The Potemkin Steps

The Potemkin Steps on Primorsky boulevard in Odesa is the main entrance to the seaside part of the city from the Port. This is an architectural landmark and is considered one of the symbols of Odesa.

A stairway of 192 steps (originally 200), was designed by architect Boffo in 1841 on the initiative of the Governor-General Count Mikhail Vorontsov. From the Duke's monument on Primorsky boulevard the staircase descends by dozens of marches down to the seaport. Its bottom part is slightly wider than the top, thus when viewed from the top, there is an illusion of the even width all over, and when viewed from the bottom, it seems visually more extended. Its current name and worldwide fame the Potemkin Stepss had received through the Eisenstein's "The Battleship" Potemkin" movie, with a key scene on these steps. Along the staircase, cable car line was built in 1902 (renovated in 2005).