The Continental hotel

One of the most interesting and mysterious architectural monuments of Mariupol is the Tomaso house. It was the first three-story building – before that, only two-story buildings were built. It was the first building that had electric lighting and started printing business in Mariupol …According to historical data, Tomaso has a basement of the hotel and a concert hall rented by merchant D. Kaleri, who put in order the equipment of all the internal premises. The building itself was built approximately in the 1880s, and part of the premises with a concert hall were completed later – in the early twentieth century. Thus, in the entire history of its existence, the Continental Hotel has been the cultural and social center of social life in Mariupol.Interestingly, the first power station, which was located not far from the building, was opened just for lighting the Hotel in the city. Subsequently, the electric lighting spread to the whole Ekaterininskaya street, and even later – to the whole city. In 1904, in the basement of the hotel, the first Goldrin brothers’ electro-typography was founded, which in fact marked the beginning of printing in the city.