Go to Odessa » Attractions

Visit the Odessa State Academical Opera and Ballet Theater

www.gotoodessa.com — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 20:00:19 +0000

Odessa is a city of elegance, nowhere does this shine through clearer than at the Odessa State Academical Opera and Ballet Theater. The true beauty of the structure is clearly evident from the inside out, with crowing achievements in dance and performance taking place beneath the ornately designed treasure of old world architecture. Construction began in 1884, completed over the course of 3 years, following the design of Austrian architects Ferdinand Fellner and Herman Helmer, occupying the same grounds an even older theater that had succumbed to fire just 11 years prior. Today’s Theater offers the timeless classic feel of yesterday with up to date renovations, having undergone both exterior and interior repairs and refurbishing from 2003 to 2005.

Though most shows start at 7 pm, a daytime trip to theater gives attendees the chance to survey to lovely gardens that accent the theater’s curb appeal. Consider arriving early simply to marvel at the architecture before focusing your attention to the stage for an equally breathtaking experience. Lines may be long as the attraction is in high demand from tourists and locals alike. Ballets are generally more popular than operas in terms of attendance, so plan accordingly. Tickets are generally available for under 20 American, going down from there depending on availability and seat location. The main entrance to Odessa State Academical Opera and Ballet Theater is located on Lanzheronovskaya Street, next to the Palais Royal Garden, the Teatralnaya and the Maritime Museum.

Potemkin Stairs

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:37:04 +0000

Among Odessa’s most iconic images is the Potemkin Stairs, a giant stairway that has come to be most recognizable emblem of the city. Known as the Boulevard Steps, the Giant Staircase and the Richelieu Steps throughout various times in the city’s history, the Potemkin Stairs date back to 1825, when the first 200 stairs were originally designed. In the years spanning from 1837 to 1841, the staircase was expanded to more closely resemble the colossal stairway that still stands today.Serving as a formal entrance into the city of Odessa from the from the Black Sea, the stairs scale 27 meters high, extending for 142 meters. To the human eye, the stairs actually appear vary in appearance. In their innovative planning, the Potemkin Stairs were designed to create an optical illusion. From the stairs bottom the large flat landings are not visible, giving off the impression of a steady rise of uninterrupted stairs. From the top down, onlookers can only see a series of landings, as the stairs disappear into the structure. The top step measures at 12.5 meters wide, while the bottom step spans 21.7 meters. From the top this creates the impression the stairs are shorter than in reality, while from the bottom they seem to continue upward much longer than they actually do.The Potemkin Stairs first graced the public eye in Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein’s epic silent film, The Battleship Potemkin, showing soldiers open fire on a crowd at the stairs on June 14, 1905. The massacre portrayed on the silver screen is actually a fictionalized version of history. Eisenstein chose to recreate the city’s true account of a more sprawling outbreak of violence and consolidate it on the Potemkin Stairs as a symbolic representation of Odessa’s suffering. So famous is the scene in movie history, many historians mistakenly cite the massacre on the Potemkin Stairs as a true historic event, oblivious to the creative liberty Eisenstein took when depicting the actual bloodshed.

Odessa Catacombs

www.gotoodessa.com — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:33:48 +0000

For tourists looking to get beyond a mere surface scratching tour of Odessa and delve deep into the heart of the city’s history, the Odessa Catacombs offer a unique chance to do just that. Stretching for an estimated 2,500 kilometers beneath the city’s streets, the catacombs are the remains of 19^th century stone mines that served the city and the surrounding region of the Ukraine. The numerous limestone homes and buildings that have become of staple of Odessa’s classic architecture trace their roots to just below the ground on which they stand.Once stone mining was banned and the mines were shut down after the Russian Revolution of 1917, the catacombs still continued to play a large part in Odessa’s cultural heritage. During World War II the catacombs served as hiding places for resistance groups struggling against fascist invasion at the hands of the Axis powers. Ukraine’s western proximity to the European mainland forced the country into an unfortunate position serving as a buffer zone between clashing Nazi and Soviet forces. With Odessa representing one of the country’s most developed and valuable areas, it soon became a focal point of the power struggle. The miles upon miles of hidden pathway provided by the city’s catacombs allowed for undetected mobility and unmonitored coordination as Soviet partisans waged a guerilla war against German occupation.The heroic efforts of resistance groups have been canonized in “The Museum of Partisan Glory,” just outside of Odessa’s border in the town of Nerubayskoye. The museum represents the only officially sanctioned public access to the area’s catacombs. While only a small portion of Odessa’s extensive labyrinth of tunnels has been opened to the general public, hundreds of adventurers and thrill seekers still roam the underground despite the inherent risks and dangers. Odessa’s catacombs have not been fully mapped and many stretches have fallen into disrepair, now far too dangerous for the average traveler’s passage. Though most extreme tourists may indeed survive to marvel at the complex subterranean structure, it is highly recommended that casual visitors stick to the safe and sanctioned portion of the historic catacombs.