The ancient history of the city is covered with myths and legends. We know the story begins in the times of IV-II millennium BC, at a time when these territories inhabited by representatives of the Romanian and Ukrainian cultures.

In the VI. BC  Greek cities – policies are beginning to rise, and then at the territory of the city factor – Antifila has been founded by Greek colonists. At that time, Cimmerians, Scythians, Persians and other peoples also lived here.

The early Slavs began to intensively explore the Danube region in the first centuries of our era. From the X century, the Danube lands were part of the Kiev state, Galitsko-Volynsk princedom. Gradually, the population of the city became increasingly multi-ethnic.

At the beginning of the XIV century, the town of Smil, obviously, belonged to the lands of the big Valashsky principality.

For a long time, Izmail existed as a fortress city within Turkey. Then followed the period of Tsarist Russia and the life of the city in the USSR and Romania.

There were wars, new life was born, new traditions were created. Now it is a charming, cozy, attractive, bright and magical town on the banks of the Danube river. Here, dreams and ideas are born, and the air is filled with the smell of flowering sakuras and roses.

The history of our city is woven from bright moments; various cultures and nations are gathered here. Ishmael is not just a town on the bank of the Danube, but a polyethnic center, a place that absorbed the legacy of ancestors, a place in which ethnic groups, their life and customs peacefully exist and overlap.

Today, more than a hundred ethnic cultures coexist in the Danube region: in addition to Russians, Ukrainians, Romanians, Moldovans, these are marginal fragments of Albanians, Bulgarians, Serbs, Gagauz, Greeks, Germans, Swiss colonists and other peoples. All cultures retain their customs and traditions, making our region colorful.

Here it is the opportunity  to plunge into the cultural whirlpool, learn about the old rituals and customs of different nations, see their life, learn about the features of their crafts.

Pottery, magic paintings, wickerwork, embroidery and many other traditional items can be seen in courtyards, museums and fairs.

Also in Izmail for fun lovers organized many folk festivals and fairs. Here are held festivals dedicated to the holidays of different cultures: “St. Andrew’s Evening Party”, “Ukrainian Evening Party”, “Kolyada”, “Mercisor”, “Easter”, “Buganik”, “Dinbetrin”, “Festival of Young Wine” and many others.

Lovers of high art can enjoy the collections of monuments of art from different historical periods: painting on silk, sculptures, panels inlaid with precious woods and mother of pearl, vases and other objects of art of famous world and national artists.

Collections of art from various periods reveal the historical wealth of the world and the region. Here are the art of the peoples of the East, Ukrainian and Russian art of the XVII-XXI centuries., Western European art, iconography and objects of worship. Literary evenings, presentations of books and paintings by local authors are held in the art gallery.

The cuisine of Bessarabia is not just a traditional cuisine of one nation. Perhaps such a variety of tastes and culinary combinations have not seen by any cuisine of the world. And all this is not just a gastronomic hyperbole, because our region is a place where a huge number of different nations live. There are Ukrainians, Moldovans, Romanians, Bulgarians, Gagauz, Jews, and Albanians. Although this list is far from complete. All these nationalities brought their culinary traditions, creating a unique tasty and delicious Bessarabian cuisine.

Nature has become a major driving force in creating this vibrant gastronomic sophistication. Here the Danube and estuaries, steppes and the sun, which gives us the opportunity to create a local kitchen.

Here you can try the real Moldavian hominy with cheese, sarmale or placinta with various fillings. Romanian Mimiteas and Moldavian kavarma are real gourmet meat dishes that a true gourmet cannot but like. Gagauz gozleme- delicious snack to any table.

Izmail is a city on the river, therefore it is impossible not to say about the refined royal fish soup and delicious crabs and mussels. It is impossible not to say about the Danube herring – there is no such thing anywhere else! From it also prepare a good forshmak with an apple.

Of course, Ukrainian cuisine in Izmail is also popular. In almost any restaurant or in the house, you can try real Ukrainian borsch with garlic buns. Here they cook delicious eggplant caviar, dumplings with cottage cheese or potatoes, and many other Ukrainian dishes.

Bulgarian cuisine is also very common. Bulgarian bannitsa with cheese is one of the most popular dishes. Kavarma is also very tasty. Stuffed paprika with rice and meat or Bulgarian güvech common dishes of the Bessarabian Bulgarians.