Chornomorsk is a city for family vacations

The name “Chornomorsk” is associated by many with the novel “The Golden Calf” by Ilf and Petrov. So, part of the events of the novel takes place in the city of Chornomorsk. But under this name is depicted Odesa – the authors talked about it, and any reader who has visited South Palmyra will immediately recognize the city from the description.

How did it happen that Chornomorske became a small town in Odesa?

It all started after the end of the war, when they decided to build a shipbuilding plant in Sukhoi Liman outside Odessa. There was no town at that time, but there were hamlets, previously Bugova, and after the revolution – Illichivski. That’s why the village that grew up near the plant under construction was called Illichivsky without thinking long.

In 1973, Illichivsk received the status of a city. By that time, the plant was already working at full capacity, and a new seaport was built nearby. The population of the city was growing.

Until recently, the main enterprises of Illichivsk were the port, the ship repair plant and the bus assembly shop of the concern “Avtozaz”. After 2014, the workshop was moved to Mariupol, and the volume of work near the plant and the port was reduced. Then the city authorities decided to develop Illichivsk as a resort.

The law on decommunization came into play here, according to which the city should have been renamed. Various proposals were put forward, including frankly terrible ones, for example, Bugoyevsk or Portopoli. The issue of preserving the name of Illichivsk was discussed with the local church authorities, but not in honor of Vladimir Lenin, but in honor of the prophet Ilya. But since Mayor Khmelnyuk supported the Chornomorsk option, the majority of deputies voted for this name option. This is how the city invented by Ilf and Petrov appeared on the map of Ukraine.

By the way, Valery Khmelnyuk is a great figure. He is a record-breaking mayor: no Ukrainian official of his level has managed to hold his position for so long. As soon as Ukraine gained independence and city residents got the opportunity to elect mayors, Valery Khmelniuk, the director of the combine and a deputy, became the mayor. Since then, he has been re-elected six times. Under him, the city changed both its name and its development perspective.

The pride of modern Chornomorsk is the embankment. This is not just an asphalt path along the seashore, but a whole complex. Since the coast juts out to the sea with a rather high cliff, the embankment complex consists of two parts, the upper and the lower. In the upper part, there is a park with gazebos, benches, monuments and children’s playgrounds. There are several restaurants and a night club on the edge of the cliff, with spectacular views of the sea. In the summer, souvenir sellers appear in the park. And closer to the exit is a small skate park where young athletes train.

You can go down to the sea by several descents. The most beautiful is a luxurious stone staircase, which is slightly inferior to the famous Potemkin stairs in Odessa. But there are several ladders easier. They lead to the city beach. The beach in Chornomorsk is sandy and well equipped. The water is usually clear, the bottom sinks empty, so it is a great place for children to swim.

But there is a shortage of entertainment for vacationers in the city. Yes, the city center is beautiful, but a walk through the central park and sycamore avenue is worth it. But this is an activity for one evening, and that in good weather. Yes, there are many sports fields in the city – the mayor encourages the development of youth sports, and even in local schools, the stadiums have expensive modern surfaces. There is somewhere to play football.

But the only cinema “Neptun” in the city has been closed for many years. Vacationers who want to watch a movie have to go to Odessa. There are many buses and the fare is inexpensive, but the one-way road is an hour, and even for a family with children, it is quite a difficult test.

It didn’t work out in Illichivsk and with the water park. The land was allocated, surrounded by a fence, but construction never began. Sometimes they couldn’t find a contractor, sometimes there were problems with financing…

Instead, the real comfort for bored vacationers is seafood in local restaurants. They are extracted right here, taking advantage of the fact that the sea here is cleaner than in Odessa. Several places serve home-made, fashionable craft beer with shellfish and fish. And on weekends, local and visiting musicians perform in pubs.

In short, Chornomorsk is not suitable for violent resort entertainment. It is a quiet place for family vacations. At least in the summer of 2018.