Like all Odessites, we are great patriots of our city and are interested in its history and culture. Every year thousands of tourists visit Odessa, but few of them do sightseeing off the beaten tracks. This is one of the reasons why we decided to do research about less known sights of Odessa and about its monuments and statues in particular.

So, we`d like to start our presentation with a sight which is right near the most famous landmark of Odessa, its fabulous Opera House.

For more than 100 years this sculpture has been admired in a «secret» location near the Opera House, called Palais Royal. Palais Royal is one of the most secluded, romantic and peaceful places of Odessa. The sculpture Cupid and Psyche adds romance to the garden.

According to the legend, they fell in love against the wish of Cupid`s mother – the goddess Aphrodite, who sent her son to kill Psyche. However, they fell in love. So nowadays there`s a popular belief that if parents are against the relationship, the couple should go to Palais Royal and make a declaration of love in front of the sculpture. This will ensure a strong and lasting relationship.

The majestic fountain with a statue of Poseidon appeared in Odessa in the courtyard in Lanzheronovskaya Street. It`s seen only by employees of the state maritime navigation safety inspection, which is a pity. It definitely deserves to be visited by guests and inhabitants of Odessa.

At the entrance of Passage we can see an original composition. To the right of the entrance there is a figure of Apollo and on the left – a figure of Plenty. Above the sculptures there is an angel with a torch that illuminates the path for visitors, and a lion with an open mouth, which protects the building from misfortune.

In the middle of the corridor on each side on a small balcony there are sculptural groups, which welcome the visitors.

“Mother Odessa”The yard of the Literary

Museum is packed with unusual monuments. This monument to Mother Odessa was opened on April 1, 2000. The author is the Merited Artist of Ukraine A. Knyazik. Mother is holding in her arms the 5 founders of the city – De Ribas, De Volan, Lanzheron, Richelieu, and Vorontsov. Odessa is standing on 3 whales – medicine, trade and art.

“Writers with an Egg”

This small monument, full of irony, can be seen in the yard of the Literary Museum. Three birds – Pushkin, Gogol and Babel – are closely watching an egg in anticipation for a new outstanding writer to be born.

“Boats full of grey mullets” Another attraction of the

yard of the Literary Museum is the composition “Boats full of grey mullets”. It was opened on April 1, 2002. Sculptor T. Sudyina commemorated an extremely popular song written for the film “Two soldiers” and sung by Mark Bernes. It is about fisherman Kostya from Odessa and his sweetheart Sonya.

The monument to Steve Jobbs

Among the most unusual monuments on the streets of Odessa is the monument to the co-founder of Apple Steve Jobbs set up in Novosel’skogo Street. It took the author Kiril Maximenko just under a year to complete it. It is the first monument to the great man in an ex-Soviet republic.

Passage is also decorated with a statue of Mercury, the patron of commerce, sitting on a train. There is a legend that this locomotive appeared on the request of a railway magnate who invested in the construction of the building. But historians think that the locomotive symbolises the role of Odessa as a powerful railway hub.

One of the most picturesque statues of Odessa is «Aunt Sonya on Privoz».

The monument shows a middle-aged woman fishmonger in a hat, with fish beaded on a rope. At her feet we can see a fat cat, who is definitely fond of fish. This nice monument makes shoppers feel homely in the new fish mall.

The monument to David Gotsman

It is a bronze sculpture dedicated to the main character in the famous series “Liquidation” set in the 1940s in Odessa. It shows a post-war policeman feeding pigeons and it was erected in front of the police department of Odessa region. The prototype was the legendary police investigator David Kurland, whose appearance is easily recognizable in the statue.

In the shopping center “New Privoz" there is a sculptural composition “Shalandas full of mullets", which shows the heroes of the song, Fisherwoman Sonya and Sailor Kostya. Bronze sculptural figures are installed on a pedestal in the form of waves, which is made of polyester resin. This creates the effect of light inside the pedestal.

The monument to a dolphin is one of the most mysterious in Odessa. The sculpture appeared about five years ago but nobody knows who designed it and where it came from. This monument is located in a yard on Dvoryanskaya Street but you can only see it through the gate.

In former times there was a fountain with a touching marble sculpture of a boy hugging a fish as tall as himself. Although after so many years is was difficult to see the details, but nevertheless irradiated warms.

Unfortunately, now this monument is destroyed. There is only one stone in this pool now. Maybe this monument became a prey of vandals. It was located in a yard of Marazliyevskaya,14, in front of gorgeous mansion, which belonged to Julia Morton.

“Gardens of Victory”

At the exit of one of the classiest shopping malls in Odessa – “Gardens of victory” – you can see these unconventional sculptures. Perhaps, they depict the male clientele of the mall?

Not many people know that there is an interesting character in Odessa - a Tailed thief. This is just a cat who has bummed sausages. The silhouette of a cat holding sausages is clearly visible against the bright sky. This strange and unusual monument is situated on the roof of a house which is on the corner of Pushkinskaya and Bunina Street.

Next to the cat there lives a cock. This vigilant bird doesn’t have a moment’s rest – it spins around depending on the wind. Apparently, this way the cock watches out for danger in order to warn the cat!

They definitely enliven the regular and a bit boring skyline. You can come across such humorous images only in Odessa where local people are reputed to have a good sense of humour.

Unfamiliar Sights of Odessa

This is our outlook and we believe you have felt our sincere love for our dear Mother Odessa. We do hope our presentation will

inspire you to do your own research and find fascinating

sights off beaten tourist tracks.