“As a rule, there is no information on specific people in the history. But it is they who create the Great Story” – this is an epigraph to the preface in the biographical encyclopedia “They changed the history (outstanding people born in South Bessarabia)”. On September 5, the encyclopedia was presented at Izmail State University for the Humanities.

The unique for our region publication has seen issued owing to financial support of Mr. Victor Kurtiev, a co-founder of “Bessarabia Development Center” Public Organization, a  successful businessman, a creative entrepreneur and a person known for his biased attitude to preservation of the historical and cultural heritage of the native region. The encyclopedia was executed under “Ukraine and Moldova: common historical memory, lessons and perspectives” International research project.

The issued paper was presented to the teaching staff of the University, cultural and educational institutions of Izmail by Mrs. Lilia Tsiganenko, the Vice-rector for Scientific Work of the ISUH, a project manager from the Ukrainian side and a curator of the research and editing group. Describing the structure of the encyclopedia, she gave the precise information to the individuals: the members of different ethnic groups and professions born in three Districts of the Southern Bessarabia, namely in Izmail, Kilia and Akkermansk (Chetatya-Albe) ones. The heroes of the book are scientists, military and public figures, musicians, priests, artists, prose-writers, poets, specialists of production industries and agrarians, who left a mark in the professional and administrative-political fields. The language of the paper is Ukrainian and English. The editing was done by the appropriate translators, in particular the University teachers of the Department of English Language and Translation. According to Mrs. Lilia Tsiganenko, the possibilities of popularizing the history of our province are increased by means of usage of two languages used in the publication.

More than 40 representatives from Ukraine, Moldova and Bulgaria were engaged in creating the paper. Besides, well-known historians and local historians, in particular, 18 scientists from Izmail, six scientists from Chisinau, a scientist from Bulgaria also participated in creation of that paper. It took three years to complete the encyclopedia since each country has its own approaches and interpretations of certain points in our common history and it took time to agree on them.

According to Mrs. Tsiganenko, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine recommended and the patron Mr. Victor Kurtiev desired to distribute this publication free of charge to the libraries, educational institutions, and schools of Izmail, around the District and generally in Odessa Region but not to sale.

She noted that the encyclopedia does not provide a complete list of our compatriots. In the future, the team of the authors is going to publish the second and the third updated editions.

The second volume of the encyclopedia will be dedicated to those who were born outside South Bessarabia but whose life and career is closely connected with our province. The third volume will be about the contemporaries who live next to us and who are now creating the history in the region as a true patriot of their small homeland.

The biographical encyclopedia “They changed the history (outstanding people born in South Bessarabia)” is created for scientists, teachers and students of educational institutions, teachers and students of general education schools, local historians and to those who are interested in the history of their native land.