Londonskaya Hotel

Suvorov was born in 1730 in Moscow to a noble family. His father served under Peter the first and rose to the rank of general. In 1742-1747 Suvorov studied military tactics with his father. In 1747 he joined the Russian army. Suvorov played a vital role in the liberation of the Black Sea Northern Coast. He fought and stormed the Turkish fortress of Izmail in December 1790 and liberated the Odessa region.

Suvorov took an active part in the development of Odessa. He clearly understood that it was essential to erect a quick fortress and port to discourage future Turkish attacks.

Suvorov supervised the building of a fortress in Kherson. De Ribas and his close collaborator, a Dutch engineer named Franz De Volan, Recommended Khadjibei as the site for the region's principal port. The group also oversaw the building of the fortifications in Ovidiopol and Tiraspol.

Suvorov campaigned vigorously for the fortress being built in Khadjibei. Khadjibei's harbor was deep and nearly ice-free. Breakwaters, on the model of those found at Naples, Livorno and Ancona, could be cheaply constructed and would render the harbor safe even for large fleets. The Governor General of Novorossiya, Prince Platon Zubov - one of Katherine's favorites - gave decisive support to the latter proposal.

On May 27, 1794 Katherine the Second gave the following order:

"Taking into account the favorable position. of Khadjibei on the Black Sea and the possible profit connected with it, we declare it necessary to build a military harbor and merchants pier." Modern day Odessa was born.

She immediately sent twenty-six thousand rubles to De Ribas and De Volan to build a harbor. For the protection of the seacoast from potential future Turkish invaders they built a fortress with ramparts and moats near Khadjibei. This new settlement was given the name Odessa.

The plan was to build the city and port with three harbors in five years. The builders used natural ravines which cut through the Black Sea Coast plateaus as roads. The location for the port was chosen well, the bay freezes only once every 5-6 years.

The street was planned carefully, which can still be seen today. Wide straight streets were outlined.

There were problems in the building of the city, including a shortage of workers and construction materials (especially wood). The city and port were completed on March 1st, 1795.

In late 1796, the general left Ukraine, his work complete.

In 1970, in celebration of the 175 years of Odessa, Primorsky Boulevard was renamed Suvorova. After independence, along with hundreds of other streets, the name reverted back to its old name of Primorsky.