Excavations in downtown Odesa have changed our understanding of Khadzhibey Castle

<span><span><span><span><span><span>In Odesa, for the first time in 240 years, researchers have managed to precisely pinpoint the location of the Khadzhibey Castle defensive complex and determine its actual dimensions. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span>In this new issue of Akcent, we report on the results of the archaeological excavations that took place for the fifth time in the summer of 2026 on Primorsky Boulevard in Odesa.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span> Andriy Krasnozhon, the initiator and one of the leaders of the archaeological expedition, as well as the rector of the K. D. Ushynsky South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University, spoke </span></span></span></span></span></span> about<span><span><span><span><span><span> the results of the work. He noted that </span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span>most of the structure still lies beneath the modern pavement of Primorsky Boulevard in Odesa. The actual dimensions of the Khadzhibey Castle are 32 by 37 meters. The scale of the building was determined after nearly three sides of the tower were uncovered. This made it possible to calculate the diameter. </span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>According to him, archaeologists have found evidence of human activity from three different eras at this site. In particular, there are artifacts from the time of the ancient Greeks (2,500 years ago), the era of</span></span></span></span></span></span>Count Lenzeron and Prince Vorontsov, and the medieval period of the Italian trading post of Ginestra<span><span><span><span><span><span>. Andriy Krasnozhon emphasizes that this success was made possible by a systematic scientific approach and the analysis of cultural layers.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

Scientists identified the location of the tower last year by comparing the 1789 plansof the castlewith the blueprints of the front wall of an artillery battery attached to it in the 1760s. During the excavations, the structure’s foundations were found to be nearly intact—even the first row of masonry had been preserved. Part of the structure, however, was damaged by a 19th-century storm drain and a modern concrete well.

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