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Otrada means delight and joy. During the 19th century, after rapid growth and expansion of
trade, Odessa quickly became the Russian Empire’s third city. It was during this
period that wealthy merchants and businessmen established a residential area in
the Otrada district of Odessa.
Stretching from Langeron to Big Fountain, Odessa’s new
bourgeoisie began to build homes in Otrada that reflected their wealth. Four
streets, Otradnaya, Uyutnaya, Morskaya and Yasnay, colorfully named espoused the
opulence of Odessa’s Silver Century.   
In a short period of time, the Otrada district gained notoriety
for housing the wealthiest citizens of Odessa. According to Vladimir Dahl,
Otrada was the home to the most prosperous, wealthiest and thriftiest masters of
Odessa’s population. The Otradnyye Lyudi (people of Otrada) formed the nucleus
of Odessa’s bourgeoisie.
Although the Otrada bourgeoisie, with their large and influential
estates, could not match the capital of Odessa’s industrialists, they
nonetheless placed themselves at the head of economic and public
service development in Odessa. Displaying initiative and enterprise,
their decisions became the carriers of public service nobility. By the
beginning of the 20th century, the best minds in Russia recognized the
Otrada bourgeoisie as a great and powerful unconscious instrument of
the Lord’s deeds on Earth, according to Peter Struve.
By the beginning of the 20th century, the best minds in Russia
recognized the Otrada bourgeoisie as a great and powerful unconscious
instrument of the Lord’s deeds on Earth, according to Peter Struve.
Even in America, the Otrada bourgeoisie were seen as self made
individuals who climbed to the top of Odessa’s civil society elite
through hard work, energy and due diligence. Their wealth and standing
was not acquired through inheritance or privilege.   
Having successfully studied the lessons of their merchant predecessors,
such as Rink-Vagners and Reno, and ennobled by secular traditions of
gentry, the Otrada bourgeoisie created a style of private life that was
to become their own. At the forefront of this private life was public
service to the city, self governance, charitable works, amateur
dramatics, soirees, lawn tennis and yacht clubs. To be a member of a
yacht club was deemed to be extremely prestigious and noble.
The Bolshevik Revolution in January 1918 brought a tragic end to the
Otrada bourgeoisie, the consequence of which altered the destinies of
Otrada families. Despite seventies years of oppression, war and
pestilence, the memory of Odessa’s Otrada bourgeoisie still lives on.
Family names like Katayev, Zaporozhchenko, Fesenko, Ptashnikov,
Slupetsky, Nabaldov, Orlov and Tsomakion are still talked about today.
Until 1917 Odessa was a city of owners. The Bolshevik Revolution and
subsequent communist regime swept all that away. However, just recently
a successful judicial action by an Otrada resident, A. Strenkovsky, for
the return of a family house at No 4 Uyutnaya Street has set a
precedent for restitution in Odessa. Could this be the re-birth of the
Otrada bourgeoisie?
The spirit of Odessa, city of peace and trade, has never died in the
residents of Otrada, in spite of the hardships of living under
communist rule. Once more Otrada is slowly coming back to life as a
dynamic and developing district.   
Slowly but surely, the glory of a past age is being revived. Under the
shadows of old Otrada mansions, the first spring shoots of a new Silver
Century are beginning to grow. Businessmen, industrialist, city Duma
members, marine captains, fashionable advocates and professors from
Novorossiysk University are taking it upon themselves to recreate the
splendor that is Otrada’s heritage.
With history and energy on its side, Odessa is destined to grow and
stand out as a beacon of light in the new Europe of the 21st century.
Odessa’s artistic, academic, scientific and public service traditions
will return once more to flourish under the auspices of a new Otrada
bourgeoisie.
The Otrada district is a mix of urban, marine and landscape scenery.
Its sandy beaches and grassy slopes, dotted with acacia, linden, wild
olive trees, tamarisk, maple and mulberry trees, are a sight to behold.
  
The large limestone rocks embedded in the grassy slopes guard the
entrance to Odessa’s legendary catacombs. Here romantic tales of past
heroic and not so heroic deeds are whispered on the sea breeze to echo
Odessa’s history as a free territory and Porto-Franco. It is a history
filled with romance and mystery, of smugglers and criminals and the
last stand of the White Guard during the Bolshevik Revolution.
There are plans to build a museum that will capture the spirit and romance of Otrada’s past.
From the upper terrace of Otrada, there is a beautiful view of Odessa
bay and the merchant shipping lanes that make Odessa a successful
seaport.
Along the shore line, cafes, restaurants and bars cater to the many
tourists that flock to the district every summer. Otrada is a vibrant
and exciting district of Odessa at any time of the year.
Otrada’s rebirth as a center of contemporary civil society in Odessa is
reflected by the reconstruction of the district to its former glory.
However, 40 years ago there was a real danger that Otrada would become
a victim of Soviet vandalism. The former authorities were determined to
obliterate from the hearts and minds of the Odessa populace their
Otrada heritage by building a ‘Marine Avenue’ as a monument to
Socialist Odessa. By some miracle of fate, the plan did not materialize
and Otrada’s traditions were secured for future generations.
  
Today, modern Otrada houses a number of fashionable high rise
buildings that blend with the older subdued architecture of the past. It is here
that modernity meets history.
The Hotel Otrada is a reflection of the new architectural
synergy that is taking root in the district. Lovingly restored to its former
glory, the hotel combines architectural splendor with modern technology. The
hotel is fast becoming a recognized state of the art business center as well as
a place to sample the history and traditions of Otrada.
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Telephone:
+380 (482) 330-698
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