Description of the attraction
Monument to Orange is not just a monument dedicated to the southern fruit, but a monument erected in honor of the fruit that literally saved Odessa. And it was like this. At the end of the 18th century, the city was actively built up, but there was not enough money to complete the construction. And then the situation of the city's development directly depended on the construction of the seaport, which began during the reign of Catherine II. However, during the reign of Emperor Paul I, funding ceased. And then the magistrate of the city of Odessa decided to resort to the help of a cunning strategic step. Especially to the court of Paul I, as a sign of attention and proof of loyalty to the crown, wagons with oranges were sent, which arrived with the first ship to the port in early December, and a request for a loan of 250 thousand rubles. The fruit was to the taste of the emperor and his court - and money was allocated for the construction of the port. This is how oranges saved Odessa.
The monument to the orange was erected on the Duma square in 2004. However, later it was moved to the Boulevard of Arts (now renamed into Boulevard Zhvanetsky). The monument is a bronze composition. The composition consists of the orange itself, on one side of which the skin has been peeled and slices taken out. In their place is the figure of Paul I. In addition, on the orange you will see the most famous buildings of Odessa - the Opera House, the Transfiguration Cathedral, the Vorontsov Palace colonnade. And the orange itself is harnessed to three horses.
It is noteworthy that in order to make the monument, it took about a ton of bronze, and its cost is equal to 200,000 US dollars. Around the monument there is a granite round platform with a diameter of 12.5 meters. Along the perimeter of the site, there are poles with chains and two verst poles, which show the number of versts from Odessa to St. Petersburg.
