The city of Odessa (often called "The Pearl of the Black Sea" or "Southern Palmira") is situated on the coast of The Black Sea, on terraced hills overlooking a small harbor. Though there was a settlement in 1240, its atmost development had begun in XIX century, owed much to the work of the Duc de Richelieu, who served as the city's governor between 1803–1814. He is considered one of the fathers of the city, together with another Frenchman - Louis de Langeron, who succeeded him in the office. Being a free port, Odessa welcomed representatives and traders of different nationalities, therefore so many "ethnic"-named streets are here e.g., Frantsuszkiy (French) and Italianskiy (Italian) Boulevards, Grecheskaya (Greek), Evreyskaya (Jewish), Arnautskaya (Albanian) Streets). Its cosmopolitan nature was documented by the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin... Herewith we present you with the most valuable and prominent attractions in Odessa.
Opera and Ballet Theatre. Odessa citizens cannot imagine their city without it as well as without the sea, Derybasivska and Privoz. Magnificent Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater is once echoed with concerts conducted by Peter Tchaikovsky, operas sang by Shalyapin, Karuzo, Sobinov and ballets featuring Anna Pavlova. The interior of this impressive building, which ranks in grandeur with Milan's La Scala and Viennese Opera, is richly decorated in Viennese "baroque" style on the outside with sculptures of Melpomena - muse of Art, muses of Tragedy and Comedy, sculptural groups, depicting scenes from Greek tragedies, as well as busts of famous writers and composers - Pushkin, Gogol, Glinka, Griboedov, and exquisite inside decor in the style of the Italian Renaissance and French rococo with fine gilt, all this combined with the red velvet of the seats and boxes — all this tends to create a special atmosphere. Due to its excuisite acoustics, even a whisper from the stage can be heard distinctly in any corner of the hall! Newly restored and renovated, the theatre was opened in 2007.
Potiomkin (Primorsky) Stairs The stairs are considered a formal entrance into the city from the direction of the sea and are the best known symbol of Odessa. The stairs were designed to create an optical illusion. A person looking down the stairs sees only the landings, and the steps are invisible, but a person looking up sees only steps, and the landings are invisible. A secondary illusion creates false perspective since the stairs are wider at the bottom than at the top - looking up the stairs makes them seem longer than they are and looking down the stairs makes them seem not so long. The steps were made famous in Sergey Eisenstein's 1925 silent film The Battleship Potiomkin. At the top of the stairs is a monument depicting Duc de Richelieu - a Roman-toga figure was designed by the Russian sculptor Ivan Martos and unveiled in 1826. That was the first monument in Odessa.
Prymorsky Bulvar It is located near Potimkin Stairs and its wide cobblestone pavement and wonderful park have made up great view and picturesque decoration for a lot of movies which have been shot in Odessa.
City Hall The building itself was built in 1829 by a well-known in Odessa architect Boffo and it was used as the first Odessa commodity exchange. Later on it was transferred into a city hall, which was the base of military and revolutionary actions during 1917-1918. In front of the building there is a monument to Aleksander Pushkin - prominent Russian poet, who stayed in Odessa for more than a year and was charmed by the city.
Archeological Museum and Laokoon's sculpture Just behind the City Hall you will find Laokoon sculpture ensemble in front of Archeological Museum. Laokoon was a Greek pagan priest. He didn't please the sea god Poseidon who sent snakes upon him and his sons... There's the sculpture of Laokoon in Vatican. Odessa sculpture is its copy. The museum is one of the oldest - it was founded in 1825 and later moved to a specially designed facility in 1883. An impressive exhibit of the Tripolye, Chernyakhovo and other ancient Ukrainian cultures is on hand. The most popular displays are the ancient sarcophaguses and the rich collections of jewellery and other precious artefacts, some of which date back to 1000 B.C. The ensemble of the Egyptian antiquities is the third largest in the former Soviet Union.
Derybasivska Street It is a pedestrian walkway in the heart of Odessa. The street is named after Jose De Ribas, who helped build the city, and who lived on the street. Next to the street is Odessa's first park, which was built shortly after the foundation of the city in 1803 by the De Ribas brothers, Joseph and Felix. This park has a fountain, bandstand, and several monuments, including a sculpture of a lion and lioness with her cubs, a chair commemorating the famous book "The Twelve Chairs", two monuments to Leonid Utiosov (a sculpture and also a phone which plays his music), and a monument to Sergiy Utochkin, a famous pilot. Deribasovskaya Street runs from near Polskaya Street up to the Preobrazhenskaya and Sadovaya, crossing Pushkinskaya, Rishelyevskaya, Yekaterininskaya, Gavannaya, and Vice-Admiral Zhukov's Lane and is full of restaurants, cafes and other entertainment places.
was fulfilled in the style of Vienna "baroque", ;which was the main in the European art from the end of the XVIth up to
the middle of the XVIIIth century. There is a sculptural group over the fromt, portraying one of the muse - a patroness of art- Melpomena. She is sitting in the chariot, harnessed by the four furious panthers, which were subdued her. A little bit lower there are sculptural groups from the ancient mythology subjects. At the bottom, near the central entrance, on the high pedestals, two sculptural groups are set up, personifying Comedy and Tragedy: on the left - a fragment from the tragedy by Evripid "Ippolit", on the right - an episode from the comedy by Aristophane: "The Birds". Along the pediment of the building in the bays of the upper сircle
the busts of the brilliant Russian art & literature creators. Pushkin, Glinka, Griboyedov, Gogol are placed. The most beautiful part of the building - is its hall. Its architecture is maintaines in "rococo" style.
Przewodnik po Odessie 
