Griboedov Street in Odessa has been renamed Jinistrivska, commemorating a significant event in the city’s history.

The decline of ancient Greek settlements in the Northwestern Black Sea region, linked to the invasions of nomadic tribes around 375 AD, turned the lands around Odessa Bay into desolate steppes for centuries. It was not until the late 13th century that a Genoese trading post named Jinistra emerged at the site of the former Greek port of Istrian. Its location is corroborated by ancient Italian nautical maps, aligning with today’s historical center of the city.

Jinistra served as a crucial stop for maritime vessels and an export point for grain and other goods. There are several theories regarding the origin of its name: from the Italian word ginestra, meaning “broom”, or as a derivative of the Dniester River.

During the Middle Ages, as in antiquity, the Khadjibey and Kuyalnyk estuaries remained navigable and served as safe havens for merchants from Amalfi, Pisa, Venice, Genoa, Ancona, and other Mediterranean republics. This is evidenced by the discovery of ancient anchors.

It is believed that the bars at the mouths of the estuaries began to form from the 14th century. Jinistra declined in the mid-15th century following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople.

After the full conquest by the Ottoman Empire, the Turks expelled the Genoese from the Black Sea coast. There is also speculation that Jinistra ceased to exist during the catastrophic plague pandemic of 1346-1349.