Cities, as well as people, have their biographies, their destiny. With huge respect and sincere trembling we peer at faces of ancient cities, we try to find in them traces and time "wrinkles", to understand, why in this place the city should arise. It is slightly easier to comprehend origin and development of young cities. But also in this case the phenomenon of a city is obviously present: what motive forces have driven, as the famous poet has said “the masses of people" here, in this point?

They argue much about the age of Odessa. On the one hand, everybody knows well the famous decree of 1794 about the building of a port and the city that forms the indisputable basis of a certain anniversary of the city. On the other hand, it is also obvious that Northern Black Sea Coast has an older history of settling and economic development. And on a place of modern Odessa, undoubtedly, there were some previous settlements. There are enough proofs: buried settlements and burial places; medieval cards-portolany in which the “ beforeodessa" ports are indicated, among them is the legendary Dzhinestra, as if the direct predecessor of Odessa. We say "as if», because there were not found yet any other historical documents and mentions (except of portolany documents )of Dzhinestra. Therefore the city biography has two readouts –the "beforeodessa" one about which it is known a little, and "actually Odessa" readout beginning with 1794.

The seaside position of the city has left a special imprint at its destiny and its face. Odessa was founded as a port, for a long time it was allocated as a "window" and even a "door" to Europe, was formed and developed under the huge influence of the European culture and at the most direct participation of the European political and military figures, builders and architects, financiers and businessmen. All of these distinguished Odessa that time a lot from other cities of the Russian empire and even from "quite European" Petersburg. It is remarkable that raisings and recessions in an economic history of the city directly repeat "openness" or "closeness" of Odessa as a seaport, its bigger or a smaller exit to the world market.

In the summer of 1792 in Petersburg the decision of building of the Dnestrovsky defensive line of fortresses was accepted: on Dnestr against Bendery, Gadzhidersky (around modern Ovidiopol’), Gadzhibejsky and two about Ochakov. Even prior to the beginning of the building troops were placed near to future fortresses for their use as a labour. Here also came civilians. It was supposed that a part of these fortresses including Hadzhibej, would become the centers of districts of new area.

To realize the plan Catherine II has directed to the south a general in chief A.V. Suvorov, who has already performed similar work in Finland. Under his direct supervision an engineer-colonel F.P.Devolan has designed plans of fortresses, in particular, the Hadzhibejsky fortress. Located over coastal breakage, it should supervise sea approaches to port though did not represent special military value, because was rather small earthen strengthening. Founded in June, 1793, a fortress has been hastily finished till the end of the year , which was required by necessity of the prompt creation of a defensive belt of the attached lands. In parallel with its erection the question of placing of port and the base of rowing fleet was considered. Due to absence of the adjusted communications, only galleys could provide supply of Russian army, secure edge against attacks of the Turkish ships.