Odessa Travel Guide

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City Introduction

The Black Sea town of Odessa is also called the wonder of the South, and it is a unique meeting between Russian-Ukrainian culture and the French Mediterranean atmosphere. The relaxed atmosphere of the city with its many beautiful historic buildings, long and wide avenues and the location by the water makes a visit to Odessa a special experience. A walk along the famous Deribasovskaya street and a visit to the opera are just two of the many highlights.

Many stories are told of the poet Alexander Pushkin, who lived in Odessa in transition. Among other things, he should have planted a tree for every time he was captivated by one of the city’s beautiful women, which is perhaps why Odessa with trees everywhere today is perceived as a particularly green city in the central streets.

Among the many impressions of Odessa, the city’s churches, monasteries and museums are something special. Two cathedrals and the beautiful Saint Pantaleon Monastery are fine sights such as the city’s archaeological museum and museums for example, shipping and art.

Around the city there are many experiences. Boat trips on the Black Sea or a trip to the traces of past civilizations are good ideas if you can otherwise get yourself away from the Pearl of Catherine the Great, Odessa. The Transdniestr and Moldova neighboring areas are close to Odessa with hiking opportunities.

Top Attractions

Opera and Ballet Theater, Odessa

  • Opera and Ballet Theater/Театр Оперы и балета: Odessa’s opera and ballet theater is one of the city’s best-known and most beautiful buildings, and as Odessa’s oldest theater, it is one of the region’s cultural flagships.

Potemkin Stairs, Odessa

  • The Potemkin Stairs/Потëмкинская лестница : The Potemkim Stairs are Odessa’s landmarks and are the city’s formal and magnificent gateway from the harbor towards the higher-lying center. There are always people and city life going on here.
  • Transfiguration Cathedral/Спасо-Преображенський кафедральний собор: The Transfiguration Cathedral is Odessa’s most important Orthodox church. It was founded by Catherine the Great, it wanted a church dedicated to the transfiguration of Christ. Architecturally, the church is typically from contemporary Russia.

St Pantaleon Monastery, Odessa

  • St Pantaleon Monastery/Свято-Пантелеймоновский Монастырь: With its five silvered onion domes, Saint Pantaleon Monastery is one of the striking features of Odessa’s street scene. The monastery was founded in 1893, og it is today one of the most beautiful religious edifices in the city.

Other Attractions

Archaeological Museum, Odessa

  • Archaeological Museum/Одесский Археологический музей: At the Archaeological Museum you can see finds from Odessa and the area north of the Black Sea from prehistoric times to Greek colonization and the arrival of the slaves to modern times. The museum building itself is see-worthy as well.
  • Vorontsov’s Palace/Воронцовский дворец: The large and elegant Vorontsov’s Palace was built 1827-1830 by the architect Franz Boffo. It was erected as the residence of the Russian prince Mikhail Semjonovich Vorontsov.

Primorsky Boulevard, Odessa

  • Primorsky Boulevard/Приморский Бульвар: The beautiful Primorski Boulevard is located parallel to the Black Sea coast at the port of Odessa, and it is one of the city’s most popular promenades. From here you can also enjoy a nice view of the city’s harbor and port terminal.
  • Cathedral Square/Соборная пл.: Cathedral Square is one of the largest and most central places in Odessa. As the name suggests, the city’s cathedral is located here, but north of the church building is a large and almost park-like area where there is a statue of the former Governor General Mikhail Vorontsov.

Deribasovskaya Street, Odessa

  • Deribasovskaya ul./Дерибасовская ул.: In the large Russian-speaking area, Deribasovskaya is one of the most famous streets, and a stroll down the elegant and cozy street is a must during a visit to the city. Several of Odessa’s major sights can be seen along the street.
  • Passage/Пассаж: At the corner of two of the city’s main streets, Preobrazhenskaja ul. and Deribasovskaya ul., are the hotel and the Passage shopping arcade. The stately building was erected in the 1890s and the hotel was the city’s finest accommodation.

Uspensky Cathedral, Odessa

  • Ascension Cathedral/Успенский Кафедральный Собор: In the elegant Uspenski Cathedral you can see the virgin girl who is said to be Odessa’s protector. The church was built 1855-1869 and you can see a nicely decorated interior.
  • Shevchenko Park/Парке им. Т. Г. Шевченко: The large Shevchenko Park is one of Odessa’s many wonderful recreational areas. The park is beautifully set against the Black Sea, and here are several landmark monuments, old buildings and things to do.

Day Trips

Tiraspol, Transnistria Moldova

  • Tiraspol/Тирасполь: With its around 200,000 inhabitants, Tiraspol is the largest city and capital of Transnistria, which in 1990 declared itself an independent nation. There are various sights in Tiraspol such as the city government buildings, built in an impressive Soviet architectural style.
  • Belgorod-Dnestrovsky/Белгород-Днестровский: Belgorod-Dnestrovsky is one of Ukraine’s most beautiful historical cities. In the 500s, travelers from the Greek Miletus founded the colony of Tyras/Τύρας at the present location of the city.

Cathedral, Chisinau Moldova

  • Chişinău: Chişinău is the capital of the Republic of Moldova and with about 600,000, by far the largest city in the country. The city was founded in 1438 as a monastic town, and in the 16th century it became part of the Ottoman Empire as the other Moldovan area. In 1812 it became part of the Russian Empire; back then it was just a small town.
  • Izmail/Измаил : Izmail is located on the northern bank of the Danube River overlooking Romania on the other bank. Izmail is the largest Ukrainian port city along the river and is thus the regional center.

Shopping

  • Fozzy , ul. Balkovskaya 88 / ул. Балковская 88
  • Passage / Пассаж , Deribasovskaya ul./Дерибасовская ул.
  • TSUM / ЦУМ , Pushkinskaya 72 / ул. Пушкинская 72
  • 7km Market / Промрынок 7ой километр , www.7km.net
  • Privoz Market / Рынок Привоз , Privoznaja ul. 14 / Привозная ул. 14,  www.odessaprivoz.narod.ru
  • Shopping streets : Deribasovskaya ul./Дерибасовская ул., Pushkinskaya / ул. Пушкинская

With Kids

  • Circus : Tsirk / Цирк, ul. Koblevskaja 25 / ул. Коблевская 25, www.odessa-cirkus.narod.ru
  • Puppet Theater : Odeskij Oblastnoj Theater Kukol / Одесский Областной театр кукол, ul. Pasta 15 / ул. Пастера 15, www.puppets.odessa.net
  • Clowns : Dom Klounov / Дом Клоунов, ul. Olgievskaya 23 / ул. Ольгиевская 23
  • Dolphinarium : Doleminar & Oceanarium Nemo / Дельфинарий & Океанариум Немо, Pljazh Lanzheron 25 / пляж Ланжерон 25, www.delfinariy.od.ua
  • Beaches : Pirogovskaya / Пироговская
  • Water park : Akvapark Posejdon / Аквапарк Посейдон, Tjabanka, Chernomorskoe / Чабанка, Черноморское
  • Youth Theater : Theater Junogo eritelja / Театр Юного зрителя, ul. Greece 50 / ул. Греческая 50
  • Zoo : Odeskij Zoopark / Одесский Зоопарк, ul. Novosjtepnoj Rjad / ул. Новощепной Ряд 25

Practical Links

  • Fozzy , ul. Balkovskaya 88 / ул. Балковская 88
  • Passage / Пассаж , Deribasovskaya ul./Дерибасовская ул.
  • TSUM / ЦУМ , Pushkinskaya 72 / ул. Пушкинская 72
  • 7km Market / Промрынок 7ой километр , www.7km.net
  • Privoz Market / Рынок Привоз , Privoznaja ul. 14 / Привозная ул. 14,  www.odessaprivoz.narod.ru
  • Shopping streets : Deribasovskaya ul./Дерибасовская ул., Pushkinskaya / ул. Пушкинская

City History

Prehistory
The area around present-day Odessa has been inhabited for millennia, and the local peoples are mentioned, among others, in Homer’s Odyssey. In the centuries before the birth of Christ, Greeks settled in the region, and remains of these colonies have been found in today’s urban center around, among others, Primorski Boulevard.

Over the next millennium, many tribes came to the area that belonged to the Roman Empire. Goths and females were other folk that characterized the troubled and politically unstable time.

The Mongol era
In 1237, Mongol armies led by Batu Khan arrived, and within a two-year period the Mongol hordes had overcome the ruling Polovtsians. The forerunner to Odessa, Hacıbey, was founded in 1240 under the Crimean Tatar Hacı I Giray.

The Mongols’ rule was weakened in the early 1300s, and the Crimean Tatars increased their trade in the territory that had come under the rule of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. At that time, the sparse urban settlement was called Chadžibėjus. Under Prince Vitovt, the Lithuanians built a fort that was the precursor to the later Khadjibej fortification of the Turks.

Support for settlers
Turkish armies are believed to have conquered the region northwest of the Black Sea from about 1480, and they came together with the created Crimean Khanates to dominate for centuries. In the sparsely inhabited area, the Turkish government tried to populate through subsidies to settlers. This led to an immigration of Turks, but also Russians, Ukrainians and Moldavians.

In 1765, the Turks expanded the Khadjibej fort as part of growing tensions between Russia and the Turkish Ottoman Empire. The fort was now named Eni-Dunya, meaning the New World.

Russia’s expansion
The Russo-Turkish war began in 1769. Despite repeated military victories, the Russians were unable to occupy the fort and thereby the city until 1774. Khadjibej, which housed about 200 inhabitants, fell into Turkish hands again until 1789, when Russia once again conquered the fort. and the city, which in 1791 officially became part of the Russian Empire.

Odessa is founded
The new city, Odessa, was founded in 1794 at the decision of Catherine the Great, whose army had victoriously conquered the land towards the Black Sea. Shortly after the city’s establishment, more than 2,000 inhabitants lived here.

The city’s growth over the next hundred years was virtually without anywhere else in Europe. Commercial roads had crossed the site for millennia, so success was given in advance and major construction work was initiated.

In a few years the population had risen to 9,000, and in 1803 the French Duke became Richelieu Odessa’s first governor, and it was to be the start of the city’s golden age of growth and prosperity. Quickly, Odessa came to be called the Wonder of the South, whose northern counterpart is Saint Petersburg. The city became one of the most important cities of the empire with its harbor and its positive development.

Thriving culture and commerce
With its progressive laws, Odessa was a sanctuary in Russia that attracted many creative thinking people, and it created almost constant momentum through initiatives in, among others, architecture, commerce, research and culture. Compared to other Russian cities, Odessa was highly integrated with Europe, and this can be seen in the very European-inspired architectural art that exists today. One of the cultural figures of the time, Alexander Pushkin, spent a year in Odessa, which he greatly appreciated.

The Crimean War and Continued Growth
The constant growth of the city was temporarily halted with the Crimean War in 1853-1856. The British warship The Tiger attacked the city in 1854, but Odessa resisted and overcame the attack. The Tiger was lost near a cannon that can be seen in the city today.

After the Crimean War, Odessa’s growth continued, and the city was, among other things, a significant trade center. In the 1860s, the railway came to the city, which was linked to both Kiev, Kharkov and Iasi.

Odessa in the 1900s
During the revolutionary mood of 1905, the legendary cruiser Potemkin sailed into Odessa’s port under the communist red tab. The event was later immortalized through Sergei Eisenstein’s film of the same name as the ship.

After the Russian Revolution in 1917, Odessa was captured by both French and Englishmen as well as by the white and red Russian army. In 1920, Odessa was finally captured by the Communist Red Army, and the city later became part of the Ukrainian Soviet Republic.

During World War II, Odessa’s people fought long and courageously against the attacking forces, and after the end of the war, Odessa was made a Soviet hero city for its great efforts and significant losses.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Odessa grew rapidly with many new residential areas and a large influx of large parts of the Soviet Union. As throughout its history, the city also grew here because of its favorable commercial location, and now the lovely climate of the Black Sea also attracted more and more tourists.

Today’s Odessa
Today, Odessa is Ukraine’s largest port city and is home to more than a million inhabitants and an architecture and atmosphere that is nowhere else in the former great Russian empire.

Geolocation

In short

Overview of Odessa

The Black Sea town of Odessa is also called the wonder of the South, and it is a unique meeting between Russian-Ukrainian culture and the French Mediterranean atmosphere. The relaxed atmosphere of the city with its many beautiful historic buildings, long and wide avenues and the location by the water makes a visit to Odessa a special experience. A walk along the famous Deribasovskaya street and a visit to the opera are just two of the many highlights.

Many stories are told of the poet Alexander Pushkin, who lived in Odessa in transition. Among other things, he should have planted a tree for every time he was captivated by one of the city’s beautiful women, which is perhaps why Odessa with trees everywhere today is perceived as a particularly green city in the central streets.

 

About the travel guide to Odessa
Number of trips: 4 tours in the city + tours in the surrounding
Pages: 32
Published: 2019
Author: Stig Albeck
Publisher: Vamados.dk
Language: Danish
ISBN: 978-87-93491-06-9

 

About the travel guide The travel
guide to Odessa gives you an overview of the sights and experiences of the Ukrainian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and buy a travel guide with tour suggestions and descriptions of all the city’s major churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.

 

Odessa is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.

 

Read more about Odessa and Ukraine

Buy the travel guide
Click the “Put in cart” button to buy the travel guide. You will then be taken to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. After completing the wizard payment, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the wizard immediately or use the download link in the email later.

 

Use the travel guide
When you buy the travel guide to Odessa, you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.

Beautiful Churches • The Opera • Primorsky • Deribasovskaya • Potemkin Stairs

Overview of Odessa

The Black Sea town of Odessa is also called the wonder of the South, and it is a unique meeting between Russian-Ukrainian culture and the French Mediterranean atmosphere. The relaxed atmosphere of the city with its many beautiful historic buildings, long and wide avenues and the location by the water makes a visit to Odessa a special experience. A walk along the famous Deribasovskaya street and a visit to the opera are just two of the many highlights.

Many stories are told of the poet Alexander Pushkin, who lived in Odessa in transition. Among other things, he should have planted a tree for every time he was captivated by one of the city’s beautiful women, which is perhaps why Odessa with trees everywhere today is perceived as a particularly green city in the central streets.

 

About the travel guide to Odessa
Number of trips: 4 tours in the city + tours in the surrounding
Pages: 32
Published: 2019
Author: Stig Albeck
Publisher: Vamados.dk
Language: Danish
ISBN: 978-87-93491-06-9

 

About the travel guide The travel
guide to Odessa gives you an overview of the sights and experiences of the Ukrainian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and buy a travel guide with tour suggestions and descriptions of all the city’s major churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.

 

Odessa is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.

 

Read more about Odessa and Ukraine

Buy the travel guide
Click the “Put in cart” button to buy the travel guide. You will then be taken to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. After completing the wizard payment, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the wizard immediately or use the download link in the email later.

 

Use the travel guide
When you buy the travel guide to Odessa, you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.

Other Attractions

Archaeological Museum, Odessa

  • Archaeological Museum/Одесский Археологический музей: At the Archaeological Museum you can see finds from Odessa and the area north of the Black Sea from prehistoric times to Greek colonization and the arrival of the slaves to modern times. The museum building itself is see-worthy as well.
  • Vorontsov’s Palace/Воронцовский дворец: The large and elegant Vorontsov’s Palace was built 1827-1830 by the architect Franz Boffo. It was erected as the residence of the Russian prince Mikhail Semjonovich Vorontsov.

Primorsky Boulevard, Odessa

  • Primorsky Boulevard/Приморский Бульвар: The beautiful Primorski Boulevard is located parallel to the Black Sea coast at the port of Odessa, and it is one of the city’s most popular promenades. From here you can also enjoy a nice view of the city’s harbor and port terminal.
  • Cathedral Square/Соборная пл.: Cathedral Square is one of the largest and most central places in Odessa. As the name suggests, the city’s cathedral is located here, but north of the church building is a large and almost park-like area where there is a statue of the former Governor General Mikhail Vorontsov.

Deribasovskaya Street, Odessa

  • Deribasovskaya ul./Дерибасовская ул.: In the large Russian-speaking area, Deribasovskaya is one of the most famous streets, and a stroll down the elegant and cozy street is a must during a visit to the city. Several of Odessa’s major sights can be seen along the street.
  • Passage/Пассаж: At the corner of two of the city’s main streets, Preobrazhenskaja ul. and Deribasovskaya ul., are the hotel and the Passage shopping arcade. The stately building was erected in the 1890s and the hotel was the city’s finest accommodation.

Uspensky Cathedral, Odessa

  • Ascension Cathedral/Успенский Кафедральный Собор: In the elegant Uspenski Cathedral you can see the virgin girl who is said to be Odessa’s protector. The church was built 1855-1869 and you can see a nicely decorated interior.
  • Shevchenko Park/Парке им. Т. Г. Шевченко: The large Shevchenko Park is one of Odessa’s many wonderful recreational areas. The park is beautifully set against the Black Sea, and here are several landmark monuments, old buildings and things to do.

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