Fodor's Expert Review Potyomkin Steps

Constructed as the main entry to the city center, the legendary staircase once led directly to the sea. The stairs were the site of a 1905 battle between mutinying sailors and forces loyal to the Czar; the actual events sparking the clash remain uncertain but have been overshadowed by the version presented in the famous Sergei Eisenstein silent film The Battleship Potemkin (the massacre depicted in that film never happened). An optical illusion prevents you from seeing the actual steps when you stand at the top—all you can see are a few landings; from below, all you can see are the steps, making the staircase seem much longer than it actually is. Designed by the French architect Boffo, who lived in Odessa and designed many buildings here, the steps took four years to build and were completed in 1841. In all there are 192 steps at a length of 142 meters. To get up to the main boulevard, you can use the staircase or a funicular.