Prymorskyi Boulevard and Derybasivska Street: Landmark sites in Odesa you must visit
Photo: Odesa (wikipedia.org)
Pearl by the Sea is the nickname of the picturesque resort city in Ukraine. It is difficult to compare Odesa with any other city. Its unsurpassed flavor is hard to put into words. You can feel the hospitality here even in the air.
RBC-Ukraine has gathered information about the most interesting sights of Odesa.
Contents
- Prymorskyi Boulevard
- Potemkin Stairs
- Opera House
- Derybasivska Street
- Odesa catacombs
- Vorontsov Lighthouse
- Vorontsov Palace
- Passage
Prymorskyi Boulevard
The best place to start a tour of Odesa is Prymorskyi Boulevard. From here you can get to all the city's sights.
Photo: Prymorskyi Boulevard (wikipedia.org)
Prymorskyi Boulevard is the hallmark and decoration of Odesa, as well as one of the most popular tourist attractions. You can get to the boulevard from the sea by the Potemkin Stairs or by taking a funicular.
A monument to the first mayor of Odesa, Armand de Richelieu (often called simply Duke), majestically rises above the stairs. Interestingly, this monument is the first monument to be erected in the city.
Monument to Armand de Richelieu (photo from the Internet)
Due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Prymorskyi Boulevard was closed to visitors for a long time. However, in the fall of 2023, the authorities reopened it to visitors.
Potemkin Stairs
Another visiting card of Odesa is the Potemkin Stairs. It is a unique project of Count Vorontsov as a gift to his wife Elizabeth.
The Potemkin Stairs were built many decades ago, but they still amaze even experienced tourists. It is believed that thanks to them you can see the real Odesa.
The staircase has 192 steps and is among the ten most beautiful in Europe. It is used for dating, filming, and screening movies and every year sports competitions are held here, for example, to see who can descend the stairs the fastest.
Photo: Potemkin Stairs (wikipedia.org)
Opera House
If you are wondering where to go in the evening in Odesa, the best option is to visit the Opera and Ballet Theater.
This is one of the most famous places not only in Odesa but also outside the country. The building, built in the Viennese Baroque style, looks luxurious not only outside but also inside.
The museum at the Opera House will also be an interesting place for tourists. Its exposition will allow city guests to feel the spirit of Odesa opera and touch its history.
Not far from the Opera House, there is a cozy park where you can relax and admire the beauty of the architecture. Street musicians often play here, offering a mix of modern and classical repertoire.
Photo: Opera House in Odesa (wikipedia.org)
Derybasivska Street
Derybasivska Street is the main center of Odesa's flavor. Once you get here, you will clearly understand why Odesa is sometimes called the city of contrasts. Simplicity and luxury are harmoniously combined here.
Derybasivska Street has many cozy restaurants, cafes, boutiques, and hotels. The street was built mainly in the 19th century.
Derybasivska Street (photo from the Internet)
There is also a monument to the 12th chair from the novel of the same name by Illia Ilf and Yevhen Petrov on Derybasivska Street. Locals say that a wish will come true if you make it while sitting on this chair.
Monument to the 12th chair (photo from the Internet)
Odesa catacombs
The Odesa catacombs are 2500 km of underground tunnels, some of which are even partially interconnected. The ominous and mysterious catacombs are legendary.
This is a huge underground labyrinth under the city, which was formed after stone quarrying in the 19th century.
The catacombs were actively used by the Odesa underworld. During World War II, a partisan group hid there, and during the Cold War, anti-nuclear bunkers were built in the catacombs.
Odesa catacombs (photo from the Internet)
Vorontsov Lighthouse
The Vorontsov Lighthouse in Odesa is the city's maritime business card, the first Odesa building seen by tourists arriving by ship at the port.
In addition, the tower-type hydraulic structure has been an excellent means of navigation for many years, designed to indicate safe passage to ships or passage into the harbor.
Photo: Vorontsov Lighthouse (wikipedia.org)
Vorontsov Palace
The Vorontsov Palace is a real decoration of the city. It is perhaps the most famous palace in southern Ukraine. Once upon a time, there was a gorgeous garden, and the stables were home to pedigree horses. Today, only memories remain of this.
The palace is visually woven from a combination of straight and vaulted components; the architect used the contrast between large, blank, smooth surfaces and colonnades.
The luxurious interiors, decorated by the outstanding sculptor and painter Carl Scotty, use the techniques of Romanticism. The palace's interiors are the best examples of the surviving interiors of Odesa's Empire period.
Photo: Vorontsov Palace (wikipedia.org)
In addition to the palace itself, tourists' attention is drawn to its colonnade, which is where most of the beautiful photos in Odesa are taken.
Photo: Colonnade in front of Vorontsov Palace (wikipedia.org)
Passage
The Passage, built in 1898-1899, is considered to be a prominent architectural monument and a visiting card of Odesa. The building harmoniously intertwines Baroque, classical, and plastic Art Nouveau lines.
The highlight of the complex is its decor and a covered atrium with a glass roof. Lush stucco moldings and a variety of sculptures of ancient heroes make Passage more of a museum than a shopping center.
Passage shopping center in Odesa (photo from the Internet)
Earlier we wrote about interesting places you should visit in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Lviv.
Sources: Prymorskyi Boulevard. Odesa from A to Z, the official website of the Opera House, and the Encyclopedia of Ukrainian History.
