Park Gorky has been decorating the Malinovsky District since 1973. From a shooting range, this once suburban area was transformed into a “green square” of houses by local authorities, and in 2008 it was leased to a private company. The park still attracts many people and is an excellent recreation area for families.
Today I will show you how it looks in the pre-New Year period because yesterday I specially visited it for new photos.
Before World War II, the park was located outside Odesa, and there were only private houses. During the occupation of the region by German-Romanian troops, mass executions of the Jewish population took place here and in the adjacent territories. Now the monument to the Victims of Fascism erected in the park reminds of this, which can be seen from the side of Varnenskaya and General Petrov streets.
Already in the post-war period, a new residential area began to appear here, in which five-storey "Khrushchevs" were being massively built. Initially, they were designed for a service life of 40-50 years, but it seems that such a large-scale restructuring can be forgotten. In 1961, it was immediately decided to open a park with 6 thousand trees, which could be completed by 1973. The park was originally called not in honour of the writer Maxim Gorky, but in honour of the Leninist Komsomol.
Thanks to the development of "Khrushchevs" near Gorky Park, not so many people live as in other districts of Odesa. However, on weekends and holidays, it is full of locals who come here with their children, their loved ones, and their pets. In addition, the park is the only one in the city that is completely fenced off, which is more a "plus" than a "minus".
In the 80s, a unique cafe, a children's centre "Flight", was created in the park, which was literally inside the converted Tu-104B aircraft. The centre operated from 1980 to 1984. Unfortunately, in the 90s there was a fire, after which the establishment was completely dismantled, and mentions of it remained only in photographs.
In the 1990s and 2000s, the park slowly began to become less and less well-groomed. At night, it became not the safest place due to crime. At some point, the mayor's office decided to find an investor who would deal with the park without investing from the city budget.
In 2009, the park was leased for 25 years to the Vesta company. The terms of the agreement are unlikely to be very beneficial for the Odesa budget, but the park has noticeably changed for the better. Part of the territory was occupied by restaurants, coffee shops and various attractions, but the tenant does not forget about the improvement of the territory.
Some parts of the park are already equipped with an automatic irrigation system, cleaning takes place every day, a fountain with light and music works, and new attractions regularly appear on the territory, such as, for example, a huge Rubik's cube.
But in my photos, so far, most of it is the New Year's decorations in the park. Last year, due to a large amount of work, I could not get here and look at this beauty. But in the near future, I plan to photograph other New Year decorations in the city. And when it gets warmer, fountains and various venues will open, I will definitely show this park in all its glory.
Exact GPS coordinates - 46.429376, 30.717524
My Pinmapple map.
