Odessa, the cultural, industrial and scientific center in the south, is called «the purl by the sea». In accordance with European standards, Odessa is a new city built in 1794 by order of Catherine the Great. The first Odessa governor was Duc de Richelieu, the Frenchman, who consecrated his life to the service of Russia, wishing fervently to make his city more beautiful than Paris. Odessa today is the important port on the Black Sea, one of the most beautiful cities in Ukraine. Odessa is known as the capital of humor where the «Yumorina» festival is held annually on April 1. The Odessa Opera and Ballet Theatre (1887) ranks second in beauty after the Vienna Theatre. Famous Primorskiy Boulevard (Seafront) and Deribasovskaya Street, Potemkin staircase and Odessa catacombs are known far beyond the city.