- By admin
- In Sergey's opinion
About Otrada Area – Sergey Dyablo
A native of Odessa Sergey Vladislavovich Dyablo was born and raised in Otrada area. His children – Odessa citizens in the sixth generation – also live here.
“This area is very dear to my heart”, – says he and dreams of the day when a real promenade with a year-round recreation would appear here, so that Odessa citizens and tourists will be able to see the sea at any time of the year.
In early childhood Sergey Dyablo gained invaluable knowledge about the city’s history and the stages of its development and complicated structure of the soil under the city from his great-grandfather Nikolai Aleksandrovich Khrennikov, who was the engineer of strengthening structures on the slopes of Odessa.
“I understand now, – says Sergey Vladislavovich, – if they didn’t save the city that time, the historic part of Odessa could fully slide into the sea without strengthening. In the Soviet times Otrada was a place where the money for strengthening of the slopes and landscaping were primarily invested”.
Speaking of the seaside area of Odessa today, Sergey Dyablo notes with regret that, with rare exception, it is a complete ruin.
“You can neither drive nor approach this place. I think that the idea of “health route” in Odessa is also perverted, as when the slopes were reclaimed, this road actually was built for construction vehicles. And now, when it performs the function of the health route, all that is necessary for restaurants located by the sea, is delivered in hands. In winter there is no entrance at all, and the restaurants close or go bankrupt,” – he says.
However, he supposes, in the emerging shoots of a new lifestyle, yet there is a tendency towards recovery.
In the past several years, the Otrada area has been heavily built up with houses and mansions, but new buildings don’t disturb the existing historic and cultural environment and do not encroach on the spiritual heritage of the past, organically complementing and developing it.
Due to some projects, the district has noticeably changed: electricity supply is improved, the sewer network is partially replaced and streets are paved, streetlights are installed. The beach became clean and beautiful.
Unique historical and architectural reserve is gradually returning to its unique charm, and Otrada turns into an intellectual oasis beach recreation.
“My global idea is to return the status of a monument of city planning to Odessa. The current goal is to transform Otrada area, where I was born and where my children live into one of the best areas of Odessa. When I was growing up here, Otrada was in a shabby condition. So when I think what else good and useful I can do for the city, first of all I think about Otrada. I believe it is necessary to build a waterfront that all maritime towns in the world have. It will bring a marine look to our city, and I think if we all will participate in this process, it will attract more tourists from all over Ukraine and other countries to our city,”, – says Sergey Dyablo.