Ekaterininska Square and Ekaterina II Monument

Ekaterininskaya square in Odesa is one of the main squares and the most important architectural landmarks. It is located in the heart of the city not far from Potemkin stairs. The square has changed it shape and name many times throughout the history. In the previous years, it was called Duke square, Elizavetinskaya square and even Karl Marx square. The monument on the square is called Monument to the founders of Odessa, also known as monument to Ekaterina the Great and her companions: José de Ribas, François Sainte de Wollant, Grigory Potemkin and Platon Zubov. The monument was created by Odessa architect Yuri Dmitrenko in 1900, but it was demounted and replaced with Karl Marx monument in the beginning of the Soviet era in 1921.
In 1965, the monument to Potemkin sailors was built on the same place. In 2007, the City Council of Odesa decided to restore the Monument to the founders of Odesa using its authentic elements and parts, which were kept in the Odesa Museum of Regional History. This project was launched in the framework of the whole square reconstruction. The unveiling ceremony of restored Ekaterininskaya square and Monument to the founders of Odessa was held in 2007.
Address: 1, Ekaterininskaya Square

Odesa City Garden

Odesa city garden (also known as “Gorsad”) is located on the famous Derybasivska street. It was originally founded by Felix de Ribas, the brother of José de Ribas, who was one of Odesa founders. The garden was reconstructed in 2007, and now it looks the same as 200 years ago. Here visitors can find musical rotunda pavilion, where free live concerts are held in warm summer evenings, and a spectacular musical fountain that works from 9 to 11.30 P.M. daily. Odesa city garden also includes a unique perfume fountain, which hourly diffuses specially created aromatic essence instead of water. The composition of this perfume essence was created by a French perfumer Christophe Lacarin. Beautiful sculptures, which embody the special Odesa spirit, are also notable elements of the garden: a sculpture of Leonid Utesov, a famous Soviet artist, who wrote a lot of songs about Odesa; a sculpture of the famous chair from the book of Ilf and Petrov “The Twelve Chairs”; stunning sculptures of lion and lioness – the guardians of the city garden.
Address: Derybasivska Street

One Wall House

This unique building in the center of Odesa looks really weird and even mystical. Citizens call it the “Witch house” or the “Flat house”. If you look at the façade of this house, you can see an ordinary house built in the old Odesa style with iron-coated balconies, chic ledges and fancy wall finishes. But if you go a few steps frontwards and look at the building from the side, you will be slightly shocked and surprised. It seems like the house does not have a side wall and its overall width is not exceeding one meter. This house was constructed in the years of Czarist Russia. The lack of money during construction process inspired the architects for a very original solution. It was decided to bring two sidewalls together in order to avoid paying for back wall construction. That's why the building has a triangular shape and the impressive “one-wall” look, which attracts a lot of tourists who want to see this odd illusion.
Address: 4, Vorontsovskiy Lane

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