 Having visited Odessa and experienced the sights sounds and smells, upon leaving, part of Odessa remains in one’s heart, hoping to soon return to this beautiful city on the shores of the Black Sea.
Odessa, a port city was founded in 1794 by the empress Katherine II when she decreed that a seaport is necessary for expansion of trade with Europe, a window to Europe. Today the population exceeds 1,100,000 and is a major industrial, cultural, transportation, scientific and resort center. A substantial part of Odessa’s commerce evolves around its port. Sugar, grain, coal, oil, cement, metals and wood are among goods being shipped to and from its port. Odessa is an open society, tolerant of religion, Mosques, Churches and Synagogues are found all over the city. Odessa is a melting pot of diverse cultures and nationalities. As the city developed, its importance was further enhanced with the building of a railroad in the mid-19th century, linking Kiev, Kharkov and Jassy a city in Romania. It was a city of cultural and national movements, a center of Jewish culture, the labor movement and social democracy. Having fought heroically, the city fell to German forces in 1941. Many buildings were destroyed and approximately 25,000 civilians were killed, many of them Jews. The Soviet Army did not liberate Odessa until 1944.  Monasteries such as Yspenky Monastery founded in 1824, today houses and trains 700 seminaries. The Church of Sacred Maria Magdalena was refurbished and opened again in 1998. Its many museums such as The Museum of Archeology housing 170,000 artifacts, The Sea Museum, The Art Museum, located in Pototsky’s ancient palace housing a magnificent collection of paintings and sculptures of old Russian icons, The Museum of Western and Eastern Art, exhibiting paintings of many international painters, The Literary Museum designed by L.K. Ottona.
It is also a city of many contrasts; modern structures are sprouting among old buildings. Architectural diversity is apparent in the city, from Art Nouveau and classical to ultra-modern buildings, from historical buildings and monuments. One of the most recognized landmarks is the Potemkin stairs. These stairs link Prymorsky Boulevard with the seaport, numbering 192 stairs. They were built to the1825 design of a well renowned architect from St. Petersburg, Avraam Melnikov and F.K. Boffo, and were constructed between 1837 and 1841. In 1925 these steps gained international recognition with the release of Sergey Einenstein’s film “Battleship Potemkin”.  Culture is found throughout Odessa, its Opera house, a magnificent building home to opera and ballet, is considered to rank among the top venues in the world, surpassed maybe only by La Scala.
The supervising Austrian architects, Felner and Gelmer created a building in which some of the most famous and world renowned voices have performed. Odessa’s symphony, its humorists, its jazz and much more make Odessa a cultural oasis.
 Alexander Pushkin made Odessa his home for one year and it was a prolific year in which he wrote “The fountain of Bakhchisaray” and two chapters of “Eugene Onegin”. Odessa paid homage to Pushkin by naming a main street after him and erecting a prominently displayed bust of Pushkin.
Odessa is a city that is alive and active; its downtown streets such as Deribasovskaya with many restaurants, coffee houses and shops, not allowing cars, is always crowded with people, restaurants are thriving; Ekaterinskaya Street, bordered on both sides with old majestic chestnut trees, fashionable stores and residential dwellings co-exist; many spas and rest-havens are a favorite destination for locals as well as tourists, and the beaches in Odessa act as a magnet to many 100s of thousand tourists every year.
This article was submitted by a former employee and Natasha Stepanova.
(Photos from top: Ptomkin Steps, The Red Hotel,
The World Famous Opera House, Alexander Pushkin)
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