POTEMKIN STAIRS

The Potemkin Stairs, located in Odesa, Ukraine, are a famous monumental staircase considered the city's iconic symbol and a masterpiece of urban architecture. Constructed between 1837 and 1841, the stairs were designed by Italian architect Francesco Boffo and engineers Avraam Melnikov and Pot’e. Initially named the "Boulevard Steps," they were later renamed the Potemkin Stairs after the 1905 mutiny on the Russian battleship Potemkin, a historic event that played a key role in the Russian Revolution of 1905.

The Potemkin Stairs are renowned for their optical illusion: from the top, only the landings are visible, creating the impression of a much shorter staircase. From the bottom, the steps appear to be an endless, ascending path. Originally, there were 200 steps, but today 192 remain after the lower sections were covered by road construction. The staircase descends from Primorsky Boulevard to the Odesa harbor and stretches for 142 meters with a vertical rise of 27 meters.

The Potemkin Stairs gained international fame due to Sergei Eisenstein's 1925 silent film "Battleship Potemkin," where a dramatized massacre on the steps became one of cinema's most iconic scenes. Today, the stairs serve as a popular tourist attraction, offering breathtaking views of the Odesa seaport and the Black Sea. The Potemkin Stairs symbolize the spirit of Odesa, combining artistic beauty, architectural ingenuity, and historical significance in one captivating structure.