Attractions of Odesa district

Saint Paul's Church in Odesa is the cathedral of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine, the main Protestant church of the city.

In 1824, the foundation of the church was laid according to the project of the architect Franchesko Boffo. The project turned out to be unsuccessful - the half-completed belfry and 10 columns on the front side soon fell. To complete the construction, other architects were involved, and in 1827 Saint Paul's Church was consecrated. It looked quite simple then, in a strict classical style, with a small tower above the altar part.

After the major reconstruction carried out in 1897 by the German architect Herman Shevrembrandt, the architecture and interior decoration changed a lot. Shevrembrandt gave the church features of the Gothic and Romanesque styles, based on the example of German churches. The 50-meter bell tower became the tallest building in Odesa at that time.

After the Second World War, Saint Paul's Church was used for decades as a sports hall and warehouse. In the 1990s, it was returned to the city's Lutheran community and restored.

The Sanzhiika lighthouse is sometimes called the "runaway lighthouse".

In this area of ​​the Black Sea, there are two underwater currents coming from the Bosphorus and Kerch, which poses a danger to passing ships. In 1792-1793, a decision was made to erect a watchtower here and appoint a garrison for duty. To warn ships of danger, sea flags were hung on the tower, and at night - signal lanterns, which became the prototype of a lighthouse.

In 1921, the capital building of the lighthouse was built, of which only a plaque remains today. In 1956, the current building of the Sanzhiika lighthouse was built. But since the sea was approaching the lighthouse tower about a meter a year due to the collapse of the coast, in 2010, without waiting for a critical situation, the lighthouse was moved 80 meters further from the shore.

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 "Starokonka" flea market in Odesa arose around the historic Starokinnyi bazaar, which was built back in 1832 for the trade of cattle and horses. It began to turn into a flea market from the mid-1930s.

Today, the Odesa flea market is spread over several blocks between Rozkydaylivska, Rizovska, Oleksandra Kutukaziya and Skisna streets. At "Starokonka" you can find antiques, household utensils, second-hand clothes, collectible coins, old books, various Soviet paraphernalia, etc.

The "Masks" theater in Odesa was opened in 2003 by the famous Odesa comedy troupe "Masks" in the premises of the former "Druzhba" cinema.

Performances of "Masks", based on the rich classical traditions of the Theater Del Arte, the Theater of the Absurd, comedians "Big Dumb", European clowning - are fireworks of fresh unbridled fantasy, embodied in the form of pantomime, choreography, drama, trick, where each actor develops his own unique image.

The theater has a "Masks" cinema, which shows the best arthouse and festival films every day. Creative parties and children's matinees take place in the art cafe "Mana-Mana Restaurant", the interior of which was created by the members of the "Masks Show" troupe.

A monument to the Black Sea Cossacks, who founded the city in 1789, was erected in the center of Biliaivka in 2008 to mark the 219th anniversary of the city.

Biliaivka emerged on the basis of several farms and was named Holovkivka in honor of the kosh court, colonel of the Black Sea Cossack army Anton Holovatiy.

The author of the monument is the famous Odesa sculptor Mykola Khudoliy.

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.

The Church of the Transfiguration in Velykodolynske is an architectural monument of local importance.

The history of the temple begins in the middle of the 19th century. At that time, the German colony of Gross Liebenthal was located on the territory of the village of Velykodolynske. The church building is the former Evangelical-Lutheran German Church in the name of the Apostle Peter. Its construction was started by German colonists in 1845, and in 1846 the church was consecrated. Kirkha was considered an architectural masterpiece. It had octagonal columns, inside was Engelmann's organ.

In 1993, the abandoned church was handed over to the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. As a result of the reconstruction, its appearance has completely changed. In particular, the dome was built and the bell tower was rebuilt.

The Museum of the Ukrainian Book opened in the center of Odesa in August 2021, to mark the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence, in the premises of the Mykhaylo Hrushevsky Regional Scientific Library.

The museum was created to preserve and popularize the best examples of Ukrainian book culture and include them in the world artistic context.

The museum's exposition includes copies of the originals of the Zborivsky Peace Treaty of 1649, the Hadyatsky Treaty of 1658, the Pereyaslavsky Articles of 1659, the Hlukhivsky Articles of 1669, the Kolomatsky Articles of 1687, and others.

On August 14, 2023, the Museum of the Ukrainian Book of the Odesa Universal Scientific Library named after Mykhaylo Hrushevsky was damaged as a result of a missile attack by the Russian army.

The Ukrainian Cossacks Development History Museum in Odesa was founded in 2006 by the Interregional Public Organization "Black Sea District. Zaporizhzhian Cossacks". The institution is located in a restored building of the 19th century in the central part of the city, on Peresyp.

In three halls on an area of 120 square meters, there is a permanent exhibition, which presents about 1,000 exhibits and various dioramas.

The "Ukrainian Cossacks Heroic" hall tells about the prerequisites for the emergence of Cossacks, the creation of Zaporizhzhian Sich, the liberation movements of the XVII-XVIII centuries, the destruction of Sich and the creation of the Black Sea Cossacks, the liberation of southern Ukraine from Turkish-Tatar influence, the role of Cossacks in the First and Second World Wars. The dioramas "Assault of the Turkish frigate by the Cossacks", "Settlement on Peresyp", "Assault on the Khadzhybey fortress", "Outpost on Shkodova Hill" are presented. The decoration of the exhibition is a copy of Illya Repin's painting "Zaporizhzhians writing a letter to the Turkish Sultan" by an unknown artist.

In the "Cossack life and works of art" hall, typical Cossack clothing, crockery of the 18th-19th centuries, ancient icons, as well as the works of the sculptor Petro Kravchenko are exhibited. The "Ukrainian room of the 19th Century" hall recreates the life of Ukrainian peasants and displays everyday items, including a collection of embroidered and home-woven towels and shirts from more than a century ago.

Museum employees organize tours of Cossack sites in Odesa, as well as thematic tourist and excursion programs with master classes.

The world-famous artist Valeriy Syrov has been living and working in Biliaivka, near Odesa, for many years.

Valeriy Syrov is a member of the Artists' Union, a participant in national and international exhibitions in Italy, Mexico, Japan and other countries. The master's works are kept in museums of Ukraine and private collections in Canada, Japan, the USA, and European countries. He works in various techniques, genres and styles: watercolor, graphics, monotype, painting, assemblage-collage, the author of a folklore series, where he painted the life of an entire town of fictional fairy-tale characters.

The artist is happy to welcome visitors to his studio and conducts master classes for them. Visitors to the studio have a unique opportunity to take a master class from the artist, discover their creative potential and learn "simple painting" in such techniques as watercolor and monotype.

The Palace of the Governor-General of the Novorossiya Region Mykhaylo Vorontsov in Odesa was built in 1827 in the Empire style according to the project and under the direction of the architect Frants Boffo.

The interiors of the palace, designed by the outstanding sculptor and painter Karl Scotti, are the best examples of the preserved interiors of Odesa from the empire era. Prince Vorontsov arranged elegant balls here.

In Soviet times, the premises were occupied by the Palace of Children and School Youth.

The belvedere colonnade on the embankment is considered one of the symbols of Odesa. In 1994, the "Day and Night" fountain by Mykhaylo Reva was installed nearby.

In May 2022, during the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Vorontsov Palace was damaged by Russian missile fire.

The Wax Figures Museum "Baba Utya" was founded by Oleksandr Pavlovsky in 1998 in the very center of Odesa, opposite the Opera House.

This is an analogue of the London Madame Tussauds Museum. Here you can see many celebrities made of wax. The first exhibits of the museum were wax copies of Yosyp de Ribas, Duke de Rishelye, Count Oleksandr Lanzheron. Over time, the collection was replenished with other figures, the exposition is constantly updated and expanded. Currently, the museum presents more than 60 wax figures thematically arranged and exhibited in separate halls.

The museum "Baba Utya" also has a reduced copy of the most famous street in Odessa - Derybasivska, as well as an art gallery. Excursions are held, during which visitors are introduced to all the figures of the museum and told about all the subtleties and secrets of creating wax figures. You can also try creating a figure yourself using wax.

Excavations at the site of the hillfort, which some researchers also associate with the 18th century Turkish fortress of Yeni-Dunya.

The hillfort is located near Cape Sychavskyi to the west of the mouth of the Tylihul estuary, near the Pivdenne city and the Koshary village.

According to one version, the Koshary settlement is much older, and it can be identified with the ancient city of Odesos, which gave its name to the present Odesa.