia in regard to exports in general. Of the annual exports of over 850.000,000. grain, mainly wheat, forms from 6h5 to 7.5 per cent. The remainder consists of animals and ahintal prod ucts, sugar, and lumber. Time intpcn•ts, valued at about $25,000,000, consist of machinery, coal, chemicals, and t•arious manufactured products. In its imports Odessa is exceeded only by Saint Petersburg and Reval. At the head of the ad ministration of the city is the prefect. or gradon atchalnik. appointed by the central Government. The municipal assembly, or duma, consists of 60 members, elected by all citizens owning real estate. The mayor is elected by time city council. The budget of the city balances at about i:2,000, 000. For further details as to municipal govern ment. see ankle Russt.1., section on Govern mrnt.
The environs of Odessa are very picturesque and offer numerous seacoast resorts. The three salt-water lakes, or limans, Kuyalnik, Khadji Bey. and Klein Liebenthal, are much frequented by invalids.
The population increased with remarkable rapidity (luring the last century. The first set tlers were mostly Greeks, Italians, and Albani ans, and in 1802 numbered 9000. In 1901 the population was 450,218. of whom nearly one-third were Jews. The foreign population is about 30.000.
Odessa takes its name from the Greek settle ment, Odessus, which existed here in ancient times. In the fifteenth century the Turks con structed on the present site the fortress of Khadji-Bey, which was taken by the Russians in 1789. In 1793 the place was fortified by the Rus sians and a year later received its present name. The growth of time town was fostered by Paul I. and by the wise and beneficent administration of the Due de Richelieu. In 1817 it was declared a free port. and this decree. remnining in force till 1559, made possible Odessa's commercial suprem acy in Southern Russia. In 1854 it was 1)0111 by the allied English and French naval forces.