Editing Odesa (section)

== Cityscape ==
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[[File:Opera2011.jpg|thumb|The [[Baroque architecture#Rome and Southern Italy|Italian baroque]] facade of the [[Odesa Opera and Ballet Theatre|Odesa Opera and Ballet Theater]]. It was started with the important contribution of the [[Italians of Odesa]]]]

Many of Odesa's buildings have, rather uniquely for a Ukrainian city, been influenced by the Mediterranean style of classical architecture. This is particularly noticeable in buildings built by architects such as the [[Italians of Odesa|Italian of Odesa]] [[Francesco Boffo]], who in the early 19th-century built a palace and colonnade for the Governor of Odesa, Prince Mikhail Vorontsov, the [[Odesa Fine Arts Museum|Potocki Palace]] and many other public buildings.

In 1887 one of the city's most well known architectural monuments was completed – the theatre, which still hosts a range of performances to this day; it is widely regarded as one of the world's finest opera houses. The first opera house was opened in 1810 and destroyed by fire in 1873. The modern building was constructed by [[Ferdinand Fellner|Fellner]] and [[Hermann Helmer|Helmer]] in [[Baroque Revival architecture|neo-baroque]]; its luxurious hall was built in the [[rococo]] style. It is said that thanks to its unique acoustics, even a whisper from the stage can be heard in any part of the hall. The theatre was projected along the lines of Dresden's [[Semperoper]] built in 1878, with its nontraditional foyer following the curvatures of the auditorium; the building's most recent renovation was completed in 2007.<ref>Buildings for Music, Michael Forsythe, Cambridge University Press, p. 344 {{ISBN|9780521268622}}</ref>

Odesa's most iconic symbol, the [[Potemkin Stairs]], is a vast staircase that conjures an illusion so that those at the top only see a series of large steps, while at the bottom all the steps appear to merge into one pyramid-shaped mass. The original 200 steps (now reduced to 192) were designed by Italian architect Francesco Boffo and built between 1837 and 1841. The steps were made famous by [[Sergei Eisenstein]] in his film, ''[[Battleship Potemkin]]''.

Most of the city's 19th-century houses were built of [[limestone]] mined nearby. Abandoned mines were later used and broadened by local [[smuggling|smugglers]]. This created a gigantic, complicated [[labyrinth]] of tunnels beneath Odesa, known as the [[Odesa catacombs]]. During World War II, the catacombs served as a hiding place for [[Partisan (military)|partisans]] and natural shelter for civilians, who were escaping airplane bombing.

[[Derybasivska Street]], an attractive pedestrian avenue named after [[José de Ribas]], the Neapolitan-born founder of Odesa and decorated Russian Navy Admiral from the Russo-Turkish War, is famous by its unique character and architecture.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}} During the summer it is common to find large crowds of people leisurely sitting and talking on the outdoor terraces of numerous cafés, bars and restaurants, or simply enjoying a walk along the cobblestone street, which is not open to vehicular traffic and is kept shaded by the linden trees which line its route.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.odessaapartments.dompavlov.com/content/deribasovskaya/ |access-date=26 December 2011 |url-status=dead |title=Deribasovskaya Street|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104105310/http://www.odessaapartments.dompavlov.com/content/deribasovskaya/ |archive-date=4 January 2012 }}</ref> A similar streetscape can also be found in that of Prymorsky Bulvar, a grand thoroughfare which runs along the edge of the plateau upon which the city is situated, and where many of the city's most imposing buildings are to be found.

As one of the biggest on the Black Sea, Odesa's port is busy all year round. The Odesa Seaport is located on an artificial stretch of the Black Sea coast, along with the north-western part of the Gulf of Odesa. The total shoreline length of Odesa's seaport is around {{convert|7.23|km|2|abbr=out}}. The port, which includes an oil refinery, container handling facility, passenger area and numerous areas for handling dry cargo, is lucky in that its work does not depend on seasonal weather; the harbour itself is defended from the elements by breakwaters. The port is able to handle up to 14 million tons of cargo and about 24 million tons of oil products annually, whilst its passenger terminals can cater for around 4 million passengers a year at full capacity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.odessaapartments.dompavlov.com/content/odessa-passage/ |access-date=26 December 2011 |url-status=dead |title=The Passage|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104104712/http://www.odessaapartments.dompavlov.com/content/odessa-passage/ |archive-date=4 January 2012 }}</ref>

As Odesa has been inhabited by peoples of different religions, it has a variety of religious buildings, such as the Orthodox [[Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa|Transfiguration Cathedral]], Catholic [[Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral, Odesa|Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral]], Lutheran St. Paul's Church, [[Brodsky Synagogue (Odesa)|Brodsky Synagogue]], and [[Al-Salam Mosque, Odesa|Al-Salam Mosque]]. There is also a number of historic cemeteries,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Головна |url=https://www.pomnim.od.ua/ |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=Місця скорботи Одеси}}</ref> including the Cossack [[Kuialnyk Cemetery]].

In late 2022 one of the city's former central landmarks, the [[monument to the founders of Odesa]] with its statue of [[Catherine the Great]], was dismantled and temporarily moved to the [[Odesa Fine Arts Museum]].<ref name="dismantlemonumentOdesa3624865">{{Cite web|title=Odesa deputies back decision to dismantle monument to Catherine II|url=https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-society/3624865-odesa-deputies-back-decision-to-dismantle-monument-to-catherine-ii.html|date=30 November 2022|access-date=30 November 2022|website=[[Ukrinform]]|language=English|archive-date=30 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130152755/https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-society/3624865-odesa-deputies-back-decision-to-dismantle-monument-to-catherine-ii.html|url-status=live}}<br>{{Cite web|title=Odesa City Council finally agreed to demolish the monument to Catherine (''Одеська міськрада нарешті погодилася знести пам'ятник Катерині'')|url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2022/11/30/7378612/|date=30 November 2022|access-date=30 November 2022|website=[[Ukrainska Pravda]]|language=uk|archive-date=30 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130105931/https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2022/11/30/7378612/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Parks and gardens ===
[[File:Primorskiy Parkway.jpg|thumb|right|A park at Prymorskiy prospekt in Odesa]]
There are a number of public parks and gardens in Odesa, among these are the Preobrazhensky, Gorky and Victory parks, the latter of which is an arboretum. The city is also home to a university botanical garden, which recently celebrated its 200th anniversary, and a number of other smaller gardens.

The [[Odesa city garden|City Garden]], or Gorodskoy Sad, is perhaps the most famous of Odesa's gardens. Laid out in 1803 by Felix De Ribas (brother of the founder of Odesa, José de Ribas) on a plot of urban land he owned, the garden is located right in the heart of the city. When Felix decided that he was no longer able to provide enough money for the garden's upkeep, he decided to present it to the people of Odesa in 1806.<ref>{{cite web |first=Oleg |last=Gubar |url=https://www.odessitclub.org/publications/almanac/alm_27/alm_27_28-45.pdf |title=How was the City Garden formed? |publisher=Odessitclub |date=2011 |access-date=29 December 2019 |archive-date=29 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229191643/https://www.odessitclub.org/publications/almanac/alm_27/alm_27_28-45.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

The garden is home to a bandstand and is the traditional location for outdoor theater in the summertime. Numerous sculptures can also be found within the grounds, as well as a musical fountain, the waters of which are computer controlled to coordinate with the musical melody being played.

Odesa's largest park, [[Shevchenko Park (Odesa)|Shevchenko Park]] (previously Alexander Park), was founded in 1875, during a visit to the city by [[Alexander II of Russia|Emperor Alexander II]]. The park covers an area of around {{convert|700|by|900|m|ft|abbr=off}} and is located near the centre of the city, on the side closest to the sea. Within the park there are a variety of cultural and entertainment facilities, and wide pedestrian avenues.

In the center of the park is the local top-flight football team's [[Chornomorets Stadium]], the Alexander Column and municipal observatory. The Baryatinsky Bulvar is popular for its route, which starts at the park's gate before winding its way along the edge of the coastal plateau. There are a number of monuments and memorials in the park, one of which is dedicated to the park's namesake, the Ukrainian national poet [[Taras Shevchenko]].

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Украина, Одесса - Свято-Преображенский кафедральный собор 02.jpg|The city's Preobrazhensky Park surrounds its cathedral.
File:Odessa AlexanderII colomn and spruce tree.jpg|The Alexander Column in [[Shevchenko Park (Odesa)|Schevchenko Park]]
File:Украина, Одесса - Приморский бульвар, 11.jpg|The [[Londonskaya Hotel]], on Odesa's magnificent Prymorsky Bulvar, is one of the city's landmark buildings.
File:Odesa Olgivska-4 0-1.jpg|alt=The main building of the Odesa National Medical University|The main building of the [[Odesa National Medical University]]
</gallery>