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Pictures of Odessa (Odesa): Ukraine's Port City

Odessa is a favorite tourist destination for Ukrainians and foreigners alike, as well as one of the most economically developed cities of Ukraine. These pictures capture some of the feeling of Odessa's historic city center.

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Odessa city photos

Odessa's downtown area is an old-fashioned city center with cobblestone streets lined with tall sycamores. Here you will find most of the sights. Nearby you will find impressive views of the Black Sea port below. Odessa has a distinct personality that sets it apart from other Ukrainian cities.

Looking down Pushkinska street towards Odessa's famous opera house	The Odessa opera house is supposedly the second most beautiful in Europe after Vienna	At the entrance of the opera house. Unfortunately, it's closed for repairs for the summer	Looking up towards the opera house
Monument near opera house in the old town	Mozart Hotel	A fancy restaurant by the statue	I believe this is a bank, but I lost my record of the shot
Looking towards the statue of Russian poet Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin	Moving closer to the Pushkin monument	The Odessa Oblast administration building	On summer weekends, dozens of newlyweds can be seen in this area taking pictures
The archeology museum's scenic setting is a favorite place for wedding pictures	Looking at one of the older buildings on Pushkinskaya Street	Odessa's quaint cobblestone roads	Many central streets are lined with impressive sycamores
Odessan cat	Tourists and locals stroll down famous Deribasovskaya Street	The intersection of Yekaterininskaya and Deribasovskaya Streets.	Signs at this intersection advertise Odessa's two main products for foreigners — apartments for rent and women for dating and marriage.
Odessa's fancy shopping malls rival the best in Kiev. Here is the "Athens" shopping mall.	The interior of Athens. Not all commercial real estate has been bought up here yet.		Escalators carry shoppers to the upper floors.
Looking down at the food court from the upper stories.	Monument near Athens. Street dogs rest in the shade.	Here is another huge modern mall — Novyy Privoz ("new shipment").	Odessa train station
Across from the train station is an Orthodox cathedral.	Facade of the cathedral	The Arab cultural center in Odessa city center opens its doors to the public daily from 11:00 to 17:00; entrance free of charge.	Entrance of cultural center
A newly built church	Back of church, with fountain and pigeons	Fountain	Side view of the church
In the same park is Odessa's most prominent souvenir market, with lots of artwork and a collection of basic Ukrainian souvenirs.	In the nearby park old men play dominoes.	One of Odessa's oldest building remains unrestored to preserve its feel.
View of the facade	Odessa park with fountain and flowers	Today a winds orchestra is playing classical music in the park, creating a distinctly European atmosphere.	Close-up of the conductor through the fountain.
Skateboarders grace a monument to Hetman Anton Holovatyy.	Potemkin Stairway leads down to the harbor	A closer view of the famous stairway and the new hotel next to the harbor	Looking up at those coming down
A closer look at those stairs...	Odessa is a port city of great importance	Odessa port entrance	Two years ago, Vorontsov palace was in complete disrepair. Now major renovation is going on.
Close-up of the restoration work	This is what the palace looked like before restoration work began	Peering into a courtyard in the old town

Photos of Arcadia

Arcadia is the recognized center of Odessa nightlife on the Black Sea coast south of the city center. In addition to fancily dressed young men and women, you will see entire families, older couples, poor people, and foreigners. There are places in Arcadia geared to nearly every group of visitors. To do it justice, I really should come here at night and take some pictures of the nightlife!

Beach in the popular Arcadia area of Odessa	Different forms of recreation are offered at the beach	Waterslide at Arcadia beach	There are quite a few colorful restaurants overlooking the Black Sea in Arcadia
This ship has a fancy restaurant and dance floor inside	The "Itaka" restaurant and night club. This place starts filling up after 10:00 pm	Interior of the Itaka restaurant	An unclothed statue looks out over the dance floor and restaurant area
A collapsing pier at Arcadia	Fisherman in the Black Sea off of Arcadia

Photos of the Odessa catacombs

Underneath the city of Odessa are enormous cavities left over from the mining of sandstone blocks used for building to this day. During World War II the catacombs served as a hiding place for guerrilla warriors who caused endless problems for the Nazi occupants. It's quite a sight. I think you can pick up a tour right out in front of the train station.

Most of the catacomb tours begin at this spot 10 km out from the city. Tours are offered in Russian starting in front of the train station.	The catacombs are very damp and cool inside (not to mention dark), so living in them was quite miserable.	This room was used as a kitchen. Getting food and water from the outside world without being detected by the Nazis was a difficult task.	The enscription on the wall says, "blood for blood, death for death."
A straw-covered bed. Much of the time inhabitants here lived without light, and some went blind.	Room with communications equipment and posters of Stalin and Lenin.	The guerrilla oath of self-sacrifice, blood vengeance, and faithfulness to the Soviet Union.	Artillery used in guerrilla operations. The Nazis made multiple raids on the underground fortifications but were not able to drive the guerrillas out.
Hand-shaped memorial	The catacombs had several levels of tunnels — a real labyrinth.	A sad face sculpted into the wall	Outside the catacombs, a museum has displays on the lives of guerrilla heroes.
A telegraph (?)	A message left by Fidel Castro

All photos are the original work of Rick DeLong. To learn about purchasing originals, go here. Please contact me at before using my pictures for any purpose.