The steps
Widening downwards.
wgauthier — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Dave Proffer — CC BY 2.0 · Julian Nyča — CC BY-SA 4.0 · wgauthier — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Oleh Kushch — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Potemkin Stairs are a giant stairway in Odesa, in southern Ukraine, seen as the formal entrance to the city from the sea and its best-known symbol. Their official name today is the Prymorski Stairs, and they link the seaside boulevard with the port below. Odesa sits on a high plateau, and before the stairs the way down to the harbour was by winding paths and crude wooden steps. Governor Mikhail Vorontsov ordered the stairs, built between 1837 and 1841. They run 142 metres, the top step 12.5 metres wide and the bottom 21.7 metres, so from below they look longer than they are. From the top you see wide stone steps dropping towards the port and the sea, broken by landings, with thick trees on both sides. From below you see only the steps, from above only the landings, port cranes and a tall hotel stand on the horizon, and the stone turns gold at sunset. It is in central Odesa, about 400 metres from the opera house. The stairs are public and free. The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to the Odesa region, and opening can change at short notice, so read the current advice before any planning.
Widening downwards.
Over the port.
Golden stone.
Prymorskyi Boulevard, central Odesa, Ukraine
The steps widen towards the bottom, which tricks the eye.
Yes, the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to the Odesa region.
