Attractions of Odesa district

Odesa Port Museum named after Frants de Volan was founded in 1990 on the initiative of the port worker and collector Mykola Hlib-Koshansky, and was opened for the 200th anniversary of Odesa.

The museum is located in the ancient building of the barge - a night house for port loaders.

The exhibition is based on a unique collection of documents dedicated to the history of the construction and development of the Odesa seaport, founded in 1796 according to the plans of the Dutch engineer Frants de Volan. In particular, de Voland's plans for the development of the city and the harbor are presented.

There is also an exhibition of the naval museum, which was previously located in the building of the Odesa Sea Station. The pride of the museum is several hundred ship models.

Excursions are conducted with a visit to the museum and the port.

The Odesa Regional Philharmonic is located in a massive gray building built in 1899 according to a sketch project by the Viennese architect Vikentiy Prohaska, redesigned by the outstanding Italian architect Oleksandr Bernardatstsi in the style of Italian Gothic with elements of the Renaissance.

It was originally built as the New Merchant Exchange. The acoustics of her hall were planned in such a way that the merchants who traded on the stock exchange could not overhear each other's conversations. In 1949, the building of the New Exchange was rebuilt for the Philharmonic, however, according to Odesa residents, the acoustics in it are still bad.

The wooden ceiling of the hall is made without a single nail from Lebanese cedar, gilded and painted. The walls of the hall are decorated with 6 panels by the artist Mykola Karazin.

The Oleksandr Pushkin Literary Memorial Museum was opened in the building of the former Hotel du Nord, where the poet lived for a month during a visit to Odesa in 1823.

In Odesa he created the poem "Gypsies", completed the poem "Bakhchysaray fontan", wrote thirty lyric poems and two and a half chapters of the novel "Yevheniy Onyehin".

The exhibition presents engravings of Pushkin's Odesa, portraits of the poet's contemporaries, his drawings, rare lifetime publications.

The Museum of History and Local Lore of the Ovidiopol Village Council was founded in 1980.

The exposition covers the history of the region from ancient times. In particular, the archeological collection includes fragments of stucco ware, stone axes and graters, fishing sinkers, bones of animals and fish, as well as unique finds from the excavations of the Adzhyder fortress in Ovidiopol: Chios amphora, red clay pottery crater, two amphorae, two amphorae and a coin of Philip II (father of Oleksandr Makedonsky).

In the hall "Ukrainian room" are collected household items that in ancient times were in every Ukrainian home. The new exposition "Treasures from the attic" presents antiques donated to the museum by citizens.

Hotel "Passage" on Deribasivska Street is one of the most beautiful buildings in Odesa, which impresses with the sophistication of its architecture and sculptural compositions (architect Lev Vlodek).

From the beginning, it was designed as a hotel and shopping center. In the courtyard there is a whole street with rows of high-end shops. The high glass roof above the gallery adds to the sense of vastness and brings light into the building.

It remains one of the few hotels in the historic center where you can stay relatively inexpensively.

Arboretum Peremohy (Victory) in the resort district of Odesa Arkadiya was founded in 1960. It occupies an area of 55 hectares.

More than 500 species of trees and shrubs, including heat-loving exotics, have been planted in the park. On Druzhba Avenue, trees were planted by cosmonauts Valeriy Bykovsky, Heorhiy Shonin, and members of hero city delegations. There is a system of artificial ponds with fountains.

Many scenes of the film "Adventures of Electronics" were filmed here.

Peremohy Park is considered one of the best in Odesa, especially after the recent reconstruction.

Prymorskyi Boulevard is one of the most beautiful streets of Odesa, a favorite place for walks by citizens and tourists.

Planted with hundred-year-old sycamores, chestnuts, maples and lindens, the pedestrian boulevard runs over the cliff parallel to the seashore.

Among a number of buildings in the style of classicism and early Italian renaissance, which form the main sea facade of Odesa, a special place is occupied by the "Londonsky" hotel, where many celebrities stayed.

The main decoration of Prymorskyi Boulevard is the Potemkinskyi (Prymorskyi) stairs (1841) in 192 steps, which descend to the Maritime Terminal (the funicular operates nearby). Above the stairs is a monument to the most famous Odesa mayor, Arman de Rishelye (Dyuk).

Fragments of an ancient settlement of the V-III centuries BC were discovered on the boulevard, and a glass pavilion was built over the archaeological site.

The famous Odesa Pryvoz is a colorful market where "you can buy everything", one of the symbols of Odesa.

Built in the first half of the 19th century on Pryvozna Square as a branch of the Old Market, Pryvoz was originally intended for trade "from wheels", i.e. from carts (voz). Capital buildings appeared only at the end of the 19th century, and Pryvoz gradually became the main market of Odesa. It was considered one of the largest markets in Europe.

In recent years, a modern complex "Novy Pryvoz" was built nearby, which offered merchants well-equipped shopping areas.

A monument to Aunt Sonya, the heroine of Odesa folklore, was opened.

Tourists are especially recommended to visit the fish rows in the old part of the market, which preserve the Odesa flavor of trade.

The Saint Archangel Michael Church in Odesa was founded in 1828.

After the completion of construction in 1833, the church had two side altars: in the name of the Holy Prophet Ilya and in the name of the icon of the Mother of God Feodorivska.

In 1841, a 3rd-class monastery was founded at the church. The construction of the monastery was carried out with the assistance of Odesa merchants. An asylum for round orphans of the spiritual rank was opened at the monastery, later transformed into the Diocesan Women's School. Since then, the monastery has become a center of charity, charity and spirituality, and later became famous for its icon painting and sewing of robes.

In 1923, the monastery was closed, and in 1931, the Archangel Michael Cathedral and the bell tower were blown up. The monastery premises were transferred to the Higher Agricultural School. During the Romanian occupation, in 1942, the monastery was reopened and it remained active for almost 20 years.

The revival of the Archangel Michael monastery began in 1991. A monastery shelter was erected on the territory - a modern building of the House of Mercy, a chapel was built, and the "Christian Odesa" museum was opened.

Subordinate to the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Church of Saint. Barbara in Dobroslav (formerly Antonovo-Kodyntseve) was founded in 1818 by the landowner Captain Kolmohorov.

The temple was stone, with one throne. In 1862, a parish school was opened with him.

During Soviet times, the church was destroyed. In 1995, the construction of the new Saint Barbara Church began on the former site, according to the project of the architect Oleksandr Malakhovskyi. In 2002, during the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the founding of the village of Dobroslav, the revival of the church of Saint Barbara was consecrated.

Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Ovidiopol was built in 1823.

It is known that even in Turkish times there was a Cathedral Orthodox Church of Nicholas the Wonderworker here. After the founding of Ovidiopol and the construction of the harbor, a new Nicholas Church was built next to the port, but it soon burned down.

The current Saint Nicholas Cathedral in the style of classicism was built on the same place. The Orthodox Water Rescue Society operated for him. Restoration has been carried out in recent years.

The Saint Panteleymon monastery is the largest in Odesa. It was created in 1995 on the site of the Athos courtyard, which was founded in Odesa by Greek monks from Athos in 1876 to receive pilgrims who came from Odesa to worship holy places.

Built from stone mined on Mount Athos and brought to Odesa. The five domes of the monastery, unusual moldings and mosaics on the walls reflect a mixture of various architectural movements of the 19th century.

The Saint Panteleymon Cathedral is located on the third floor, representing the holy Mount Athos.

The Port of Odesa is one of the largest seaports in Eastern Europe, and was the largest in the Russian Empire. The construction of a new port at the Khadzhibey fortress, which was captured by Russian troops, started the city. Completely reconstructed in 1968.

In front of the building of the sea station, a sculpture of Ernst Unknown "The Golden Child" was installed, on the pier there is a monument to the sailor's wife. The tower of the high-rise "Odesa" hotel (2001) rises above the naval station. At the end of the pier - the church of Saint Nicholas, a new yacht club. On the territory there is a museum of open-air anchors.

The neo-Gothic building on a steep slope at the very beginning of Hoholya Street is called the Shah Palace in Odesa, because it was once rented by the Persian Shah.

The palace was built in 1851-1852 according to the project of the architect Feliks Gonsorovsky for the Polish nobleman Zenona Bzhozovsky, and the last owner was Count Yosyp Shenbek. Part of the premises was rented out.

From 1909 to 1917, the Persian Shah Mohammad Ali, who fled to Odesa from the revolution in Iran, lived in the palace. According to legend, with the beginning of the revolution in Russia, he also left the country, this time abandoning his harem.

During Soviet times, the "Shah Palace" housed the House of Folk Art. For some time, the restored building was occupied by the main office of the Maritime Transport Bank. Currently - the office of the transfer company "Eximnaftoprodukt".

The Transfiguration Cathedral is the main Orthodox church of Odesa, rebuilt from scratch in 2002 after it was blown up in 1936 by the decision of the Soviet authorities.

Contemporaries were impressed by the magnificence of the interior of the temple. After the reconstruction in 1903, the Transfiguration Cathedral was one of the largest churches in the Russian Empire and could accommodate up to 9,000 people. Its dimensions in plan were 90 by 45 meters, and the height of the belfry was 72 meters.

In 2005, the remains of the governor-general of the Novorossiya region Prince Mykhaylo Vorontsov and his wife were reburied in the restored church.

On the night of July 23, 2023, Russia launched a massive missile attack on the historic center of Odesa, as a result of which the Savior and Transfiguration Cathedral suffered significant destruction. A Russian rocket hit the central altar, as a result of which the cathedral building was partially destroyed, the three lower floors were covered, the interior decoration and icons were significantly damaged, and the service premises of the lower part of the cathedral were completely destroyed.