On March 14, 2019 at 16:00, the BHFC will host a lecture “Athanasius Kesoglou and Ivan Destouni, the burgomasters of Odessa in the late 18th – early 19th centuries” by Prof. Taras Goncharuk from the Department of History of Ukraine at the I.I. Mechnikov Odessa National University.
It is well known that the rapid growth of Odessa at the end of the 18th – beginning of the 20th century was promoted by prominent administrators such as governor-generals, town governors and mayors. However, historians rarely recall that at the end of the 18th century, an important role was also played by individuals who occupied seemingly unusual for our city positions, the burgomasters.
In Odessa, the burgomasters were heads of the Foreign Magistrate, which in 1797-1801 functioned magistrates of Riga and Revel (Tallinn). It was during these years that Odessa in fact enjoyed the privileges of the famous Magdeburg Law.
In his lecture of Prof. Goncharuk will discuss how the burgomasters of Greek descent, Athanasius Kesoglou and Ivan Destouni, took advantage of the rights granted by the Magdeburg Law and how much they contributed to the history of Odessa.
Free admission
