Beyond the Russian Empire’s cordon sanitaire. Economic activities in the Danube Delta (1830S–1850S)

Abstract

This paper examines how the sanitary separation of the St. George Island from the rest of the Russian Empire influenced the development of the town Sulina, the main settlement established on this island, and the creation of a distinct territorial identity. To this end, I have corroborated archival documentary sources from the archival fund ‘Chancellery of the Governor of Bessarabia’, held at the National Archive of the Republic of Moldova, with other types of narrative accounts, be they authored by travelers, sailors, merchants or soldiers who visited Sulina during that period. The paper will thus determine how the sanitary isolation of the St. George Island manifested itself, then it will analyse the lucrative opportunities that attracted new inhabitants to Sulina and examine how, despite harsh living conditions, Sulina came to be regarded as an ‘American Eden’.