The Central Park of Culture and Recreation named after Taras Shevchenko is located in the historical part of Odessa and is a monument of historical and cultural significance and landscape architecture.
It is bounded by three streets (Marazlievskaya, Uspenskaya, Lidersovsky Boulevard) and a green area on the sea side.
Many guests of Odessa, walking around Shevchenko Park, come across an ancient arcade wall with a turret.
More than 200 years ago this territory was the site of Hadjibey — Turkish defensive frontier.
In 1793 in its place laid the Odessa fortress, which existed for about 20 years, in its construction took part Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov. This fortress (2000 men garrison and 120 guns) did not give the Turks the opportunity to regain the bay and allowed to build a harbor and a city. The walls of the fortress were earthen ramparts with cannons placed in key places, which allowed to keep under control both sea and land approaches.
In 1811 the fortress was abolished and turned into a quarantine consisting of five sections: near the harbor — grocery and goods yard, above — passenger yard (new arrivals from ships were placed here)
and plague (vectors of plague or other infectious diseases were isolated) quarters with a small (about 200 m x 150 m) cemetery of irregular pentagonal shape between them.
The remains of the quarantine have survived to this day: the Powder Tower and the arcade (1803-1807, architect I. Krug).
From the cemetery one tower has been preserved (partially), where medics examined the bodies of those who died in the quarantine.
The history of the wall changes with the abolition of the quarantine and the laying of a park here in 1875. Gradually the area near the arcade wall becomes a popular observation platform. In the early XX century the wall was reconstructed and it became one of the colorful sights of Odessa. By the way, at different times the tower was a barbeque house, a warehouse of inventory, and the builders’ utility room. Then for a long time (70-80 years of the 20th century) in the Powder Tower there was a tiny, but very informative «Museum of memorable dates of Odessa history», created by the famous local historian and collector R.M. Tsiporkis. In the 90s, the museum burned down.
In 2014, the ruins were transformed — a viewing platform was built.