dessa - a port on the Black Sea- was an important Greek colony in the 19th century. It was established towards the end of the 18th century by Catherine the Great, who wanted to attract merchants from several areas of Europe and create a commercial centre in her land. The port of Odessa was not only the place of reception of foreign goods, but also the main distribution centre of goods inland. In order to achieve her goal Catherine arranged privileges that would give the merchants an incentive to expand their trading activity in the region. Indeed, these privileges attracted many merchants of the Ottoman Empire, both from other towns in the Tsar's Empire and from elsewhere in Europe.
