Olbia, Parutyne
Ancient Olbia — a thousand years of a Greek city above the Buh.
Olbia, on the right bank of the Buh Estuary near present-day Parutyne, was founded by settlers from Miletus in the 6th century BC; the city became the principal Greek colony on the northern Black Sea coast and minted its own coins. In the prevailing view of researchers, Herodotus visited it. A publication of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine links the end of the city with the Gothic invasion in the 50s–70s of the 3rd century, Ukrinform with its destruction by nomadic tribes around the 70s of the 4th century. Systematic excavations began in 1901; the reserve was established on 3 March 1926, has held national status since 2002, and covers 300 ha. On its territory are the remains of the temenos, the agora, the gymnasium, the defensive walls and the 2nd-century crypt of Eurysibius and Arete. Excavations have been halted since 2022: the reserve suffers from russian shelling and FPV drones, in summer 2025 a fire caused by a strike near the necropolis swept across the entire territory, and the crypt has become a shelter for the staff.
The reserve is closed to visitors (April 2026). A near-front zone: travel only when it is safe.