On Primorsky Boulevard in Odessa, near the Duke's monument, students from the South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University named after Ushinsky, along with specialists from the Institute of Archaeology of the NAS of Ukraine, have completed archaeological excavations.

This was reported by the rector of the university, Andriy Krasnozhon, in a Facebook post.

"The archaeological expedition on Primorsky Boulevard in Odessa has concluded. It was an exceptionally successful season," he noted.

Among the most notable finds are archaeological materials of Genoese origin from the 14th century, discovered near the monument to Duke de Richelieu. They indicate that this area originally had a cultural layer of Italian Ginestra, followed by an Ottoman fortress. Remains of fortifications from that period were found near the funicular.

Andriy Krasnozhon promises to share more detailed information about the excavation results soon.

In a comment, Ivan Liptyga, the director of the Culture Department of the Odessa City Council, noted that this is a significant event for the city, the country, and history.

"Now this will become one of the attributes of the universally valuable UNESCO World Heritage site!" he added.

In an interview with Ukrinform, Liptyga mentioned that a proposal to install a glass dome over the excavation site is currently under consideration.

"A glass structure could be placed over the fortress remains on Primorsky Boulevard, and the outlines of the building could be marked with tiles of a different color. If this idea is approved, we will also install a bronze informative plaque providing an explanation of what was located at this site," Liptyga emphasized.