A bronze scuplture dedicated to a very popular Odessa's legend
Address: Zhvanetsky boulevard (close to the Mother-in-law bridge).
The monument to the oranges, that bailed out Odessa, comes with an urban legend. The legend goes back to the 19th century when Catherine the Great passed away and her son, Paul I, took over the ruling power in Russian Empire.
The young Tsar hated his mother and was keen to dismantle some of her achievements. Therefore, he did not favour turning Odessa into Empire's new grand port. Moreover, most of the funding, previously sent to the city, strangely disappeared in the pockets of local officials. Financial contributions stopped by Tsar's order and Odessa was on the brink of turning into a provincial town.
Then, the Odessites decided to save the city by giving the most extravagant and unexpected present for the Emperor: 4000 of the best imported Greek oranges. Pavel I had never tasted before the fruit and loved it so much that he renewed the city's funding. Witty Odessites of modern times called it the Monument to “the first bribeâ€.
