Sorochyntsi Fair has a rival

Revived four years ago, the Bessarabian Fair, which over half a century ago ranked with the most important fairs in southern Ukraine and even in Europe, has been ceremoniously revived in the town of Tarutyne, Odesa oblast, reports Ukrinform. This event coincided with another memorable date, the 194th anniversary of the district center of Tarutyne. The town is located 200 km from the oblast center and was founded by German colonists in 1814. Within 10 to 15 years its population increased from several hundred people to 4,000.

The town became the economic and cultural center of all Bessarabian German colonists, who also worked the uncolonized tracts of infertile soils in Artsyz, Sarata, Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky, and Tatarbunary raions. In the mid-19th century there were seven industrial enterprises in Tarutyne, including an ironworks, a cloth factory, a silk-weaving mill, a wrapping factory, and others. There was also a large regional branch of the Bucharest Bank, a professional drama company, a cultural center, several music schools, and a lycee.

Bordering on the Chisinau, Bucharest, Izmail, and Akerman districts, this town annually hosted southwestern Europe’s largest Bessarabian Fair, selling grapes, wines, fruit, and vegetables-between 1,000 and 1,200 tons of nuts alone were sold-cattle, grain, and industrial goods. The fair’s revenues totaled millions of tsarist rubles.

Today, according to Ivan Kiusse, the head of the district state administration, Tarutyne’s progress has been kick-started with the revival of viticulture and viniculture. All the local plantations were put in order with an eye to expanding them every year by 1,000 hectares to acquire 15,000 ha of vineyards, which is optimal for this raion. Six wineries were now operating here.

Tarutyne’s winemakers have started producing their own dry, dessert, and vintage wines in European bottles. Some of these wines have won awards at wine shows and festivals. During the Bessarabian Fair local winemakers’ products will be tasted by residents of the district center and many guests from Germany, Romania, Moldova, Belarus, Russia, and neighboring raions in Odesa oblast.

A diversified assortment of regional produce will be presented, and 15 Ukrainian and foreign businesses will demonstrate their modern equipment manufactured for the agroindustrial complex. There will be a concert with professional and amateur performers, and folk groups, as well as various attractions, team games, lotteries, sports competitions, and firework displays.