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Privoz market
From 2odessa.com The most comprehensive guide to Odessa, Ukraine
46° 28' 11" N, 30° 43' 57" E
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Russian: Привоз
Privoznaya 14 (Привозная)
Tel: 224179
www.odessaprivoz.narod.ru
Meaning "to bring" in Russian, Privoz Market is one of the largest farmer's markets/bazaars in the world. Although rows are devoted to construction materials, household goods, and clothes, the Privoz Market is predominately a food bazaar.
(See the Bazaar /Market section in the Odessa business directory)
History
In the early nineteenth century (1827) wares were sold from the back of horse driven carts. Like today, Privoz had the cheapest and freshest food in the city. Privoz adjoined the Stary (old) bazaar (also called the Volny (free) market) the first bazaar in Odessa. Gradually more buildings were constructed as the city grew. In the 1940's zoo animals were moved from the Odessa zoo to Simferopol. Four year old elephant Murza (Мурза) escaped. He ran to the fruit section of the Privoz market and ate several apples, pulled out pickled cucumbers from a barrel, tasted some frsh cabbage, and regaled himself to dried fruits. He was caught and returned to his fellow zoo animals. A popular Russian comedy film, "The Stripped Trip" was inspired by this incident.
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What to buy in Privoz
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Organically grown, incredibly large, fresh produce (if in season) can be found at this market at fairly low prices. The fresh fruits in vegetables are wonderful. In the summer, depending on what is on season, the berries, plumbs, peaches, snap peas and tomatoes are worth a try. You can also find moist and sweet dried apricots, raisons, and prunes. Beware of the smoked prune, which is a bitter and acquired taste. Ask to try the berries and dried fruits before you purchase.
In addition to the fresh produce, the dairy building (facing Ekaterininskaya Street) offers a large variety of amazing temptations. Among the many cheeses to try, brynza (брынза) (soft feta-like cheese) and the Georgian salugony (Салугуни) are a definite must. Ask to sample the cheese before you buy.
The west side of the dairy building has excellent, rich cakes for under 30 Hyrvnia.
If you want something to compliment your cheese in a sandwich, the dairy building is also home to the sausage vendors. For the more adventurous, you can also buy the traditional Ukrainian salo (Сало), or pig lard. Though the meat house might be worth a quick glance, it is probably not a good idea to buy meat at Privoz unless you have an experienced local with you.
Payment is in cash only. The bazaar is open roughly from 6 am - 5 pm. Beware of pickpockets.
Daily life in the bazaar
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In the summer many farming families travel from small villages and sleep along Privoznaya street (Привозная) until their produce has been completely sold. (Watermelon farmers sometimes actually sleep on their produce) These farmers will sell fresh produce 24 hours a day.
What is amazing about Odessa is how in many ways it is more capitalist than even America. Because of lax business licensing laws and easily bribed police, more people possess their own business than in America, even if this business may only be a few packs of cigarettes, resting on a cardboard box and turned over bucket.
Privoz area is dangerous at night, one of the worst areas of the city. The most squalid and depressing scenes are found along Privoznaya Boulevard (Привозная) after dark. Many drunks and drug addicts are passed out along the street. Large groups of stray dogs fight each other and rummage through the immense amount of trash, completely ignoring human beings. Fights outside of bars are common, with several men beating one person, and drunken boyfriends beating their intoxicated wives. Odessites usually look on indifferently, and pass by as if they saw nothing.
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Privoz Second Hand Market
Around 23 Panteleimonovskaya (Пантелеймоновская)
Southwest corner Panteleimonovskaya (Пантелеймоновская) and Vodoprovodnaya (Водопроводная)
Large white building, second floor, entrance on exterior of the southeast side of large building.
This second hand market takes up the entire second floor of a large building. Of particular entrance are the hundreds of used leather jackets.
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City Zoo
Behind Privoz Market is the City Zoo.
Wall with revolutionaries
Bolgarskaya 1 (Болгарская 1) Behind the Rodina movie theater
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Article
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What would Marx think about this? The Toronto Star February 15, 1986 Pg. G18 By Tony Barber ODESSA, U.S.S.R. (Reuter) - Touring the private food market on Karl Marx St. in Odessa, a visitor could be forgiven for wondering if the 19th-century theorist overstated his case when predicting the demise of private enterprise. The irony of buying private produce on a street named after the founder of communism does not seem to bother the tens of thousands who flock daily to the market for meat, fruit, vegetables, milk, honey and more. Convinced the food is better than in state shops and prepared to pay higher prices, shoppers bargain with sturdy Ukrainian peasant women who bring goods from small private plots in the countryside. "Come on, that's not a rabbit, that's a cat," objects one customer, prodding a skinny-looking rabbit for which a peasant was demanding up to $7 U.S. Another woman, flashing a smile that revealed that every tooth in her mouth was silver, said she had hitched a 21-kilometre (13-mile) ride into central Odessa in order to sell her goat milk at 50 cents a glass. "I used to have only one goat, but now I have 11," she said in Ukrainian-accented Russian, pressing her questioner to taste the creamy produce that she ladles from a pail. A state official who supervises the market says that between 5,000 and 6,000 salespeople work there every day of the week, making it much bigger than a similar market in Moscow. Fifteen acres in size, the Odessa private market rates as one of the largest in the Soviet Union. In summer when there is much fresh fruit, as many as 100,000 people come to shop each day. One hotel worker said she spent up to half her food budget at the market, which is known in Odessa slang as the "privoz", a word conveying the idea of bringing food from the countryside to feed the townsfolk. A woman selling curds said she owned only one cow but was one of the lucky ones in her village of 1,000 households. "Fodder is in such short supply that it is difficult to own your own cow," she said. "If there was more fodder, we would raise goats, geese and all other living things." The peasants pay the authorities for everything from refrigeration and selling space to pairs of scales, ensuring the state an annual revenue of $1.2 million, the official said. The market contains two large halls, in the first of which peasants sell processed meats, cheeses, butter, honey and a local variety of fat called salo, which Ukrainians smear on bread with mustard. In the second hall, huge slabs of unprocessed meat and carcasses are on sale. A whole frozen sheep, legs splayed into the air, was priced at $50 recently. Also: Odessa's market a big success with buyers The Toronto Star November 13, 1985 |
More photos of Privoz
Flea Market to the south of Privoz |
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2007 photo of privos |
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See also
External links
- web.archive.org/web/20040208075653/www.odessaprivoz.narod.ru/history.htm History of Privoz (In Russian--Use this Google translate, or alternatively, babelfish)
Continue your virtual tour by walking to the Chernobyl Memorial Square
Privoz market · Chernobyl Square · Cossack Square · Rodina Theater · World War Two Tractor tank Privokzalnaya Square | Train Station | Pantelegevsky Male Monastery | Kulikovo Pole |
