Potemkin Stairs, Monument stairs in Odesa, Ukraine.
The Potemkin Stairs extend 142 meters from the harbor to the city, featuring 192 steps arranged across ten landings with varying widths from top to bottom.
Prince Mikhail Vorontsov commissioned architects Francesco Boffo, Avraam Melnikov, and Charles Michel Potier to construct these stairs between 1837 and 1841 as a harbor access.
The stairs gained international recognition through Sergei Eisenstein's 1925 film Battleship Potemkin, leading to their designation as a Treasure of European Film Culture in 2015.
A funicular railway operates alongside the stairs, providing an alternative method to reach the summit for visitors who prefer not to climb the steps.
The steps create an optical illusion where viewers at the bottom see only landings, while those at the top observe only steps without the platforms.
Location: Odesa
Inception: 1825
Architects: Francesco Boffo, Avraam Melnikov, Charles Michel Potier
Official opening: 1841
Architectural style: classicism
GPS coordinates: 46.48854,30.74199
Latest update: May 28, 2025 18:21
Stairs serve not only to overcome elevation changes but often rank among the notable structures of their cities. The Spanish Steps in Rome with its 135 steps has connected two districts since 1725 and became a meeting point for locals and visitors. In Montmartre, 222 steps lead to the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur, while Jacob's Ladder on Saint Helena with 699 steps forms one of the longest straight stairways in the world. The selection includes various construction types: spiral staircases in medieval towers, rock-carved ascents to temples and fortresses, and modern outdoor stairs made of concrete and steel. Some stairs were built for practical reasons like the steps to Table Mountain in Cape Town, others as part of religious sites like the stairs to the Golden Rock in Myanmar. Each staircase tells the story of the engineering skills of its era and the people who use it daily.
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