Frantsuzsky Boulevard

In the XIX century, the Frantsuzsky Boulevard was the place to inhabit by the rich. It was uniquely desirable though, because of its undeveloped beauty. The rich titled their villas and country homes "dachas". The street was originally named Malofontanskaya Dorogo (which means "small fountain road"), but was renamed after Nikoli the Second's visit from France in 1902. As it began, however, this road was rather ugly until 1894 when Odessa got a new city engineer, Vasiliy Ivanovich Zuev, to transform the boulevard into a picturesque place to live. His vision included paving the road, making it the first tarred road in Odessa. One interesting fact is that when the Boulevard was being built, the city governor and wealthy philanthropist Grigoriy Marazli, refused to have part of his park cut away for the construction of the road. So, the Boulevard got its only turn to the right to avoid any damage to the park and its boundaries. The wealthy occupied this Boulevard until the Soviet Revolution when much of it was converted to a health resort with sanatoriums.

On this Boulevard sits the Champagne Factory, which is one of the oldest in Ukraine. In front of the factory is the Pioneer Children Monument. This monument symbolizes the Young Pioneer Organization of the Soviet Union. This was a boy scout-like organization that was established by the USSR in 1922. Although membership was optional, almost all the children in the Soviet Union belonged to the organization for the duration of their childhood.

Another interesting attraction of the Frantsuzsky Boulevard are the cable cars that travel from the Boulevard to the beach. These cable cars are unlike those found in San Francisco, for the ride is in the air! This allows a spectacular view, while avoiding the steep hill between the Boulevard and the beach.