Odesa, Odesa Oblast, Ukraine
The Potemkin Stairs is one of the most remarkable, vibrant and majestic sights in the world. Many great writers and poets, composers, actors and artists spoke about it. You can talk about it for a long time. If you remember different cases, stories, myths and legends, then she will need to devote whole volumes. The Potemkin Stairs becomes a source of inspiration. This time I decided to make a kind of excursion and conduct an excursion.
Let's start at the origins
In 1825, a unique project of a staircase was created, which was supposed to connect the port and the city located on a hill. Then they said that the staircase connects the sea and the sky. Outstanding architects of that time took up the work: Abraham Melnikov, Francesco Boffo and Karl Potier. The project itself was realized very quickly. After 15 years, the staircase rushed to the sky.
So what happened? In total, we figured out 10 flights. There were a total of 200 steps.
What is the trick of an architectural creation?
The authors made a staircase in which the base is much wider than its top. As a result, if you look at this masterpiece from top to bottom, then we do not see the apparent narrowing. In this case, a slightly different visual effect occurs. By the way, it seems to the eye that the Odessa Seaport itself is located only 100 - 150 meters from the very top step of the stairs!
Bottom view. There is another unique aspect here. If you look up, then the flights of stairs "disappear". The glance does not notice them! The steps seem to be endless and really lead straight to heaven!
Why was this majestic staircase called Potemkin?
Almost everyone believes that the staircase got its famous name thanks to the favorite of Catherine II. But, in reality, Count, Field Marshal Grigory Potemkin has nothing to do with the stairs.
To be frank, this landmark did not have its own name for many decades. It had no name. Only in the 50s of the last century it received its world-famous name. This happened after the appearance on the screens of Sergei Eisenstein's film "Battleship Potemkin", which was filmed in 1925. Let's remember one amazing moment.
The baby carriage rolls, flies up the steps of the giant staircase of Odessa. So, just wrote, this frame from this cool silent film immediately popped up in my memory! Here, after that, the staircase became Potemkin! Before that, it was called as anyone pleases: Giant, Portovaya, Boulevard, Bolshaya, Vorontsovskaya and so on.
Potemkin Stairs today
This is an iconic place. Race competitions are held here annually. You need to quickly, quickly and quickly climb to the very top. Record: 23 seconds! This race is held on the Day of Physical Education and Sports. Come and try to break this record and get a valuable prize! Modern athletes are lucky. Due to the fact that the years have spared no one and nothing, the city is expanding, Primorskaya Street has bitten off several steps at the stairs. Now there are only 192 steps.
I think that this is not my first and not my last material on the Potemkin Stairs, which is included in the TOP-10 of the most majestic staircases in the World!
