Rector of the University in Odesa tells about the most high-profile archaeological discovery of recent years

Odesa residents met with Andrii Krasnozhon, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Rector of the South Ukrainian National University named after K.D. Ushynsky, at the Hrushevsky Library in Odesa.

At the meeting,Andriy Krasnozhon spoke about an archaeological discovery that is considered the most high-profile in recent years: the location of the Khadzhibey Castle, which had remained a mystery to scientists for almost two centuries.

This was the result of large-scale research on Primorsky Boulevard conducted by Ushynsky University in cooperation with the Institute of Archeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, which became a real sensation this summer.

For the first time, scientists were able not only to find the remains of fortifications destroyed in the 18th century, but also to accurately link them to the area. This debunked a long-standing myth about the castle's location, added new meaning to the history of Odesa, and opened up a whole new layer of connection to the Ottoman era and the Middle Ages.

"I want to say that since Professor Dobrolyubsky and I started excavations on Prymorsky Boulevard and until now we have not done a single extra excavation. Each time we found new data, but only this year we finally managed to prove that we have found the Khadzhibey Castle," noted Andriy Krasnozhen.

At the end of July, archaeologists conducting excavations on Prymorskyi Boulevard in the center of Odesa compared their findings with archival documents and concluded that they had identified the location of the Khadzhybey Castle.

Traces of wall dismantling and destruction were recorded in all excavations this season. According to the scientist, the corner joint of the masonry of the two walls of the battery, which was dismantled to the foundations, is especially indicative in this sense.

In March 2025, students of the South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University named after Ushynsky together with specialists from the Institute of Archeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine began a georadar survey of the central part of Prymorskyi Boulevard. Its results determined the location of the current excavations.

Prior to that, excavations on Prymorskyi Boulevard were already carried out in 2020 and 2021, but the area opposite the funicular has never been explored, and, according to scientists, this is where the foundation of the Khadzhibey Castle may be located.

In particular, during the research in 2021, more than a thousand artifacts were found in the chronological range from antiquity to the period of occupation of Odesa and several construction sites of the 18th century were recorded.

Кирило Бойко