Feb. 23, 2026, 6:46 p.m.
(IMAGES: Intent)
Located in Bolhradskyi district of Odesa region, Artsyz is the administrative center of the Artsyz urban community and is 156 km away from the regional center via the M15 highway (European route E87). The distance to Odesa by rail from the Artsyz railway station, built in 1913, is 173 km.
The intent continues to tell stories about the cities of Odesa region. After Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Reni, Podilsk, Izmail, Vilkovo, Bolhrad, Tatarbunary, and Sarata, we will tell you about another interesting settlement in the south of Odesa Oblast - Artsyz.
IMAGES: Intent
Artsyz has a rich history associated with German colonists, vineyards, a strategic location on the Kogylnyk River, and ancient mounds.
The city was founded in 1816 during the period of settlement of Budzhak (Southern Bessarabia) by the Germans, after its annexation to the Russian Empire.
It is known that the steppe towns founded by German colonists in the Odesa region in the 1810s and 1830s were named in memory of the "victories of Russian arms" in the Napoleonic Wars. Among these towns are Tarutino (Bessarabian), Wittenberg (Prykordonne), Borodino (Budzhak), Ferchampenoise (Sadove), Paris (Veselyi Kut), and others.
Artsyz also got its name due to the war with Napoleon. The origin of Artsyz's name comes from the French city of Arcy-sur-Aube, i.e. Arcy on the Aube (a tributary of the Seine), in Champagne, where the Battle of Arcy-sur-Aube took place on March 20-21, 1814. In this battle, the allied forces (which included the army of the Russian Empire) defeated Napoleon.
In 1814, 82 families of Germans (417 people) from Poland responded to the call of Emperor Alexander I to move to southern Bessarabia to colonize the steppe "number fourteen" on the northern bank at the mouth of the steppe rivers.
The village was originally named Johanneshort (Fortress of John), but in 1819 it was renamed Artsyz by the Russian government (by decree of Alexander I) in memory of the Allied victory over Napoleon I at Arcy (Arcis in French).
At different times, the village had different names: Alt-Artsyz/Alt-Arzis, Arsis 1, Staro-Artsyz, Staryi Arsis, Ivanivska, colony No. 11. For example, with the permission of the committee of trustees, a new settlement was founded in 1824, Neu-Arzis (New Artsyz - Vyshniaky). And Artsyz itself was now called Alt-Arzis (Old Artsyz).
PHOTO: Mahala
The site of the first church and school was located just west of the village center, indicating that this was once the "center" of the village. Both the school and the church were probably together and existed before the secession of New Artsyz.
The settlers quickly grew rich. In 1827, Artsyz was one of the richest German colonies, with 139 families or 660 people, 7420 acres of land, 98 stone and 14 clay houses, a windmill, 96 wells, 272 horses, and 1387 cattle. They grew wheat, corn, and barley. They were engaged in gardening, there were 123 vineyards. There were fairs in the village - one for four villages.
In 1844, Samuel Meske founded the first metalworking workshop in Artsyz. The plows made there were very good and easy to use. It was thanks to this that the number of customers was constantly growing and the company was progressing. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the workshop had already become a plow factory with locksmith, blacksmith, foundry, carpentry, and painting departments with its own lighting. They began to produce new Weischkorn plows - three-blade, simple, easy to operate. The good sales of these plows made it possible to implement the plan to produce two- and three-blade plows according to our own design. High-quality steel was obtained from Pittsburgh (USA). Between 1913 and 1914, the company managed to order and receive 640 units of steel for dumps (self-cleaners) from the United States. The goods arrived at the Leipzig (August) railway station.
In 1872 Artsyz became the administrative center of Artsyz volost in the Bessarabian province of Bendery, after Akerman district, Klyastyk district. It included the villages of Artsyz, Brienni (Glinka), Friedenstal, and Novo-Artsyz, as well as the Russian village of Pavlivka and the Bulgarian village of Dewlet-Agatsch. The latter two sought to be administered by other territories, but "the harsh German leadership did not want to let them go." Prior to the transfer of administration to Artsyz, these villages belonged to the Tarutino (Anchokrat) colony of the Akkerman district, which was part of the Kliastytske colonial district. Three years after the establishment of the district office, a postal and telegraph station was established in Artsyz. The connection to the telephone network began only more than thirty years later, in 1909. In 1903, a postal and telegraph office appeared in Artsyz, and in 1905, a post office was established.
In the following decade, a Belgian company began laying the Akkerman-Bessarabia railroad.
In 1916, a railway station, a depot, workshops, a weaving factory owned by the Meissner brothers, a steam mill, and more were built.
In the first half of the twentieth century Artsyz was occupied twice by Romania. After the First World War, it was part of the USSR. It has been part of Ukraine since August 1991.
Artsyz in the nineteenth century. PHOTO: Bessarabia.ua
The convenient location of the village in the Akkerman district between a number of German villages favored trade. Even early trade was already developed. That is why Artsyz soon became one of the most visited markets in southern Bessarabia, where peasants from the lower and upper parts of the region met. Already in 1859, the famous Artsyz bazaars were held here.
Horses, sheep, cattle, wool, grain, handicrafts, and more were sold in Artsyz. Here the pulse of Bessarabia's economic life was most clearly manifested. The city was the headquarters of the trading industry. Artsyz was both an economic center and the center of the German ethnic group. The Artsyz horse market occupied a key place and was known far beyond Bessarabia: Germans supplied first-class horses to the market. There was a single horse breeding syndicate here.
In the early twentieth century, merchants from Turkey, France, Poland, and other countries came to Artsyz to shop at the markets. Sometimes, Turkish merchants would buy 50-60 horses during the day.
In general, there were no fairs in the German colonies, but in the Tarutino colony and Staryi Artsyz there were markets every two weeks. The turnover of these markets could be estimated at 25 thousand rubles in Tarutino and 15 thousand rubles in silver at each market.
The market was a good source of income for the municipality. All administrative and entertainment expenses were covered from it. There were no special fees at the market. The population had to clean and maintain order after and during the market and earn money from it. As a result, commercial and industrial enterprises began to appear.
Artsyz horse market. PHOTO: Facebook/Artsyzsk History and Local Lore Museum
The fact is that the "colonist's horse" was a real mark of quality due to its unique combination of endurance and speed, an object of desire for both local farmers and foreign traders. According to the Gerstenberger family's memoirs, the secret of these horses' strength was their semi-wild lifestyle: youngsters up to 2-3 years old lived in the open air (except for the cold months), knowing neither stables nor halters.
Only mares and foals, as well as young females, were taken out to pasture, but not geldings, who were needed for daily work and kept as stable horses. The stallion was the leader of the herd. If the herd was too far apart in the pasture or if an animal was grazing a little to the side, the stallion, with his neck and head stretched forward and his ears flung back, would gallop around the herd until he brought it together. Then he would stand in the middle of the herd again, straightening up. The animals were under the supervision of the herdsman.
Only before being sold at a large market in Artsyz were the horses caught with the help of an arcanus. It was a real spectacle: four or five men tamed a wayward animal to put the first bridle on it.
The villagers were especially impressed by the herd races to the market, when dozens of young horses ran freely and obediently after their leader through several settlements.
The development of horse breeding was facilitated by agricultural exhibitions held in various settlements: Ackerman (1912), Artsyz (1933), Tarutino (1906).
An interesting fact:
Two-year-old breeding stallions purchased by members of the Artsyz horse syndicate at the stallion market in Sarat in 1938 were sold for between 15,000 and 25,000 lei.
The area near the modern town of Artsyz was inhabited long ago. This is evidenced by four Scythian mounds on the banks of the Chaga River, west of Artsyz. In one of them, the burial of a warrior of the fourth century BC was excavated, where a golden bowl and military armor (helmet and armor, iron sword, arrows, spearheads, etc.) were found. Some of the exhibits are kept in the Artsyz Historical and Local History Museum.
To the northeast of the city of Artsyz, on a hill popularly called Brienne Mountain, there is a mound.
PHOTO: Facebook / Artsyz Historical and Local History Museum
This strategic location allowed nomads to control the surrounding steppes and waterways. In the middle of the twentieth century, only the remains of the original mound remained on the hill, which was significantly damaged by economic activity and plowing.
It was known in the scientific literature as the "Artsyzkyi Kurgan" and was located above the right bank of the floodplain of the Kogylnyk River, just above the confluence of the Chaha River. The name of the mountain, known for its limestone deposits and vineyards, comes from the German colony of Brienne (now the village of Hlynka), which existed here in 1816-1940.
Until 1972, the mound was not mentioned in research and was not marked on topographic maps. Its discovery was the result of an accident: an archaeological team led by Iryna Alekseeva was planning to explore another site. At the site, it turned out that the black soil for the Central Park of Artsyz was extracted from another mound, which they decided to explore. This was the reason for the start of excavations after the partial destruction of the mound.
The rituals associated with the construction of the tomb deserve special attention. Archaeologists found traces of burnt wooden structures, presumably a tomb temple or canopy. Charred remains, ashes, and broken dishes indicate a ritual of purification by fire. There is also a sequential alternation of gifts, from military items to jewelry, which symbolizes the combination of the functions of a warrior, priest, and probably a ruler in the image of the deceased.
Despite the partial damage, archaeologists managed to discover unique finds. The mound contained three separate burials belonging to different historical epochs, cultural traditions, and social strata.
PHOTO: Facebook / Artsyzsk History and Local Lore Museum
One of them contained the remains of a man, probably a warrior or a member of the nobility. He was placed in a simple wooden coffin along with an iron sword, arrowheads and spearheads, and a bronze mirror. The arrangement of the objects testified to the observance of the funeral rite. Nearby are the remains of sacrificial animals (a horse and a dog), which were probably supposed to accompany the deceased in the afterlife.
Also in the eastern part of the mound, a later burial of a woman with characteristic features of Sarmatian culture was discovered. Bronze fibulae, a mirror, a necklace made of glass and amber, and fragments of dishes were found with her. Despite the robbery that took place in ancient times, the preserved remains indicate the high social status of the deceased.
In the center of the mound, the main burial was discovered - a rectangular chamber (approximately 3×2 m) lined with wooden logs and covered with limestone slabs. Inside is the skeleton of a man in a twisted position, lying on his back, facing west. Along with it, a rich accompaniment was found: swords, arrowheads, mirrors, jewelry, amphorae, fragments of rhythms, and wooden products. All of this gave grounds to consider the burial a "royal" one.
The mound was popular with local Germans. In 1907, Saratov teacher and local historian F. Wagner wrote a saga about it (Fiechtner 1964; Sapozhnikov, Kashuba 2020), and a native of the village of Brienn Herber Oster (1918) wrote an essay "Kurgan Hills in Bessarabia" dedicated to this burial mound. It cites a legend that at night little men come out of the hill and dance around, and when daylight comes, they hide underground again.
IMAGE: Facebook/Artsyzsk History and Local Lore Museum
It also describes the story of a treasure hunt in 1873: "On a long winter evening, three young Bursaks sat around and told scary stories about a legendary hill where a treasure was supposed to be hidden. If they had this treasure, they would become rich, and so they decided to get it. The initiator, Hannesle, together with the Bursaks, approached the hill at night with shovels and a wheelbarrow. They tore off the top and, by the light of lanterns, made a steep passage into a mine several meters deep. Since there was no work in the fields and vineyards in winter, no one noticed for a long time. The boys were already counting the number of nights they had to dig to find the coveted treasure, but their search became known. The village elder and the bailiff were surprised by the treasure hunters' nightly labor. The outraged elder ordered the excavations to stop immediately under penalty of death. In one night, the passage was to be buried along with the ropes and blocks. Despite all their efforts, the bursaks could not fill the mine in overnight, so the sinkhole remained a testament to this story for a long time."
60 years later, when former burger Johannes Häuser celebrated his 80th birthday, he told his descendants the story of the treasure hunters, ending with the words: "...at that time I was Hannesle". Later, his niece Antonia became a writer, known as the author of the book Die Altertumsforscher, where she told that the hill was a popular place of leisure for young and old. In 1930, an 8-meter-high wooden pyramid was built on its top.
There is an interesting story by H. Auster. It says that many years after the repatriation of the Bessarabian Germans to their great-grandfather's homeland, it was decided to build a military airfield on the steppe plateau for the needs of the Soviet army. The Brienne Cannon Tomb, which was to be demolished, stood in the way. Archaeologists "were surprised to find a treasure trove of gold, silver, and precious stones at its foot." These works of art were removed and are now in the Odesa Archaeological Museum. In 1994. Oster visited his small homeland with his countrymen and saw that "of the seven mounds that once were near Brienne, only the one that stands on the edge of the mountain above the school has survived and that was the last time he climbed it..." (Oster 2013).
PHOTO: Facebook/Artsyzsk History and Local Lore Museum
Nowadays, the tourist route "Scythian Trail" is actively used in Artsyz, during which imaginary visitors find themselves on the top of the hill.
It is believed that in ancient times, a fierce leader was buried on the bosom of the hill, under a large stone slab, along with his horse, his entire family and servants. Many weapons, former gold and silver jewelry, and all kinds of objects were to be buried with him in the grave. However, he could not find peace in his tomb. Every grandmother in Bessarabia knew and talked about it.
When the moon illuminates the valley at night, and the plain is flooded with its silver light, when people down in the valley are sleeping and the steppe is full of eerie silence, then the big hill comes to life. Shadows move back and forth. The grass rustles as if someone is walking quietly on it. When the moon sets and darkness envelops the hill, its inhabitants gather at its highest point, squatting in a circle and shaking their heads. The chief sits in the middle. If a stormy wind blows through the night and drives away the clouds, the chief gets angry and furious. He sits on his horse, his eyes burning, holding a crooked sword in his hand, moans and cries filling the air. Disheveled figures appear from other hills and sharpen their knives. Stomping and clashing weapons, moans fill the air
As soon as dawn breaks and the farmer goes to the vineyard with his hoe or to the field with his plow, the horrible figures disappear into their gloomy room.
There is a former military airfield near Artsyz. It was one of the largest in Ukraine and had a runway capable of accommodating all types of Soviet combat aircraft. Moreover, this military facility was considered a backup for the landing of the Buran reusable spacecraft.
PHOTO: Bessarabia.ua
As of early February 2026, the former Chervonohlynske strategic air base in Artsyz remains inoperable, although the issue of its restoration has been repeatedly raised at the state level. In 2017, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted a resolution to restore the military airfield in Artsyz. At the same time, the General Staff prepared a petition to the Artsyz City Council to allocate a land plot. After the military left Artsyz more than 20 years ago (in 2003), the entire territory of the airbase - 840 hectares - was transferred to the city. However, the project was repeatedly postponed and never completed before the war. Concrete blocks can still be seen on the runway itself, which were installed in 2014 to prevent a possible Russian landing.
PHOTO: unofficial website of the city of Artsyz
Before the war, the airport's runways were used only by the only agricultural airline in Odesa Oblast, Albatros. Thanks to this, the airfield's caponiers were preserved.
Nowadays, almost every settlement in Ukraine has its own coat of arms. In the early 1990s, however, this was the exception rather than the rule - only the largest cities had coats of arms. Before the 175th anniversary of Artsyz, which was celebrated in 1991, only three cities in Odesa Oblast-Odesa, Izmail, and Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi-had their own coats of arms. Artsyz also decided to join this cohort.
"The decision to create a coat of arms was approved at a meeting of the executive committee. Subsequently, we announced a competition for the best coat of arms sketch and a prize of 1,000 rubles," recalls Vasyl Raichev, the mayor at the time.
The competition committee received 36 designs, but none of them met the requirements. All of the works were rejected, but they did not disappear without a trace: the chairman of the city council gave the sketches to the museum of history and local lore, where they became part of the exhibition.
"We did not give up the idea of creating a coat of arms. With the assistance of the People's Deputy of the Ukrainian SSR Yurii Stadiichuk, a professional herald from Kirovohrad region was invited to Artsyz. It was he who helped us create the official symbol of the city," says Mr. Vasyl.
"The herald walked around the city with me for several days, asking about the founders of Artsyz and the legacy they left. At the time, it was still the Soviet Union, and it was forbidden to speak openly about the fact that the city was founded by Germans. But the herald insisted that the memory of the founders should be reflected in the coat of arms.
Badges for the 175th anniversary of Artsyz. PHOTO: Mahala
Drawing attention to the fact that the first German buildings in the city were constructed of local shell stone, he decided to include the symbol of masonry in the coat of arms. Another important element was the railroad, which was also founded in the German period, in 1913, as it diverges from Artsyz in two directions: to Izmail and Bessarabia. It symbolizes the development of industry and the city's connections.
Another key image was the stork with a stone in its paw, the central figure of the coat of arms. It was at the same time a symbol of peace, happiness, readiness to defend and a reminder of the military presence in Artsyz. The composition was to be complemented by a vine, a sign of fertility and prosperity.
"The herald took the job very seriously. He said that the coat of arms should be such that it would stand the test of time, even if the government changed. And he was right - 34 years have passed, and the coat of arms has remained unchanged," Vasyl Savovych says.
As a result, the coat of arms took the form of a Varangian heraldic shield with a base, the upper part of which is divided by three-part forked lines symbolizing the railway directions.
In the first, azure part of the shield there is a stork with a stone in its paw; in the second and third parts there is a golden vine on a red background. In the lower part is a golden masonry with the date of the city's foundation - 1816.
Each color in the coat of arms has its own meaning: azure symbolizes beauty and grandeur, red - courage and bravery, and gold - wealth, justice and generosity.
The coat of arms was officially approved on April 19, 1991, at a session of the Artsyz City Council. And in June of the same year, during the solemn celebration of the 175th anniversary of the city, the coat of arms was first presented to the general public.
To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Artsyz, an architectural complex with a tower and a clock was installed in the city center, which locals and tourists jokingly call "Artsyz Big Ben".
This clock tower quickly became a local symbol, an architectural highlight and a symbol of the neo-Gothic style in urban development. It got its name because it resembles a smaller copy of the famous London tower, although it has its own unique features.
A local Big Ben. PHOTO: Architectural and Natural Monuments of Ukraine
"Big Ben is a popular place for photo shoots and a landmark for meetings. It is especially popular with wedding processions and tourists. Unlike the original, the Artsyzka Tower is a cozy urban structure that emphasizes the cultural and historical development of Bessarabia.
The clock on the tower functions to show the exact time to the city's residents, and before the armed aggression of the Russian Federation and its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, the tower itself was often illuminated at night, giving the city center a cozy and romantic atmosphere similar to evening London.
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