There is a place in Odessa that offers a simply stunning view of the Opera and Ballet Theatre. It is a square that, in the French manner, is called "Palais-Royal." And like many other places popular with Odessa residents and visitors to the city, the square with this charming name has its own interesting history.
Two centuries ago, behind the City Theater there was a military ground for parade drills, that is, formation training. On ordinary days soldiers marched here, and on holidays city festivities were held.
Later, the parade ground was moved to Sobornaya Square, and next to the theater they decided to build Gostiny Dvor - shopping arcades for upscale commerce and social entertainment. This square was destined to become a place where wealthy townspeople could stroll decorously or shop at leisure, avoiding the noise and bustle of the bazaar.
Gostiny Dvor was given the name "Palais-Royal," which translated from French means "Royal Palace" - a kind of allusion to the famous Parisian residence.
Curiously, the Palais-Royal in the French capital was built for Cardinal Richelieu, a distant relative of Odessa's city governor Duke de Richelieu. No, after all, it was not for nothing that Odessa was called little Paris!
