Memory of the Past in the Multi-Ethnic Space of Danube Cities

Abstract

The article presents the issues of preserving the historical memory of the cities of Southern Bessarabia (the southwestern part of Odesa region, Ukraine). The specific features of the region’s historical development, frequent changes in the state affiliation, intermixture and diversity of confessional and ethnographic aspects contributed to the formation of a special, multicultural and polyethnic habitat for the residents of this region. The region’s cities, formed many centuries ago, demonstrate specific, often unique features of the memory of the past, embodied in the temples, street names, residential buildings, and administrative and fortification structures. The preservation of the urban memory and its popularisation serve as the foundation of human beings who are free from prejudice, protect their identity and are tolerant of their neighbours.